Stern [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Bruce Jay Friedman (Author), Adam Grupper (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

Grove Press continues the reissue of Bruce Jay Friedman's critically acclaimed fiction with two classic novels by the comedic genius. Friedman's first novel,Stern,tells the story of a young Jewish man who relocates his family from the city to the suburbs, where they are besieged by voracious caterpillars and a bigotry that ranges from the genteel snub to outright confrontation.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A delight! At once uproarious and heartbreaking... Friedman has written a superbly funny novel." -- Stanley Edgar Hyman, The New Leader --This text refers to an alternate Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Bruce Jay Friedman (born 1930) is the Jewish writer who invented the term "black humor".... and whose writing style - a combination of both the deadly serious and the wildly funny - personified it.

In Nov. 2000, The New York Times cited Friedman as "an undervalued writer" who is now being "rediscovered." "Why should he suddenly seem hip again?" wrote the Times. "Maybe because he always has been hip..."

Today, Friedman contines to write both fiction and non-fiction. He lives in NYC with his wife and children. --This text refers to an alternate Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Jewish Contemporary Classics Inc; Abridged edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893079198
• ISBN-13: 978-1893079199
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, amazingly witty, surprisingly insightful, March 25, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stern (Paperback)

Bruce Jay Friedman wrote the screenplay for several movies including "Splash". His book, "Stern" is the story of a man named Stern who has forsaken New York City for a home in the suburbs with his family. Things in paradise quickly collapse when a neighbor yells a slur at Stern's wife and knocks her down. Stern is overcome with a mixture of guilt, fear, anger and dementia. His attempts to confront the neighbor (as well as his own fears) lead to an endless paranoid mind-game and Stern's eventual physical collapse. Yeah - I guess this sounds sort of sad - BUT I guarantee you this book is HILARIOUS!! As in all of Friedman's books - the world of "Stern" is seemingly normal but filled with ridiculous and comic elements. Stern's attempts to face his neighbor, to convince himself that he can "take him" are really funny. I can not recommend this book highly enough. If you have ever felt persecuted or if you are neurotic AT ALL - this is the book for you.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perhaps the funniest book i have ever read, December 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stern (Paperback)

Stern is perhaps the funniest book i have ever read. it has incredible depth and, at the same time, has remained true to the humerous aspect of the story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, March 7, 2011

By 

E. Martin Olson "Martin Olson" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stern (Paperback)

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Required reading for comedy writers. Friedman, one of my favorite comedy writers, takes you to the depths like no other writer. This is a weird classic folks. Not recommended for light reading. Very dark, bleak, and utterly hysterical. I would also highly recommend his short stories as some of the greatest gems in contemporary comedy writing.