Less
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4.0 • 294 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018
A New York Times Notable Book of 2017
A Washington Post Top Ten Book of 2017
A San Francisco Chronicle Top Ten Book of 2017
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the Lambda Award and the California Book Award
'I recommend it with my whole heart' Ann Patchett
'I could not love Less more' Ron Charles, Washington Post
Less is the story of a 49-year-old writer, Arthur Less, who learns that his former boyfriend is about to get married. To avoid the wedding and heartbreak, he decides to embark on a trip around the world, accepting invitations to a series of half-baked lectures and literary events.
From almost falling in love in Paris, almost falling to death in Berlin, to booking himself as the (only) writer on a residency in India, and an encounter in a desert with the last person on earth he wishes to see, Less is a novel about missteps, misunderstanding and mistakes.
'You will sob little tears of joy' Nell Zink
'Marvellously, unexpectedly, endearingly funny' Gary Shteyngart
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We loved every second of Andrew Sean Greer’s funny, globe-trotting story about a middling writer running away from heartache. When Arthur Less receives an invitation to his ex-lover’s wedding, he concocts a crazy brilliant plan to RSVP no while saving face: say “yes” to all the random offers that have come his way. From a book festival in Mexico City to a teaching gig in Berlin, we follow along for all the hilarious pratfalls and melancholy flashbacks. With its tender-hearted hero and humorous takes on the literary world and the indignities of ageing, this Pulitzer Prize winner is a delight from start to finish.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Greer's wistful new novel, a middle-aged writer accepts literary invitations around the world making his way from San Francisco to New York, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, and Japan so that he will have an excuse not to attend the wedding of a long-time lover. Arthur Less is not known primarily for his own work but for his lengthy romantic association with a Pulitzer Prize winning author, an older man who was married to a woman when their liaison began, and he believes himself to be the butt of many cosmic jokes and that he is "less than" in most equations. This is partially proven true, but not entirely. And even in Less's mediocrity, when aided by a certain amount of serendipity (and displayed by the author with ironic humor), he affects people. Greer (The Confessions of Max Tivoli), an O'Henry-winning author, writes beautifully, but his occasionally Faulknerian sentences are unnecessary. He is entirely successful, though, in the authorial sleights of hand that make the narrator fade into the background only to have an identity revealed at the end in a wonderful surprise.
Customer Reviews
Not much of a plot
Look, I’m used to crime/thrillers that are page turners and plot driven that keep you racing towards the spectacular end.
So this book is a big change of pace for me.
There’s not much of a plot. A gay man suffering a midlife crisis completes an around the world trip while pining over past lovers. That’s basically the entire plot. There’s no big twists or surprises or exciting moments. Just a slow steady pace around the world.
It’s also a novel about an author writing a novel.
The writing is beautiful and the settings vividly described. Would I recommend this to a friend? Probably not, but I did appreciate it.
Pointless
Chronicled the life of a man whose only purpose was that he was gay. If the character was a reality, I would not give him the time of day.
Spend your time doing something more interesting and useful than reading this book; clean the bathroom, learn to bake bread, walk somebody’s dog. The list goes on......