12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The rocket fuel of captivating fiction!, January 6, 2011
This review is from: Johnny Oops (Kindle Edition)
This book is really different. I wasn't expecting all the twists and turns that led the main character, Johnny Oops from one coast to the other promoting his form of spiritualism and promoting himself as a prophet. Not for the faint of heart, Johnny proves time and again that he is more of a sinner than a saint. I was taken by his questioning of whether we are real or living in a virtual reality world controlled by some game master although in the end he holds true to his belief in God. This author has a distinctive voice, and for a first novel made me interested in reading more of his works.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oops long, but rewarding, odyssey, March 3, 2011
Johnny Oops is an offbeat odyssey through the disjointed life of a man who, as the title suggests, could be any one (or none) of three things: Charlatan, Sex Maniac, or Prophet.
Oops's greatest strength is writer Arthur Levine's obvious talent for rich, realistic dialog and deep characterization. The title character, Oops, defines 'multi-faceted', putting even the most schizophrenic cultural icons (such as Sybil) to shame with his near-infinite depth of shifting hi's and lo's, angst and arrogance. Levine also props up Oops with an equally strong supporting cast of colorful family, friends, and a few genuine enemies. Dr. O'Hara stands out as Oops's longtime psychiatrist (one of the few who frequently and bluntly gives his answer to the title question of what Johnny is). And Oops's battles to legitimize his Dialectic Spiritualism society are biting, hilarious socio-political commentary.
The only problem with Oops is its length (at almost 350 pages, paperback).It could have been 50-100 pages shorter, and still retained its strength. Instead, it's dilluted somewhat by a plodding pace (especially in the beginning). It keeps Oops from seriously challenging 50's Holden Caulfield and 60's Valentine Michael Smith for literary misfit magnificence. Levine hamstrings what could have been a seamless flow with extraneous details that may discourage readers with short attention spans. And t.m.i. may also[unintentionally?] define what Oops is, robbing even a diehard reader of discovering it for himself/herself.
But for those who can stay with it, Johnny Oops is ultimately a rewarding and mostly well-crafted character study that is a modern re-imagination of "A Catcher in the Rye" and "Stranger in a Strange Land", as it graphically presents a strong central character wrestling to control (and make sense of) the wild inner and outer worlds he has helped to trap himself in.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
JOHNNY OOPS IS ALIVE, March 11, 2011
I purchased JOHNNY OOPS (Kindle Edition) by ARTHUR LEVINE and once I started reading, I honestly could not take my eyes off the screen! I wanted to find out WHO and WHAT JOHNNY OOPS is (was). ARTHUR LEVINE has created JOHNNY OOPS who springs to life in the author's very descriptive words, with cinematic scenes and supporting cast of characters that the reader just feels like he/she KNOWS them. Many, many twists and turns that will have you laughing, and being held in suspence until you turn the page. I loved this book and hope Mr. Levine continues JOHNNY OOPS' travels across this vast land. JOHNNY OOPS deserves FIVE STARS and I highly recommend it.
Michael Phelps
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