A Confederacy of Dunces
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize "A masterwork . . . the novel astonishes with its inventiveness . . . it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue."--The New York Times Book Review A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero, one Ignatius J. Reilly, is "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times).
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Community Reviews
A book that will completely divide opinions; A Confederacy of Dunces is an American "comic masterpiece," a classic farce full of characters you hate to love and love to hate. The book's protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, is a hugely obese and obnoxious man who is horrifically rude to his mother (and pretty much everyone else) and I couldn't help but like him. I relished every cringe-worthy, shockingly foul and unpleasant word that spilled from his mouth and I couldn't wait to find out what this idiot would do next.
I cheated (a little) and listened to the audio book. Very few books make me laugh out loud, but this one did. It also made me squirm in my seat with some of the awkward social situations. The author really had a talent for making you feel immersed in the story. I wish there were a sequel. I want to know what happens next!
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