Customer Reviews

Being Alexander

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, yes, this novel is one note. Yes, most of the supporting characters are not fleshed out. Yes, the title character can sometimes be difficult to stand. And you know what? I love it.

This is the revenge fantasy we all want to live. Alex reinvents himself as Alexander, a take-charge, no-holds-bared kind of guy who's not going to put up with anyone's BS anymore...his own included. Yes, the denouement is trite and predictable, but the book is thoroughly enjoyable in a I-stayed-up-all-night-to-read-this way. The dialogue is witty, the action swift, and the prose accessible and biting. If this is a mediocre debut, then I wish most debuts were positively deplorable.

Bottom line? This a fun read that won't tax your imagination, and will make you stand up and cheer more than once.

Recently having read the great novel Free Lunch by the same author I eagerly looked forward to reading Nancy Sparling's first ever novel Being Alexander. I was not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed this novel as well. It is written in the same first person narrative style as Free Lunch. Being Alexander also reminded me of the classic novel Syrup, by Maxx Barry which is also about a young guy in the communications industry although he was in marketing (Alex in this novel is advertising) who was also wronged by an unethical competitor and used his fast wit and intelligence to gain revenge and become extremely successful. This book is an extremely enjoyable and entertaining light read. If you liked this also check out Syrup and if you haven't read Free Lunch by Sparling, get it too. Paranoia by Joseph finder also has a similar theme and is up there quality wise as well but if you only check out one other book of this style get Maxx Barry's Syrup.

Nancy Sparling rolls out the doormat in her novel "Being...Alexander"...and his name is Alex. Alex Fairfax, to be exact. Alex is a corporate cut-out doll, a pushover, a Mr. Milquetoast for the twenty-first century. But unlike that legendary character, Alex gets pissed and decides not to take it anymore. When he walks in on his nefarious and backstabbing boss having sex with his girlfriend, something in Alex snaps. And thus is born Alexander.

Sparling does an excellent job of making Alex an unlikable git at the beginning of her novel, and an equally excellent job of making the reader root for him as he is born again...with great, giant balls. His endeavor for revenge against all those who've walked over him is a wonderful exercise in revenge. Sparling doesn't wimp out at the end either, by offering some overused and trite moral comeuppance...but allows the story to run its course naturally. For that reason, "Being...Alexander" is a great story; entertaining and perfect for anyone who's been used as a doormat in their life.

Revenge is sweet, or so they say. "Being Alexander" is all about revenge, but I don't think it really was sweet. Alex Fairfax was a wimp and all his life he let people walk all over him. In a very short time he had lost his friends, his girlfriend, his car, all his belongings and then his job. Alex then decided to change his lifestyle and wanted to be know as Alexander Fairfax instead of just plain Alex.
In one week Alexander had a new job making more money than he could imagine, a new place to live, a new girlfriend (several actually), a new look and most important, a new attitude. He then began to seek revenge on those who had done him wrong throughout his life. Alexander wants to stay at the top of the world so he starts hanging out with all the right people, gets engaged to the right girl, and looks for a house in the right neighborhood.
However, something is missing and Alexander isn't happy. He feels that he has been given a second chance when something happens in his life and makes him realize that he is really still the same person on the inside that he was when he was known as Alex. He still has the same values and dreams. He learns that a name is nothing. A new name couldn't change who he was or who he wants to become. So he just tells himself that he is going to be a success and stay on top of the world. But he is not going to be like everybody else and lie and cheat his way to the top. Alexander is going to be someone who is kind, someone others can rely on, a friend to all, and he will never take advantage of those who are weak again. He wants to love and have someone love him for who he is and what he does.
This book is really about who we are, not what we are and those who read this book will be thoroughly entertained by Ms. Sparling's first novel with her quick wit and humor. We learn, but should already know, that appearances can be deceiving and that actions speak very loudly and we are judged that way.

I randomly picked this book out at the library. I like to do that, pick out books by authors I haven't really heard of just to be exposed to something new, and this one really exposed me to something new. I was thinking of something I could compare it to, but I really can't. It has such a different plot than any other book I have read. It's not a coming of age story as the main character is in his mid thirties, it is not a love story, it is not a story about sex. It's not about violence or action, either. It's about power and revenge.

Alex was a pushover. He was too nice. One tragic week everything went wrong: his car was trashed, he lost his job, his girlfriend cheated on him, he an innocent bystander injured in a fight, and so on. At the end of the week, when he was fired, he knew he couldn't live his life this way. All of these things happened because he was too nice. He needed to change. After sulking a while he decided to change his life, to get revenge on everyone who hurt him. He changed his name to Alexander, opened his own business, and worked his way up the corporate and social ladder. Everything went according to plan. He got revenge on those who hurt him, and he vowed never to hurt the "prey." His life was great, until one act of revenge went wrong, and his life took new meaning. He hurt the prey. After this he thinks about what is most important in his life.

I really enjoyed the book. I think it has a very interesting tale that is not really seen in books or even in TV or movies. It was well written. It has many short chapters almost like a diary form as it tells each event as it happens, exept for his last week as Alex. The characters are very well developed and though the events would seem unbelievable if a friend retold the story to you, it seems very believable in this book. Myself, I was rooting for Alexander the whole time. Alexander gives hope to those who want to be seen in a different light, who think that they are not living up to their full potential or being appreciated by those around them.

There are two major things that I did not like. The story takes place in England, but this could be easily forgotten if Alexander did not keep reminding everyone about it. At the times where he was not mentioning London or their accents, my mind kept thinking that they were in New York City. Also, I found the ending to be very disapointing. I do not want to give it away, but I would have hoped that Alexander would have remembered his past and not have made the same empty promises he made before, but since it is the end of the book we never actually find out if he sticks to those promises or not. Maybe there will be a sequal.

If you want a can't put-down book, this is the one for you. It's hip, entertaining and very funny. And by the end of it, you're re-evaluating your life, deciding whether you're more of an Alex or an Alexander and hoping (for me anyway!) that you're actually an Alexander. He just has so much more fun!

I read it in one sitting. It's the best book I've read for a long time. Recommended.

Won't answer the mystery of life but a lot of fun.

After one of the worst weeks of his life, when he is victimized over and over, Alex Fairfax, the sucker, decides to become ALEXANDER FAIRFAX, the winner. He plans to reinvent himself as a winner and exact revenge on all of those who trod on him when he was the loser named Alex.

This new person will not have to be nice, will always win, and will be able to get even. As Alexander pursues his goal, I wondered just how rotten he would become before his inate nice-guyness came into play and rescued him from himself.

I would say that I enjoyed about two-thirds of this book. The beginning was achingly amusing, the middle was entertaining, but in the last third, when Alexander became indiscriminate in his sexual encounters, sometimes sleeping with two women within hours of each other, I became dismayed and a bit shocked....and I am no prude! I suddenly realized, thankfully, how little one reads about this kind of behavior in contemporary fiction. And for good reason, with the threat of AIDS....something that never seemed to occur to Alexander. It's a shame the novel took this unfortunate turn, because until that point it had been so sharp and amusing.