Customer Reviews

The Best-Known Man in the World & Other Misfits

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Pearlman's collection, The Best Known Man in the World & Other Misfits, will keep you on your toes. No two stories are alike. If you think you've got Pearlman's style pegged after the first story, a Borges-style intellectual entree, read on. There's a strongly bawdy, comedic style at work in many of the stories. Even when the conceit stretches into the far-fetched, as in "The Circus Hand's Desertion," the sheer virtuosity of word play is remarkable. " "The Vatican's Secret" is hilarious; it is sexy and witty; even when the sensuality is disturbing, as in "The Fall of the House," or "Death in the Des(s)ert," Pearlman captures the struggling soul with wonderful poignancy.
His characters are unforgettable: a comically self-centered writer; bungling conspirators in Cuba; a lovable Italian femme fatale who rescues her mild-mannered husband; a cardinal who wants fig leafs in the Vatican's stautary replaced with the original genitalia; a German WWII colonel who rides around in an American jeep and tangles with dark magic; a Vietnam veteran who returns to his home on the day it's slated for demolition; an man whose time is up and is expected to die meekly; a young Greek warrior who pursues the sensuous hetaira far beyond the battle field; all these and others await the reader.
Certainly you will like some stories better than others. All, however, are marvelously crafted. As a writer of literary nonfiction, I can appreciate the enormous research that has gone into these stories. I strongly recommend this collection for its sheer breadth and vigor.

The stories in this collection are just fantastic. Pearlman writes with great wit, and the stories are engaging and beautifully written. Some of the stories have a touch (or more) of science fiction, some have a touch of fantasy, and some are just plain eccentric, but they're all superb. Among the best are the title story, which is definitely good for a few laughs, and "Death in the Des(s)ert", which is dead serious and very disturbing. I highly recommend this book!