Customer Reviews

Putting on the Ritz

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Joe Keenan was head writer and executive producer for Frasier. His trademark episodes always had some kind of mistaken identity, like the one where Frasier brings the new station manager home to meet Daphne, but the station manager is gay and thinks he is on a date with Frasier.

This book is very funny. You won't be able to put it down, and Joe gets the characters into difficult situations that they have to get out of, and you will laugh all the way through. By the way, this book, and the first one with these characters, were the books that got Keenan his job on Frasier, so you can be sure his talent shines through.

A hilarious follow up to "Blue Heaven". Joe Keenan is perhaps one of the funniest and most talented writers alive. If this one doesn't get a laugh out of you you are dead. (you probably died laughing while reading "Blue Heaven"...) He has come up with characters that are as inventive and funny as his first novel, as well as being truly wicked parodies of certain New Yorker who shall remain nameless. I read this book when it came out years ago, and I still re-read it and Keenan's first at least once a year. As a matter of fact- I am going to log off and read them again right now.

Joe Keenan's "Putting on the Ritz" is a novel that is like watching Rosalind Russell in "Auntie Mame", quick, witty, full of laughs and the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon. It is a sequel to his first novel "Blue Heaven" and surpasses it with engaging characters and a dizzying plot that keeps you turning page after page. I have read the novel several times and enjoyed it more with each reading.

Now that Mr. Keenan has proved himself successful on television as a writer and producer for Frasier on NBC, perhaps he will take pity on his fiction fans, take a season off and catch us up on Philip Cavanaugh's latest adventures.

Please Joe, we want another book!

Joe Keenan's witty and off-the-wall second book "Putting on the Ritz" offers us a delicious second helping of the glamorously ruthless New York millionare society brilliantly parodied in his first work "Blue Heaven".

In this book, we reteam with two slightly scrupulous characters, lyricist Phillip and flitting Gilbert, who somehow get themselves involved in hijinx of the extremes. It seems that two rival magazine publishers and societal magnates are engaged in a feud that would make the Hatfields and the McCoys cringe. Phillip and Gilbert get themselves involved through the vocal desires of one Elsa Champion, whom I managed to see as Leony Helmsly with a Suzanne Pleshette voice. Toss in level-headed and intelligent Claire, who comes out as a mastermind while being the only one who manages to retain an ethical base throughout the story. What ensues is spying, counterspying, deceit, lying, and a plot that joyful shreds the borders of human decency into digestable bits. And Keenan obviously has great fun in doing so.

While this book doesn't quite live up to the promises made in his first laughfest, Keenan still manages to deliver us quite a tale of misgivings through the story. What seems to lack in this book is a Moira character, who appears in his first book making Judas seem like Jesus' best friend. While Elsa is just as nasty, you are never really surprised about her actions. In fact, as this tale spins along, there are just a few surprising in this fairly predictable read.

However, one thing I did appreciate about this book is Keenan's leaving the heart of the first story along with this second story, that is, the relationship between Philip and Gilbert. Friends and rivals at the same time, it is their relationship that is both endearing and real, and you know these two will be with each other no matter what.

With that, I heartily hope for a third installment, whatever Joe Keenan can construct. Until then, I'll joyfully return to these two books whenever I need an uplifting and easy read.

This is one of the funniest books I've read in many years. Keenan's wit is sharp, his characters are hilarious. High humor is found in the fantastic descriptions of the rich-and-famous of New York, who are skewered delightfully. Meanwhile the simpler foibles of our narrator and his friends provide a milder, though still very funny, counterpoint. The plot concern our heroes: Phil, Claire and Gilbert, and their ill-fated foray into the world of multimillionaires and their well financed feuds. What follows is a bizarre yet plausible combination of domestic espianage, lounge singing, revenge, romance, and the introduction of an imitation French "that could best be termed 'Desperanto'". The book is highly crafted. Every sentence provides delightfully funny description or dialog combined with important plot information. The book culminates seemlessly in two amazing climaxes, combining all of the characters in the highest comedy. Am I getting repetitious? In general, Mr. Keenan would appear to be some sort of modern reincarnation of P.G. Wodehouse or E.F. Benson. Those who enjoy the comedy of human social life should love this book (unless they are actively homophobic, I suppose...) I would very much like for Mr. Keenan to write us another book, I would think that our heroic threesome (Claire, Phil and Gilbert) could go to Hollywood.

Move over, Donald and Ivana, the Chammmmmmmmpions are here! Peter Champion is a low-life who made it big, and he is the epitomy of nouveau riche. His wife, Elsa, who "ovulates Faberge eggs", is a Boston fish-wife dressed in diamonds. But never fear! Our wholesome (sort of) heroes of the "Blue Heaven" fame are here to skewer the Chammmmmmmmmmmmpions for the pleasure (and hysterical laughter) of the audience.

Add to it a Malcolm Forbes charicature, whose exploits range from appearing to date divas to running around like a demented little elf after his under-age houseboys, and you have a rather nice setting for another Joe Keenan farce.

Some words of warning:

(1) You *will* laugh out loud: I saw a distinguished actress (Bea Arthur, no less!) reading this book on the plane, and she was laughing practically non-stop. And you know that laughter carries!... :^)

(2) You will have a hard time putting this book down: after having read it at least 3 times, I still finish it in one "seating".

And (3) if you are homophobic, don't bother: you won't get the humor, and you will only increase your blood pressure. For everyone else who can appreciate a 20s-style romp in the highest of camp styles, this is a great book!

If you're happier listening to Noel Coward than Neil Simon
and your idea of a great Sunday night includes Wooster
and Jeeves, chances are good you'll love this book. Keenan
combines a sharp sense of humor and self-depracating pathos
to tell his story of romantic intrigue, impossible egos,
and high rollers from Manhatten. Not all pratfalls, the story
plays on the things we'll do for love and money. The characters are so
well developed you can almost match them tycoon for tycoon in
current NYC player politics. One of the few books that could
genuinely make me laugh out loud not only while I read it, but
while I remember it. Highly recommended for fellow spirits of
a lost generation.

Does anyone know Joe Keenan personally? He has got to be convinced to keep this going. I can't tell you how many times I have read this and Blue Heaven - I simply never tire of them. Also, I am wondering if someone knows of other similarily genial books in this genre that I can get my hands on. I can't help but think that the rest will be disappointing knock-offs but I'm willing to try anything!

Joe Keenan's second novel is even better than his first! The farce gets wilder, and it remains consistantly funny. Joe makes it look so effortless that he shames those of us who have turned our own hands to the comic novel and turned out lesser work than his. This time out Donald and Ivana Trump are satirically lampooned, or more accurately, harpooned, disguised by a microscopic veneer of fictionalization. This book is hysterical. If you don't laugh at it, I can only pity your humourless existence.

I'm a french teenager. Before I read this book, I thought that American sens of Humour was limited to things like Jim Carrey's films or else. I apologize a thousand times. Since I've read Joe Keenan's books, I've changed my mind, because that's the funniest book I have ever read, I love the characters' irony, they always cope with crazy situations, but the author always find the most amazing solution to their problems without falling into stereotypes. My only regret is not to have read Keenan's books in english : I only had the french traduction, but I hope I will read tehm one day in their original version... Please, one last thing: I you loved this book, you MUST read Benson's books !!! I swear on my copy of "Putting on the Ritz" that you won't be deceived...