Customer Reviews

Bongwater

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I thought this book was horrifically bad and pointless when I first read it. Not particularly drug-centric. Not particularly angsty. Not particularly anything.

Almost a year later, while bored senseless and completely apathetic, I picked it up again simply so I would have something to do. It came as a shock to me how beautifully written and profound it is. Perhaps the feelings expressed aren't quite as apparent as they are in most books of this ilk, they are, however, very much an intrinsic part of the story.
Its romantic in a way that is honest and realistic. Not in the high-flown over-emoted style that most people write in. The ending, for example, is so tender and sweet that it justifies the rest of the novel.

It may be titled bongwater but pot had little to do with it. The characters (esp. courtney and david) are so well thought out that I, at least, could easily relate to them.

Its a great book, but certainly not for everyone. If you're looking for cheap thrills and stoned laughs I suggest you look elsewhere.

Not only is this book fun, it's very well written. It flows. I almost read it in one night. The key is, it's very realistic about young people's lives and relationships. The sex, the longing for intimacy, the drugs, the ambling through early adulthood.

Read it, you won't be disappointed.

Bongwater is a great book if you are looking for an easy read with feather-light humor. Drugs and alcohol, gotta love both.

This is a fast read filled with witty dialogue, clear prose, believable characters, and a charmingly humblehearted narrator-persona. And not without its poignant moments. Some if the chapter endings, in particular, give pause. An example is when Jennifer, in an effort to calm her friend Courtney from her fear of plane-travel, says the view from the plane is like "the viewpoint of God." Courtney tells her not to say that, and when Jennifer asks why, Courtney says, "Because I don't see any people down there." Hornburg tackles-and more notably, articulates-the larger, timeless, ageless, genderless questions that fill up not only Jennifer and Courtney, but also each and every one of us-one moment with awe, the next moment with terror-as we stare out our "small plastic window[s], lean forward and look back" at the complicated, unpredictable roadways of our lives. Hornburg helps us make sense of it all. Bravo!

It looks great. I like the title. I wanted to like it. But it made me really sad. I read it in one night, and was grateful that was all the time I spent on it. Somehow the interaction of the characters was unfulfilling and their motives--and dialogue--completely unbelievable. No one seemed to have an inner life, much less a past, or even satisfying sex. Perhaps the writer was trying to subvert a typical first, coming-of-age novel, and so none of the main characters had an epiphany or even any apparent growth. Reading this made me happy about all the conventional, good novels, where someone changes, goes through adversity, figures something out. There is some style here, though, and perhaps Hornberg's next effort will be better. I wish him luck.

"Bongwater" is an amusing novel, that is about as deep as a parking lot puddle.

David the slacker, filmmaker-wannabe skateboards around Portland, seeking salvation between Jennifer's thighs. Jennifer only loves herself. Jennifer and Courtney are best friends. Courtney is paralyzed by ennui. She runs off to NYC seeking the "big change" which will propel her life forward. The story ping-pongs back and forth between David and Courtney as they look for love in all the wrong places.

"Bongwater" is full of hip prose, interesting and amusing situations. The dialogue is priceless. However, the story isn't real. Like the TV show "Friends", nobody works, but everyone has money. The characters are also wise beyond their years. I found the most interesting characters were not the main ones. One thing that really annoyed me was the author's misuse of time and names. Portland is this netherworld of neither night or day. Eight hours sometimes passed in mid-sentence. Since most of the action takes place in bars and coffee shops, I rarely certain what time of day it was. Finally, nobody has a last name in "Bongwater". A character named Lisa, was spontaneously generated in mid-story. I was certain I'd missed her introduction and description. I flipped back two chapters searching in vain to find out who she was before I caught on. How many guys named Bob do you know?

"Bongwater" must have been a good short story once. It is very amusing, but its not a very good novel. If you like reading slacker-lit like this, try Rick Moody's "Garden State: A Novel", first. I only recommend "Bongwater" for people who need hip things to say at parties.

the book entrapped me and i read it in one night, then my friends saw it and i ended up lending it to about 15 diffrent people who all loved it, and who all finished it in a day because they couldn't put it down. I had an english teacher read the first three pages to the class because of how well written it was. She read it to the class talking about the desciption, etc. (She didn't know what bongwater was.) I can relate and I loved how at the end it wasn't "they lived happily ever after" You know they have a story that goes on, I think it brings more life to the characters. They weren't amazing people, they weren't even entirely buetiful, they were just people. I could relate to the entire book, and I had lost hope that I could find a book like that. So congratulations to Michael Hornburg for being real and writing about normal life.

I admit that I long ago judged this book by its cover. I remember seeing it in the bookstore years ago and dismissing it for the title and for the Gen-Xy jacket (and I actually liked the cover, from a design perspective, but I thought this book would be just too-too).

Reading it now, years later and well after the scene it depicts is gone, was interesting and I think allowed me to be less cynical about someone trying to tap the times they live in--though that is at least one point of art, isn't it? To reflect on your experience, participate, show evidence that you think, offer up something in return?

The pacing of this book couldn't be quicker. I am a slow reader, so it was a pleasure to slice through something so quickly. I always knew where I was, didn't have to figure out who was where or who was talking, all of that was seamless. It also says a good thing about the writing that just following these people through their aimless paces could absorb me so much.

I liked the beginning very much. The scenes written from the perspective of David are so well observed. The ones with Courtney were as well, but somehow they were less satisfying because I was only able to peek at what made her so simultaneously volatile and vulnerable, and I wanted to be clearer on the reasons why.

Another thing I liked was the realistic malaise of the characters' lives. I think it's an early 20s thing, and I certainly think it was compounded by the late 80s/early 90s recession (about the time period this story takes place), but I remember that just trying to make a go at your life seemed to be something we were all unprepared for back then.

Michael Hornburg captures very well the inertia of having the freedom to do what you want while not knowing what it is you want. Well drawn, too, is the ebbing threshold for failure we experience (this is especially evident with Courtney; she had to get back on the horse so many times). Palpable as well is the real void a lack of love in your life can engender.

I actually didn't buy David's sudden realization at the end that he loved Courtney. I think the foreshadowing for that was only there about 75%, though I realize this is something he's keeping from himself as well. I think one more scene between them where they are actually talking together might have gotten me there...although, it was a nice surprise at the end to see the intimacy that sprung up between them after only having them talk about each other to other people...it became obvious there was some history there.

Hornburg seems to be drawing from experience in writing this novel, and I think that is what makes the writing seem so real to me. I liked it a lot.

This book jumped off the shelf because of the name, so I had to read it. I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. It was a lot like Reality Bites, but better. If you've ever smoked pot or lived an alternative lifestyle you will relate to this book. I especially related to the character Courtney in this book--the sidekick best friend of a gorgeous girl.

Bongwater was a wonderful book. Its Tells you how life really is and doesnt hide the facts. It shows how hard life can be at times. I loved the novel. Michael Hornburg is a genius!! ~Shea