The Fabulist (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Five years after his dismissal for fabricating stories, former New Republic hotshot reporter Stephen Glass released The Fabulist, a novel telling the story of a hotshot reporter named Stephen Glass who is fired after fabricating stories. And while the original incident provoked outrage, especially in Washington, The Fabulist is a mostly an empty exercise, devoid of strong characters, compelling action, or, finally, a reason to exist. Glass told lies, got caught, got fired, and then wrote a book about it. Why should we care? While interesting possibilities surely existed in tracing the arc of a career of fakery, Glass chooses instead to begin his story just as "Stephen" is being exposed for the first time. He fills the rest of the book by taking us through the character's dull and lengthy process of recovery as he seeks sanctuary with his parents, changes girlfriends, finds a new job and a new apartment, and avoids the spotlight of his scandal.

The Fabulist is populated with characters seemingly pulled from the scrap heap of numerous failed sitcoms: the Egotistical Boss, the Girlfriend Who Doesn't Understand, the Pushy Older Jewish Lady with a Single Granddaughter, and the Comically Mysterious Co-workers. Many of the characters are reportedly based on real people and are portrayed, disappointingly, as jerks and fools more deserving of derision than apology. Perhaps the most distressing part of The Fabulist is that there's no heart and no center. The central character, the only hero we are offered, never seems to understand who he is. He lies, those lies get him in trouble, he searches for an explanation or redemption for his actions, but neither he nor we ever understand what is to be gained from it all. Could the enterprise have been clearer as a nonfiction tell-all testimonial? Maybe. Would it be believed coming from the pen of Stephen Glass? Maybe not. But regardless of what one thinks of the ethics of the situation, it's disappointing that a writer of Glass's skill and obvious imagination couldn't come up with a more interesting novel. After all, he's written so much fiction in the past. --John Moe

Product Description

A NOVEL OF AN IGNOMINIOUS FALL, THE
RISE TO INFAMY, AND LIFE AFTER BOTH.

•

It is the summer of 1998, and Stephen Glass is a young magazine journalist whose work is gaining more and more acclaim -- until a rival magazine tells Glass's editor that it suspects one of his stories is fabricated. As his editor sorts out the truth, Glass is busy inventing it -- spinning rich and complex blends of fact and fiction, and exploiting the gray world in between.

But Glass is caught. His fabulism is uncovered and his career instantly unravels. Worse, his editor learns that it's not the first time. Soon, a long history of invention, passed off as journalism, emerges.

Glass suddenly becomes a household name -- an emblem of hubris and a flashpoint for Americans' distrust and dislike of the press. The media is consumed with the story: Once the young man who had been known for mastering the "takedown" article, Glass now becomes the one every journalist wants to take even further down. Once the hunter, Glass becomes the hunted -- the story of the year.

Glass responds to this agonizing public scrutiny with a self-imposed exile, first near Chicago with his family and then in the anonymous suburbs of Washington, D.C. There, he begins a long personal struggle with his misdeeds, working out his own answers to the questions of why he fabricated, how he can learn to stop lying, and whether, at age twenty-five, he has destroyed his life irrevocably.

Glass encounters a world far stranger than his own fabrications -- one populated by eccentric coworkers, ailing animals, angry masseuses, sexy librarians, competitive bingo players, synchronized swimmers, a soulful stripper, and a mysterious guardian angel who dresses only in purple. Meanwhile, Glass is chased by marauding journalists whose desperation and ruthlessness manage to match even his own.

As he dodges his pursuers, Glass grasps at straws only to find that, wondrously, they sometimes hold. Despite himself, he rediscovers the Judaism he'd left far behind in Hebrew school, and falls helplessly in love with a young woman who turns out to have her own shameful past.

In the end, The Fabulist is as much about family, friendship, religion, and love -- about getting through somehow, even when it seems impossible -- as it is about reality and fantasy. At once hilarious and harrowing, The Fabulist is one of the year's most provocative novels.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743227123
• ISBN-13: 978-0743227124
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #485,412 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Has anyone noticed?, July 23, 2004

By	A Reader - See all my reviews

Does anyone else have a sneaking suspicion that all of the 5-star reviews for this book were penned by Mr. Glass himself? It's interesting to note that in almost all cases, this book recieved either 1-star or 5-stars (with the vast majority being 1-star reviews). If you dig into the reviewers who gave it 5-stars, 9 times out of 10 this is the only book they have ever reviewed. It's also curious that the first four reviews were all written on the same day -- May 12, 2003 -- and all gave the book 5-stars.

It seems that Mr. Glass still hasn't kicked that nasty habit of fabricating stories, or in this case, reviews.

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars weak, self justifying, July 9, 2003

By	Natasha (USA) - See all my reviews

This fictionalized memoir fits the trend of autobiography as a replacement for therapy. But rather than giving a compelling story about sin, or powerful story of redemption, it contains the whining of someone who just can't seem to understand why everyone (sob) hates him. <Other people are bad too> seems to be the strongest defense Glass can muster as he whines about mistreatment throughout the book. There is a superficial sorrow as he realizes how he destroyed others' careers through his lies and how he betrayed the trust of everyone around him, but most of the book is mired in his reflections about his lack of self love. He only seems to muster real emotion when contemplating the suffering he goes through when people overreacted to his lies. What I found most interesting about this book is its complete lack of understanding of other character's concerns and problems--Glass's narcissist's mind cannot seem to see others beyond the anecdotal, colorful vignettes he peppered his articles and stories with. Thus the stereotypical coworkers, parents, brothers, and women. Glass cannot extend his imagination and interest enough to write about anyone except himself, and his refusal to probe his own psyche leaves his only important character (himself) blank and dull.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sorely Disappointed, January 25, 2004

By	"zeusmim" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I finally saw "Shattered Glass" this weekend, and I would agree with a previous reviewer who dubbed it the best movie about journalism since "All The President's Men." I was fascinated by the story of Stephen Glass, and I vowed to find and read his book; find and read the original article upon which the movie was based; find and read anything I could about Michael Kelly (whose tragic death last year astounded me); and find and read all of Glass' original articles.

I started with Glass' book, which I found easily in a bookstore in New York City. I'm not sure what I expected to find within it -- his take on the incident, I suppose, or some insight as to why he lied . . . a flushed-out version of the story, written with color and flair, given his articles' reputations.

I sat down on a plastic stool in the bookstore and all but threw the book on the floor after 15 pages. Pathetically boring. I believe I lost it when Allison, his girlfriend, told him to "f*** off." I thought to myself, "How trite, how ridiculously trite . . ." I flipped to the back of the book and realized that it was, entirely, just a retelling of his demise, devoid of personal analysis or color of any kind. I'd rather just go see the movie again.

Mr. Glass missed an opportunity. Criminals and liars are fascinating, especially when expounding upon their own exploits. Rather than just reiterating the story, he should have a) written it in a more interesting fashion; and b) added some juicy introspection!

I'm moving on to locate the article that is the movie's basis. Hopefully it will be more satisfying.