Customer Reviews

Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp

5 star:		(178)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

For the sake of being interesting, I will review this book in the style which it was written:

Day 1: Finally started reading this book. Many years ago, a friend suggested I read it. Ever since then, the title was always stuck in my head. When I would see it in print I would think, "You know. I really should pick that book up." Eventually I did pick it up, but it ended up in my overly large "to read" pile. Finally, something made me pick it up today. After 50 pages, it seems interesting.

Day 2: I read more of the book today. I'm having trouble getting into it based on the nature of how it is written. The entire book is written in the form of journal entries. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to read. Still, I find that the short entries lend themselves to reading only a few at a time. Still, over the course of the day I read 100 pages. Certainly an interesting book.

Day 3: I read 250 pages of the book today. I can't put it down. The short journal entries have gone from being a hindrance in reading to an aid in getting rapid snapshots of how the story unfolds. The narrative transpires in small doses which leave you wanting more. As soon as I put the book down I want to pick it up again and get another dose. I cannot remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. It's uncanny.

Day 4: Today is the final day with the book. That sounds funny, but it's true. I wish it were 1000 pages long and I could get 4 more days out of it. No, make that 2000. For the first time in a long time, I am saddened to see a book coming to a close. I don't want it to end, I enjoy it that much. Normally, I look forward to the close of one story and the beginning of a new one. Not this time. I want this story to go on forever (or a reasonable length of time). It's that enjoyable.

Day 5: I am sitting here the day after, thinking about the book. The ending was good enough, not Earth shattering. Nothing amazing could have happened to make everything right in the world again. I honestly didn't expect a lot from the ending and I would have been disappointed if he had tried to do make everything perfect. The bulk of the story ties up, which prevents it from merely hanging. Still, some questions remain, like: How did Paul know?

I wish I could pick it up and read it again. But it's too early for that. Being honest, the book wasn't philosophically deep enough for me to learn anything new if I were to reread it immediately. Still, the book was really good. Sitting down with it every day was a pleasure.

If every book were this good, I would read constantly. As it is, I read every day, but not like this. I read this book while brushing my teeth or making coffee. I'll miss this book. It was a great ride which I am sad to see end.

As a final note, I think those who give the book bad ratings are not able to stray from their usual genre of reading and accept this book for what it is. It is a well written and silly narrative about 14-year-old kids that is not really based in reality, but as a 14-year-old might see it. The fact that the story is interpreted through the voice of one of these children is lost on the people who disparage the book. Don't be swayed from reading this, as it harkens back to the silliness inherent in youth which can be appreciated at any age.

Phenomenal entertainment value. Highly recommended.

I'm writing this as a 14 year-old boy, having just read this book for the second time. Now I have read many many books about teenage guys, but NOBODY gets into the male-mind like C.D. Payne. The teenage sex drive is captured perfectly, and everything that Nick Twisp (our protagonist) thinks and tries to do is something that I and all my friends have thought or fantacized about every day. I believe that ALL teenage guys should read this to set themselves free from the toil of every day life. In addition, C.D. Payne is the most hilarious author I have ever read, excluding Bill Watterson. Each page is packed with jokes that will make you laugh so hard that it hurts, which is something that everyone needs in their lives.
Many parents I have talked with question this book's suitability. Parents,my response to this is as follows: Regardless of whether you know it or not, your son masturbates, thinks about sex, thinks about going against your parents, and all the other escapades that Nick Twisp experiences. If you let your son read this, it will help them get in touch with their sexuality and the difficulties in their lives...it did for me. And kids: read this if you want to laugh, because nothing else will make you laugh at a level this crude, yet intelligent. In conclusion, read this to get in touch with the male-mind.

Youth in Revolt is one of the most insightful books I have yet read. When I read it, Nick was a real person with whome I suffered, laughed and just spent time with. This is the ultimate goal of a writer: to make a character real. This book was so good that while in school a friend of mine started reading it. She finished reading it between classes, during classes and any spare moment she could muster during the schoolday. This book, then roamed the campus of my school, and, inevitably disappeared. That's why we ended up buying another copy. I was very angry when I saw that Youth in Revolt was not voted as the best book of the year, or at least the funniest. This book should be obligatory reading in all classrooms, most safely college classrooms. If I were a creative writing teacher I would make all my students read it. I've recommended it to everyone I know, and to those who I don't. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you go to the nearest bookstore and buy it! ! now!!! Out of a possible 5 stars, I would give it 6.

Youth in Revolt, written by C.D. Payne, is a fictional tale that explores life through the mind of Nick Twisp, a witty teenager and California's most extraordinary and inconceivably talented diarist. The burdens of school, neglect, interaction with feeble-minded and arrogant divorced parents, and the common teenage goal of losing one's virginity drive Nick, once an innocent fourteen-year-old, to become a "modern youth in open revolt". Nick begins a blatant defiance against his mother and father, their late night guests, and the rest of the world. Nick's rebellion, and his moronic parents' unethical and irresponsible approach to raising a child leave Nick stranded having to tolerate homelessness, the asinine public school system, and economic impoverishment. Nick's only hope for survival and happiness is economic stability and more importantly being with his Cinderella, Sheeni Saunders, a teenage goddess and supreme intellectual sage. Youth in Revolt is entertaining and extremely well written. The vocabulary is very advanced and the reader's brainpower will be increased because of this novel. Written as a series of journals the twisted and crazy plot keeps the reader in suspense. The outrageous and insane humor will have the reader laughing out loud. The novel examines the teenage mind, and how at times as a teenager the world seems to be against you. Youth in Revolt should be a mandatory novel for high school students with raving hormones. At times suicidal thoughts crept into Nick's mind. However, the possibility of penetrating a woman kept him sane, and Nick knew he could not die without exploring the beauty of the mysterious female body. As an adolescent reader there were moments when Youth in Revolt could have been called the bible.

My first impulse in discussing Youth in Revolt is not to compare it to Adrian Mole, however I have spoken with people who bashed it as an A.M. rip off, so having read the A.M. diaries (and the sequel) in 6th grade, let me address this opinion:
While they're both early teen boy diaries, the commonalities end right about there. The boys also have a similar object of focus (girls!!), but I think you should overlook this human imperative as an inevitable recurring literary theme.

Youth in Revolt's Nick Twisp is a much smarter, faster, and hillariously rebellious character. Makes Adrian Mole look like a zit-counting loser dweeb. The language alone blows nearly every book I've ever read out of the water (I kept a vocab list through the book, and having just finished I have 93 words I never knew before, including amelioration, subterfuge, opprobrium, imprecation, magnanimous, and more.) The book is written by a Harvard Grad who lives in the CA bay area, and it absolutely takes place here and now, with allusions to actual land marks and stores. But don't let the sophistication stop you!

Under its elaborately woven language, Youth in Revolt is a very simple story about a super genius pre teen chasing his one true love through THICK and thin. This book had at least a laugh a page, and included such enormous catastrophies that I would read passages aloud at parties (I'm 21), like the "Automotive ballet" that destroys more than you would ever expect one to. Or the unyielding saga of his dog, camus, which takes twists that are SO CLOSE TO UNBELIEVABLE, but still lay within the realm of plausible reality that you just end up laughing at the possible absurdity of the world while banging your head on the nearest hard surface.

At nearly 500 very dense pages, not only is this a very fun book, but this book is jam packed, and it can take an intermittent reader (like me) months to finish. Think of it as your favorite TV show, and continue at your leisure. Nick takes so many twists on his adventure in this book, that it's sure to keep anybody laughing at the creative story, as it keeps on piling up on itself.

I was asked late in the book "why did you laugh just then?" and I found in order to explain a single late-book joke, I had to explain nearly the whole book up until then. Thus is the nature of Youth in Revolt: A creative pile of modern possibilities as told through the words of a classic romanticist.

C D Payne is a genious and the book takes place in areas close to where I grew up and where I currently reside, this makes the story come to life even further for me as the book encompases familiar trends and locations. Not every teenager wants to go back and relive their high school days, this is a story that does not dwell on the horrors of high school, but on the challenges of getting through those years socially and mentally. This book has been one of my favorites since I was 17 and I have reccommended countless individuals read it, my copy was so battered and well loved I bought a second one and then just recently so my husband could experiance it purchased the adio series which is very well done. You will laugh heartily, cringe on que, and gape open mouthed at the text in a rollercoaster of emotions and possible recollections of past experiances in common. Buy this book, read this book, and laugh, the economy and state of the world may be getting you down, but this book will lift you up!

When good teens go bad..."Youth In Revolt" is a marvelous novel that never goes bad. It is some of the quickest reading I have ever had; 500 pages slowly melt into more like 200. C. D. Payne fantastically portrays teenage life in the '90's. From sex to drugs to living with hardhearted parents, this book is a work of art that will make you think twice about having children. While the book as a whole was fantastic, some very graphic descriptions of everyday teenage life disturbed me.

Nick Twisp is a delightful character that shares all (and I do mean all) in his personal journal. A teen with some sever problems, Nick entertains us all throughout his daily adventures. Payne does a great job of describing him as a sex-crazed teenager that will do anything to get the girl of his dreams...in bed. He also creates the best account of teenage life that I have ever read.

Ranging from a deadbeat father to teenagers that are too intelligent for their own good, all of the characters in the story are well planned out. The mesh of a wide variety of personalities makes this book hilarious.

"Youth In Revolt" is definitely a must-read for the person looking for a drop-dead amusing story with a large amount of everyday life situations. This story may be set in California in the mid-90's, but it will be a treasure for people across the nation for years to come. If you want a novel that will make you laugh and at the same time reminisce, "Youth In Revolt" is absolutely for you.

I have read and re-read this book several times. I've often just picked it up and read portions for a much needed laugh. Nick Twisp is forever in my mind. With two nephews, I am "afraid" for them to reach puberty!

I recently had the wonderful chance to meet Mr Payne and hear him read from his latest book "Civic Beauties" and from his yet to be released "Mambo Pigeon" book. He was so very cool. He was very down-to-earth, yet humorous. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a gal who he previously worked with in writing advertising copy. She told me some fun "inside scoop" on Mr Payne and said he is genuinely a nice person. That is always nice to hear, especially when you admire a writer for their work; its great to admire their humanity as well.

Keep up the great, imaginative work, Mr Payne. Remember i am "your biggest fan" =)

I have just finished reading Youth In Revolt. It was one of the best books i have ever read. At first nick sems to be a sex starved incompitent youth but as the book progresses you can see how he and his "personalitys" grow with every new relationship and struggle. I found this book very eventful and interesting. It can be crude at times but in this day and age what isn't? All i can say is if you are between the ages of 13-19 and you are only going to read one book this year make it this one.

Youth in Revolt is the funniest book I've ever read. I recommend it to anyone! I read it while travelling a lot, so i was the weird girl laughing out loud really hard on the train. then i gave the book to my friend who i was travelling with and she became that girl. i think this book is great for college kids who still have a grip on their sense of humor. Payne is great writer who makes the completely unlikely plot seem real (I think I was laughing too hard to notice) or perhaps it was the fact that I read it so fast. You know a book is good when you are travelling through Europe and you can't wait to get out of Paris (or wherever) so that you can get back on the train to read it. I am sending this book to my brother which is probably one of the highest compliments i could give it.