Customer Reviews

Night of the Avenging Blowfish: A Novel of Covert Operations, Love, and Luncheon Meat

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was reading this book returning home from a business trip and literally laughed out loud while on a Delta jet, a number of people near me started laughing with me caused they'd not seen anybody laugh while reading. Those near me told me they would get the book when we hit Orlando airport. This man is nuts and a little bit of him is in all of us. What a blast!

John Welter calls up fond memories of Joseph Heller's' Catch-22 with his main characters irreverent logic and uncompromising honesty. This and Catch-22 are two of the only books I've red that made me laugh out loud at least once a page. The big difference is that N.of the A.B.F. is so depressingly sad that at times I was scared to keep reading.

The main character, Doyle Coldiron, is in the Secret Service, along with his wacky co-workers, his job is to protect important and respected people, people whom he believes "don't deserve to be important, much less respected". Doyle spends most of his days fervently contemplating his lonely existence and dreaming of the one woman he loves, even though she is married and he knows that it can never be. Coldiron is a truly likable character and I felt his heartache; what could be better proof of a good book?

Some may say that Welter repeats his ideas (contemplations on loneliness and hurt) too often. However, I believe that he is only trying to impress upon the reader Doyle's' profound loneliness.

I would highly recommend this to any one who liked Yossarian or anyone who likes to laugh. If you're like me, you'll be rooting for Doyle the whole way.

The funniest book I've ever read, and yet it touches me with the main character's underlying sadness and longing. Love Welter's sense of irony and quirky insights.

This hilarious, melancholy, witty book is a 100 mega-watt laser beam of hope for women who think men don't feel and men who think women don't notice.

The absolute best book I've ever read. It gives new hope for living a life worth laughing at.

i had to buy a different book to read on my train commute because i kept laughing out loud and frightening small children and old women. you'll read it in twenty seconds, afterwhich you'll rush out for spam, saran wrap and strawberries (!)

Much like the lead character, I work for a U.S. Government agency protecting insignificant American and foreign dignitaries. This is a hilarious book about lonely young men, guns, luncheon meat (SPAM), and unrequited love. I have purchased multiple copies and given them to friends in the "industry." It is laugh-out-loud/have-to-put-it-down-to-wipe-away-the-tears-hilarious. Dog-eared copies are circulating the rounds of the White House and the State Department. Is it brilliant literature with perfect plotlines and concise editing? Perhaps not. But it is a book that you will love to read, love to pass on, and will reflect on at the oddest moments. Buy it, you'll love it!

This book is downright funny. It's funny in so many ways you actually have to stop reading and let the implications build. The conversations are hilarious. Yeah the lead character wallows in melancholy every once in a while but his depiction of lonliness is poetic, almost visceral. Then it's gone, back to the circus. If you are cynical to the point that your feelings are blunted down like an old pencil, then yes the description will hit home and make you uncomfortable. Welter can write.

The book is good mainly because of the great lead character in Doyle. You like the guy instantly. The storyline does wander a bit, but it's all anchored by Doyle and makes for a great read. There are some great lines in it too, I'm surprised this hasn't been turned into a movie yet.

I really do love Welter's sense of humor. Its just that the main men characters, Doyle and the one from Begin to Exit Here, seem wimpy to me. They're always crying! Maybe its the whole macho
idea that men arent supposed to cry. Maybe its my own problem then but it drove me nuts while reading this book. Thats my only criticism. Otherwise it was great:)