Customer Reviews

The Book of Joe

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Why I love this book:

1. This book made me laugh. Out loud. A lot. Much to the chagrin of the poor gentleman I was sitting next to on the flight to San Fran. I couldn't stop giggling and doing the silent-shaking-while-trying-to-contain-my-laughter laugh.

2. Despite all the laughter, it's the first book in several years that had me in tears at the end. Major, embarrassing "please don't look at me" tears. So worth it. I think I actually hugged the book at the when I finished the last page.

3. It was well written and totally engaging from page one. It's one of those books you remember in pictures, like you saw it taking place right in front of you, instead of text.

I could go on and on, but I'm at work. Bottom line is, it's a great book, and I promptly bought his next one the same night I finished Book of Joe.

As a chick-lit fan and author, this book hit every requirement I look for in a book: a good story that flows and keeps me intrigued, an unlikely likeable character, sarcasm and wit, and the shedding of tears. If the back cover description doesn't suck you in, just start reading the first page. You won't be able to put it down. I locked myself away for two days so I could finish. The only bad part about this book was trying to find a new book that even came CLOSE to being as good once I was finished reading it. This book will really make you wonder just how much you really knew when you were a teenager, and what it would be like to really get back at people who burned you "way back when."

Let's cut to the chase: Jonathan Tropper can flat out write. Whether he's going metaphorical, or descriptive, or setting you up to belly punch you with a zinger, this author has talent and a way with words that made my head spin. And Tropper's very witty, very moving, very effective prose is on full-scale display with his wonderful novel, THE BOOK OF JOE.

Joe Goffman fled the very turbulent times of his teenage life in a small Connecticut town, then got even by writing a novel that bashed anyone and everyone for all the chaos and mayhem he experienced. To Joe's complete surprise, the novel became a runaway bestseller, than a major motion picture. But here's the problem: His father suffers a stroke, and slips into a coma; Joe goes back, after seventeen years, to his hometown, and suddenly he is face-to-face with the very people he disparaged. From an estranged older brother, to a former high school bully still determined to torment, to a grizzled old basketball coach still an icon in town, to an old sweetheart whose heart remains broken, Joe grapples with the ghosts of his past, and comes to a realization that maybe the problem with his little hometown rests within himself--and not its residents.

This is a magnificent read, from its flowing prose to its compelling and definitive flashbacks of Joe's last year in Bush Falls High School. . .of his trials and tribulations with the three most important people in his life: Carly, Wayne, and Sammy. Tropper has absolutely triumphed in his ability to elicit the full gambit of emotions in the reader; I found myself laughing one moment, then wiping away a tear the next. The ending of this novel is incredibly poignant; Tropper creates and builds such an atmosphere the reader is completely absorbed, and overwhelmed with raw emotion. I see that Warner Brothers is developing THE BOOK OF JOE into a movie, and I can't wait. If they are able to reproduce even a fraction of the spirit of Tropper's book, the movie will be a blockbuster.
--D. Mikels, Author, WALK-ON

Lately, the only books I write about are those that really beg me to write about them. Jonathan Tropper's The Book of Joe is one of those books.

It's a safe bet that most of us use our past to fuel our present. Whether dreaming about the glory days or subconsciously trying to atone for things we've done wrong, we somehow define ourselves by who we were as much as who we are. Joe Goffman is a poster child for that definition.

Joe, who has written a wildly successful work of fiction that pretty well trashed everybody in his small home town, is coerced into returning when his father, his only surviving parent, has a stroke. From Joe's less-than-warm reception through the rest of this engaging story, the events of the past provide a context for the searching, self-immolation and eventual re-discovery that comes from seeing if it's really possible to go home again, or if home belongs in the past, and is best left there.

More than a little wry humor wraps Joe's recollections of hormone-filled high school days with the patina of cynicism that intervening years supply. That coating helps to keep the book from descending into the dark, regretful tone that could have marred its enjoyability. You'll laugh; you'll cry (I did).

A number of years ago, I was a teacher with student loans to pay, so I got a part time job at a deli. A former classmate, still wearing a jacket with his varsity basketball letter proudly showing for all to see, entered the store. The jacket no longer fit, his build had changed which age tends to do. I said hello and he gave me a look as if to say, "Why should I say hello to a pathetic loser like you?" He then made a comment about how little I accomplished since high school since I must only be slicing turkey breast and roast beef. I wanted to comment but wondered if it was worth it. Perhaps this is why I view Joe Goffman, the main character of THE BOOK OF JOE as almost heroic, as will anyone who felt excluded in high school.

In THE BOOK OF JOE, author Jonathan Tropper challenges the expression made famous by Thomas Wolfe's novel of the same name "You Can't Go Home Again." There is no question that Tropper is indebted to Wolfe, retelling the story from a 2004 perspective, albeit with a more sensuous flair than Wolfe's novel. The novel's hero, or anti-hero, depending on the reader's perspective, is named Joe Goffman. Goffman is a successful novelist who wrote a book set in his hometown and based on events of his senior year in high school. The residents of the town look rather buffoonish, naturally take exception to the book and feel humiliated when the book is made into a film. Perhaps the fact that residents in the town know that the tragic events depicted in Goffman's novel are true, it makes matters worse. Eventually Joe has to return to his hometown when his father becomes ill and his reunion with the town's residents, particularly the venerated basketball coach and his players who regard the coach as a god, is at times comical and at other times tragic. Tropper could have succumbed to worn out clichés in the work, but instead masterfully tells the story of a writer who was once an alienated youth who has achieved literary success yet still has to achieve personal satisfaction. Complicated broken family relationships and friendships are explored but never completely solved. People Goffman truly cared about and hurt, either intentionally or unintentionally, reenter his life and he likewise has to deal with the very real pain he has caused. Goffman likewise has struggles with the image he has of his father and finds an unlikely friend and ally in his nephew Jared, perhaps the novel's most endearing character.

Tropper deserves praise for the scope of what he has accomplished in this work. Many writers explores aspects of Tropper's book: returning home again, broken relationships, stigmas often attached to sexuality, complex family issues and the like, people constantly reliving the past, and do so well. Tropper is able to interweave all of these complicated issues into a novel that flows beautifully, captures a reader's attention, and holds it. He also describes the "writing life" rather well which I see as a plus.

According to the book's jacket, it may soon be released as a film. It will be interesting to see if Hollywood will do the book justice, so I would advise people to read the book quickly.

First, a bit of context for this review: I have never reviewed a book on Amazon.com before. I had never read anything by Jonathan Tropper before I read The Book of Joe. I teach a creative writing seminar at a midwestern university, and a student of mine dropped this book on my desk one day last week and insisted that I read it. Having just completed the book, I decided to do what I instruct my students to do upon finishing a worthwhile read - put pen to paper and record their personal reactions to the work, before having their views tainted through discussions with others.

The plot of this novel is remarkably familiar: The return of the estranged to an unwelcome home. Tropper breaks no new ground as far as the general movement of the story. Despite that, this is an extraordinarily original piece of writing. The characters are wonderfully drawn, most assuredly based on real-life characters in Tropper's life, and the complete believability of even some of the more far-fetched incidents is a credit to the sincerity of the voices Tropper records.

In particular, I found the depiction of the coach, which could easily have dipped into the cliche-ridden, to be original, enlightening, and very true. (In fact, just about every character was true.) As I frequently address to my own students, a good piece of fiction makes the reader feel that he or she could enter the story and fit right in. A great piece of fiction makes the reader feel that he or she has already been in the story. The Book of Joe falls into the latter category. I felt like I had witnessed personally the events taking place in the story, and while I don't sympathize with the protagonist quite as much as the author may have intended, I did identify with many of the mixed emotions he experiences throughout.

I have recommended The Book of Joe to my students and colleagues as an entertaining novel, and one that exemplifies what a young novelist should aspire to. Certainly, this is the kind of writing Harry Chapin had in mind when he sang:

"Strum your guitar, sing it kid.
Just write about your feelings, not the things you never did.
Inexperience, it once accursed me.
But your youth has no handicap, its what makes you thirsty."

The Book of Joe was a great book to read. It has all of the elements of a novel that make you wish the book was longer. While enjoying the reading, you will lament that there are fewer and fewer pages left to read as you progress through the book. The characters are well developed; very early on in the book the reader feels as part of the story, easily identifying with the people and places in the book. The writing style and main character remind me of Nick Hornby novels which I greatly enjoyed.

Tropper's timing is impeccable, and his characters all too real, especially for those who grew up in a small town. Yet for all his acid wit and inventive twists, the man's writing shines above all. Wayne's death (Not a spoiler--he's expected to die) is, despite its foreshadowing, a heartbreaking scene. In the final chapter, Tropper manages to combine a sense of redemption and acceptance for his main characters along with one more humorous touch involving the town's hatred for him.

Actually, that's a familiar theme throughout the story, and it's at once touching, and very funny. Do not miss this novel.

Joe Goffman is the best-selling author whose first book trashed his home-town and its residents. Brad is his estranged brother. Carly is the only woman he's ever loved, but without being able to make a commitment. Wayne and Sammy were his best buddies in high school. Lucy was Wayne's attractive mother and object of Joe's adolescent lust. Joe hasn't been home for seventeen years, until his father is felled by a massive stroke. It is not a happy home-coming.

Joe returns to Bush Falls to find out that he is hated. Copies of his book are thrown on his front lawn. Strangers pour milk-shakes on him in restaurants--well, you get the picture. Carly still lives there but is not overly thrilled to see him. And Joe is overwhelmed by unresolved issues from his past. In the course of this delightful novel, everyone will have a chance to re-examine their issues and conflicts, and hopefully to move on.

So, does Joe come to grips with his past failings? Does he reconcile with his brother? Does he get back together with Carly and live happily ever after? You will have to read the book to find out. This is an extremely well-written book that will have you turning the pages. Author Jonathan Tropper is a skilled writer who maintains control of his material and avoids the pitfall of sentimentality. Yes, it's true that some of the themes and characters are formulaic, some of the ideas have been used before, but hey--it works! In the end, this is a tale of sin, grace and redemption which will leave you profoundly moved.

The Book of Joe is an entertaining read and I highly recommend it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

I LOVE this book! It is rarae to find an author who pulls me in from page one. This book is so entertaining - yet I have found many thought-provoking passages. As someone who has moved away from their home town, I greatly appreciate it. The descriptions are wonderful...and the characters are so real to life.

Bravo! I can't wait to read more books by Jonathan Trooper.