Anything Can Happen (Paperback)

~ Roger Rosenblatt (Author) "I'd like to do that again, if I could, Mr. DeMille..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ashley Montana, Van Kamp, New Year's Day

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Lyndon Johnson badgered Hubert Humphrey into killing a deer on a visit to Johnson's Texas ranch, then he sent the vice president the severed head of the animal to remind him of his power over him. That's really all there is to it." So begins "Tyranny for Beginners," one of the 60 or so short meditations on less dramatic forms of powerlessness-political, economic and otherwise. The best pieces here are significantly more scathing, and more offhandedly probing, than anything Rosenblatt does for his "essays" on PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer. "Dogstoevsky" satirizes the morbidity of realistic Russian fiction, while "What Bothers Me" indirectly demonstrates how it does matter if banks fail in Yonkers. Both pieces are fuzzy in concept and execution, but their very formlessness gives them a kind of immediacy. A few longer pieces are interspersed among one- and two-page snippets. The tale of how Rosenblatt (Where We Stand) and his brother pretended to be the switchboard operators at the legendary Luchow's restaurant documents human gullibility. "My Stump Speech" and "Things One Would Like to See in the Movies" send up political cliches and cinematic ones respectively. Consumer society takes it on the chin in "How I Turned into the Westin" and "The Bathroom for You." The best is nearly the last, as well as the longest; after you read "Ashley Montana Goes Ashore in the Caicos," celebrity journalism in particular and pop culture in general will never quite sound the same. The cover shows it raining cats and dogs, not inappropriately.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Popular Time essayist and NPR NewsHour commentator Rosenblatt's latest collection of humorous vignettes is a hit-and-miss affair. His longer pieces--at that only two or three pages--are the most successful, perhaps because he takes a little time to chew on a theme, like a dog working a bone. "With Narcissus in the Aquarium" is a good example: "I can't see my reflection for the fish," Narcissus opines--perhaps the best line in the book--and Rosenblatt follows with a catalog of the briny delights that irritate his self-obsessed companion, struggling to get a peak at his own mug. On the other hand, Rosenblatt's attempts at one-liners tend to fall flat, as if Pascal had been crossed with Henny Youngman, to the benefit of neither. One is never quite sure whether Rosenblatt's self-deprecating style is a kind of reverse snobbery (his petty frustrations become indictments of a world not worthy of him), but either way, sometimes it's funny and sometimes it's lame. Just like life. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (May 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156029553
• ISBN-13: 978-0156029551
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars disciplined flights of fancy, August 12, 2003

By	B. T. Conway "BTC" (East Hampton, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Anything Can Happen: Notes on My Inadequate Life and Yours (Hardcover)

These are not what one might think of as typical essays; rather, they are disciplined flights of fancy, the work of a nimble and penetrating mind at play. There is humor and wonderful word play, as well as wistfulness and a deeply felt sense of humanity.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcase of Rosenblatt's talent - good and not so good, September 27, 2004

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Anything Can Happen: Notes on My Inadequate Life and Yours (Hardcover)

One of the most talented and witty writers today, Roger Rosenblatt showcases his talent in this series of short essays (one or two pages average). Some of the pieces are just collections of observations, others are the epitome of the craft of writing. Most of the essays have a deeper meaning hidden within the text that suddenly leaps out at you in the final sentences. Anything Can Happen is highly recommended and many of the essays could easily be used in the scholastic setting for how writing of this style should be done.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly what "On Aging" was, July 6, 2003

By	K. Allen "Cat Lover" (Pinehurst, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Anything Can Happen: Notes on My Inadequate Life and Yours (Hardcover)

I have given "On Aging" to a dozen people,and made it mandatory reading in the department that I manage. Saw this one on the shelf at the bookstore and couldn't wait! Well, it's not nearly what "On Aging" is. Was he in a hurry to get something in print? Sorry, I still love the man, but this just isn't up to his standards.