Customer Reviews

Fat Bald Jeff

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sarcasm offends some people. If it offends you then you might think of bypassing this volume and sticking to Oprahs list. But for others of us it is one of the ways we cope with what is going on in our world. Although this story centers on one girls life in the pits of going to work in a cubicle everyday you can easily unplug the cubicle and plug in whatever you do.

Stella has written a gem here and we can all relate to it. She has used her humor to write not a knee slapper but a book that made me smile and shake my head during every page. Over and over again I found myself relating something in my life to something in each characters life.

And as for Fat Bald Jeff? He represents everbody you ever made up a nickname for. Come on. Think about it. Haven't you ever had a nickname for someone and after a while you don't even remember his or her real name? Fat pants? Garbage? Furry? I have names for lots of people.

I have to use this book for a book group this month. This same group read Plainsong last month. No two books could be further from each other on the subject scale. It will be interesting if people who like one like the other. Just out of curiosity if you read both let me know what you thought.

Fun book to read, highly recommended,

I loved this book! I loved the self-involved Addie-she had the same clueless disregard for reality as Ignatius Reilly in "Confederacy of Dunces" and the same inabilty to see how others perceived her.

I've known many "Fat Bald Jeffs" in my day, and it's nice to see them get their due. Fun, fast moving read!

I found Leslie Stella's book "Fat Bald Jeff" to be a very light-hearted and fun read.

Addie Prewitt is a trapped in the world of cubicles along with the denizens that dwell there. Anyone who has (or ever had) such a job will immediately recognize most of the people described within. We all work with a Fat Bald Jeff.... admit it.

Addie describes herself as the female version of Austin Powers. Fat Bald Jeff is exactly that. He's fat. He's bald. He's Jeff. Together this unlikely duo hatch a scheme to get their justifiable revenge on the shallow office managers who have very little (if any) concern for the people they work with.

The supporting cast of characters are likeable enough. They do their jobs and remain in the background, allowing the author Leslie Stella to concentrate on Addie and Fat Bald Jeff.

Most of the other reviewers have commented on the book's general plot, so I'll just say that it's light and it's charming. If you're looking for a gut-buster, look elsewhere. This is a nice spring novel. I enjoyed it immensely.

Well done, Ms. Stella.

I loved this book and finished it in one Sunday. (If you have kids - and I have 3 - you know just what a compliment this is!) The writing is wickedly funny. The characters are consistent and interesting. I hated to say good-bye to them when the story ended. It was great fun and I look forward to her next book.

You'll probably choke laughing if you eat or drink while reading Fat Bald Jeff by Leslie Stella. I had already read The Easy Hour earlier this Summer which was hilarious. I could not find Fat Bald Jeff in my local book seller. My local library borrowed on interloan and I had two days to read it, which was not a problem because I could not put it down. Leslie Stella creates such a cast of crazy characters I could picture them all in all their weird get-ups. Get the book, you'll never stop laughing. Wish she would write another.

What a treat! Stella has woven a hilarious tale of sabotage in the workplace. I related to all of the main characters, Addie in particular, with her sarcastic attitude, her amusing nicknames for people, and her naive honesty. She is satisfying and entertaining comic relief to all of us who don't have the guts to stand up and 'flip the bird' to our bosses. I'll be living vicariously through Addie and Fat Bald Jeff for years to come.

What do you do when the dulldrums set in at the office? Uncover the truth about what goes on behind closed doors. Addie is the most cynical and sarcastic character I have ever loved and she is surrounded by a cast of bizarre characters who you will look to find in your own life. This book was such a pleasant surprise and made me laugh out loud several times. I can't wait to see more from Stella.

People on the train stared at me because this quick, funny read had me laughing out loud. The characters are an unforgettable mix of Chicago lumpens who, by the end of the book, make the reader feel as though they truly know them inside and out. Leslie Stella has taken her talent from the zine pages and put it to good use in her debut novel. The treasure here is in the detail in each characters' thoughts, words and deeds that pushes the story along at an enjoyable pace. This book is written similiar to the way many of us hear voices in our heads. And unlike most pop fiction, FBJ succeeds in avoiding the pitfalls that so often characterize the work of young Gen X/Yers. Stella doesn't fall into any literary traps that often plagues lesser works. It is this one trait that seperates true authors from the pretenders. And if some of those East Village "artists" aren't careful, the likes of Stella will put them back behind the counter at Taco Bell where they belong.

Leslie Stella hit it on the nose first time out of the gate. Her portrayal of today's overeducated, undermotivated, "slacker" youth is dead on. It also was right on illuminating the gaps between socio-economic and generational differences. All the while it told a very funny story. I especially enjoyed the very illustrative descriptions of the characters lifestyles and eccentricities as it made them very believable. My only question is when is the next book?

I don't think I've never laughed as consistently through a book as I did with this one. I love Leslie Stella's writing style, her sense of humor, and her eye for detail.

I especially loved the descriptions of Addie's thrift shop-culled wardrobe, and usually I don't care to read about peoples' outfits in books, because they don't typically add a lot to the characterization, but in this case, they totally helped illustrate the kind of kooky, backwards-thinking wanna-be socialite Addie is.

Addie's roommate, Val Wayne, is a great, well-drawn character, and I loved the details of their friendship, from how they met at the alternative high school to their wacky hijinks in the apartment, drinking outmoded alcholic beverages out of various funky vessels like I Love Grandpa mugs and football team tumblers from the gas station.

I admit, the ending fell a little flat for me, particularly because Francis, a key player in the ending, was one of Stella's weaker characters, so I couldn't really "see" him as well as I could Addie, Val Wayne, Jeff and some of the others, but maybe there's a sequel in the works? (Pretty please???) I reccomend this one to anyone who likes goofy humor writers like Dave Barry, Amy Sedaris or Steven Colbert.