Ride a Cockhorse (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) [Paperback]

Raymond Kennedy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Perhaps the funniest American novel since ... A Confederacy of Dunces,* a classic send-up of greed, corporate malfeasance, and sexual politics is now back in print.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just before the opening of this painfully funny novel by the author of Lulu Incognito , mild-mannered Mrs. Fitzgibbons, a respectable New England widow and a stalwart home-loan official in a local bank, has awakened to a sudden personality transformation that will eventually lead to full-blown psychosis. At first feeling pleasantly buoyed, Mrs. Fitzgibbons confidently--and uproariously--seduces the high school's drum major; then she unleashes her newfound oratorical flourish and gargantuan ambition on her office mates. Before she finally goes overboard, she has unseated her boss, chalked up some stunning media coups, gained a cult-like following and begun shaking up the region's banking industry. The story itself is not lighthearted, and in fact depicts manic behavior quite accurately, but Kennedy's own antic joy in wielding language with uncanny comic precision will have readers laughing their way through his tale--until the conclusion startles them into realizing that Mrs. Fitzgibbons has been visited by a catastrophe, more exaggerated than most but sadly common. This is comedy made all the more potent by its last-minute kick.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A woman who curdles the blood but can't be begrudged credit for her audacity is the monster at the center of this outrageous and funny novel. Kennedy (Columbine, The Flower of the Republic, Lulu Incognito) has served up imperious women in sex-role reversals before, but he may be unlikely to top this one. Frankie Fitzgibbon is a hitherto mild-mannered home-loan officer when, at 45 and a widow, she flips. The new Frankie is sexually aggressive (wielding her breasts like stun guns) and a demon strategist and mesmerizing spieler whose ruthlessness would make Genghis Khan look like Gandhi. Her aim is to take over her bank and then take on the entire New England banking industry. Opponents tumble like tenpins, others are humbled into being willing slaves. She seduces a 17-year-old high-school drum major for her boy toy and becomes the goddess of a gay hairdresser, stereotypically named Bruce. Gay rights'--and for that matter, women's rights'-- partisans may not be pleased. The ``Cockhorse'' in the title can take a Freudian reading. Frankie is always depicted as being utterly self-righteous, and even hurt at not being understood, no matter how low the blow she deals others. Her relentless monologues of self-justification get a little wearisome. Kennedy cannot entirely avoid monotony in a story so focused on a single monomaniac, although he tries by continually raising the hurdles his protagonist kicks over. Particularly comic are Frankie's relationship with her ecology-minded daughter, her opposite in every way, and with her proper little boss, who doesn't know what he's in for when he gives her head. A bravura, darkly comic performance by a novelist who matches his outsized heroine in effrontery. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: UPNE (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158465337X
• ISBN-13: 978-1584653370
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh-Out Loud, December 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ride a Cockhorse (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

A lot of books carry the claim of being laugh out loud funny. This one truly is. I was reading it on a train and several times I had to exercise personal restraint, for fear that the other co-passengers would judge me a lunatic. Some aspects of the main character's rants can get a bit repetitive, but this is a small price to pay for the many, many laughs. If the tone and humor of "A Confederacy of Dunces" is your cup of tea, you will not go wrong with this one. My only question is how some quality works like this one live in relative obscurity, while other wasteproducts get all sorts of marketing support and fly off the shelves.