Customer Reviews

The Easy Hour: A Novel of Leisure

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is another well-written, witty "rage-against-the-machine" novel by the super-talented author, Leslie Stella. If you enjoyed her first book, "Fat Bald Jeff", you know what I am talking about and you'll adore this one as well. Stella's writing and characters have really grown since the first book. Sentence after sentence is jam-packed with humor. Guaranteed, you'll laugh out loud reading this one, too.

All you Bridget Jones fans, prepare to meet Lisa Galisa!! This book is HILARIOUS and smart and fun. Leslie Stella knows how to tell a story that hooks you right in. From the amazingly creative setting of Fishman's department store to the subplot of Lisa's friend Tim's job, you finish the book (in too short a time!) and want MORE. And anyone from Chicago will love reading her takes on our cultural rituals.

Read this and pass it on!!

I became acquainted with Leslie Stella's work when she submitted one of the best short stories my magazine had received all year (look for it in the Fall 2003 issue of THE ADIRONDACK REVIEW, as well as an interview with the author). Since the story was serious and literary in nature, I was unsure how I would react to THE EASY HOUR. It sounded fun, but would it be worthwhile? I wasn't sure. Let me tell you that it was difficult to put down. EASY's protagonist, Lisa Galisa, had me unsure if I was going to like her or be annoyed by her in the beginning -- but as she grew as a person, she grew on me.

I thought the characters were very well developed, and I could easily see this book becoming a movie. It has all the right elements: great plot twists, lovable eccentric sidekicks (and not overdone!), a fast pace, and tons of charm and wit. It had humorous moments -- perhaps not of the knee-slapping variety, but the kind that makes you smile a lot, and wish the book would last just a few more days.

This book has a lot of insight, much more than the blurbs might have you believe. It's not just a fun novel. You'll see more underneath, subtly spelled out in Stella's refreshingly non-preachy manner. Frankly, although I already very much believed in Ms. Stella's capacity as a writer, I just wasn't sure if I would be able to relate to the setting and characters since they were so far removed from my own life and I usually find these kinds of characters annoying, petty, and predictable. In the end, it's what made this whole book so enjoyable -- getting into someone else's world and being able to indentify with someone you thought you would neither be able to nor particularly want to. Lisa Galisa is a sympathetic character and you find yourself rooting for her most of the time, yet she is still human, which makes her both more and less attractive as a person. Her sister, a McDonald's worker-turned-pet-psychic, is particularly gentle and quirky. Her stereotypically gay friend, Tim, is portrayed well as her "best friend," but the nature of their relationship is brought under the light at one point and forces Lisa to wonder how close she really is to him, and why they are friends in the first place.

I very much enjoy Leslie Stella's style of writing: she is witty, highly observant, as all good writers are, and compassionate while retaining subtlety throughout. I warmly recommend this book and look forward to reading Ms. Stella's next novel.

People who create their own personas are gifts to life, entertainments to those of us without the flair or consistency to forge one-of-a-kind selves. Imagine a whole gallery of self-styling characters, a gang of corrigible misfits each with a manic sense of fashion and depressive sense of self. That's what Leslie Stella gave us in FAT BALD JEFF and now in this second novel, starring high-caloric, low-esteem Lisa Galisa. Watching Galisa "hork" her way through identity crises without ever missing a fashion beat is catharsis itself and feels great. There's a driving story line here, but it doesn't really matter. The fun-heaping platters of it-is in the characterization, the arch dialogue, the situations. Stella has the eye for telling particulars, the hip and campy,including in this case a parade of outrageous retroglam. That cutting wit so peculiar to Brit writers is in evidence here, but with an American-style compassion that leaves you something to smile about.

I really enjoyed this book. The reviewer who loves stories that involve working class people, but thought that Lisa Galisa was "a somewhat depressing character" definitely picked the wrong novel. This is not about some working class woman overcoming obstacles Norma Rae-style. The Easy Hour is about being funny. If you like chick lit novels like Helen Fielding or Jane Green stuff, you might enjoy this. It is a little less sentimental or romancy than a lot of other chick lit type novels. It is also a lot sharper and funnier than most of them. I would never recommend this as what I might refer to as "Literature" with a capital L, but it was fun and engaging.

The Easy Hour is the story of Lisa Galisa, a lazy store clerk who ends up as a personal assistant to a rich Chicago socialite. The book is not real strong on plot but it's so witty and funny it didn't really matter to me. Lisa's family is a riot and every time her sister did I psychic reading("pet" psychic reading, that is) I thought I might die laughing. Lisa is often very unlikable but at least that made her real and I liked how honest she was with herself. I highly recommend this book as a light "get your mind of things" kind of book...read it instead of watching a Friends episode -- it's funnier and better wriiten :-)

Wow! By far the funniest book I have read. Very smart, clever, interesting, fun. How many more ways can I say that I just loved this fun, fun book? I am recommending it to friends and strangers alike. If you have ever spent time working in a high-end service/customer relations type job this is a must read! Our hero struggles on the edge of the world of the super-elite, wondering how she can fit in with her taste for the finer things and her blue-collar background.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. the characters were interesting, the story was intelligent, and i was thoroughly entertained by lisa's escapades. While not a sout sider, i did relate to the life she described in her hometown. This book reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.. and i was easily entertained by that movie as well... thx

From the description of The Easy Hour on the back cover, I felt it would definitely be a fun read, but I was pleasantly surprised at how intelligent and sharp the writing was. This book is so much more than the average chick-lit novel, even though it certainly has elements that will appeal to fans of that genre (women struggling with career/love/family, written in a humorous style). For one thing, the political, historical, and cultural references throughout the story really appealed to me and made the book come alive; it was such fun reading the fashion show and department store scenes, and then suddenly have references to Eugene Debs, Herbert Hoover, and the Hessians thrown in. I particularly liked the character who runs a political 'zine out of his parents' basement...so funny, yet sweet and interesting enough not to be a total parody.

The pacing of the book is flawless, the plot has many unexpected twists along the way that held my attention, and the humor and writing style is sharp enough to warrant comparisons to David Sedaris.

People who create their own personas are gifts to life, entertainments to those of us without the flair or consistency to forge one-of-a-kind selves. Imagine a whole gallery of self-styling characters, a gang of corrigible misfits each with a manic sense of fashion and depressive sense of self. That's what Leslie Stella gave us in FAT BALD JEFF and now in this second novel, starring high-caloric, low-esteem Lisa Galisa. Watching Galisa "hork" her way through identity crises without ever missing a fashion beat is catharsis itself and feels great. There's a driving story line here, but it doesn't really matter. The fun-heaping platters of it-is in the characterization, the arch dialogue, the situations. Stella has the eye for telling particulars, the hip and campy,including in this case a parade of outrageous retroglam. That cutting wit so peculiar to Brit writers is in evidence here, but with an American-style compassion that leaves you something to smile about.