Mládí v hajzlu V.: Mladík pod pantoflem

by C.D. Payne

A Nick Twisp je opět s námi ! Tentokrát v Evropě, ve společnosti Čechů a dalších podivných individuí. Jak si poradí čerstvě ženatý mladý muž ve Francii, po boku své vysněné manželky Sheeni? Nové zážitky a staré problémy, jen znásobené cizím prostředím bez znalosti jazyka a schopnosti naučit se ho. Je to pořád ten stejný smolař, který za sebou vleče náklad starých vztahů a komplikuje si život novými.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Humor, Romance, Contemporary, Coming Of Age

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Author and showman C.D. Payne was born in Akron, Ohio in 1949 (making him a contemporary of Richard Gere and Meryl Streep). He spent his early years in West Virginia and southern Ohio, moving back to Akron while still a mere tot.

He went to public schools in Akron, and then graduated from Harvard College, where he majored in history and participated in the annual spring riot. In 1971 he moved to California. During the next 25 years, he held over 50 jobs including newspaper editor, book publisher's assistant, proofreader, trailer park handyman, and catalog writer.

Since 2004 he has been the proprietor of the Eyelusion Museum, a mobile discovery museum in a restored and polished 1964 Airstream trailer. His latest mobile sideshow is a 1950s miniature town (shown below) called Zippy Town. It can been seen at the Santa Rosa Handcar Regatta and other events.

He is married and lives in Sonoma County.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas, I am only able to give 'Book 6' 3 out of 5 stars. This is so far the weakest of the Nick Twisp journals. It started out humorous and clever -- I love Nick's documentation of his 'married life' with Sheeni in their tiny Parisian apartment, the new characters introduced, the further stories of Connie and Paul, and the music videos. But once Nick goes on the run again and joins the circus, I completely lost interest, and it seemed as though so did C.D. Payne. Disappointing but true. The second half of the book -- ie. Nick's attempting to win Reina's hand through the contest -- was silly, out of character and completely lacking in the wit and wisdom readers of Nick's journals have previous been entertained with. And the '13 Years Later' ending seemed forced and rushed -- like Payne had simply tired of Nick and his friends -- and was ready to move on to something else. Still, this will not stop me from reading 'Revoltingly Young'.

[Blixco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give all the Nick Twisp books five stars (except that one with nothing but excerpts from Youth in Revolt). This book, though, plodded along. If you didn't know that you were reading a comedic series, you would think you were reading a drama highlighting a highly dysfunctional relationship. It felt as though the author wanted to torture his creation (whom he must feel both blessed and cursed to have written) with a living so life-sapping that it is difficult to read.
In the end, you want Nick to kill Sheeny. You want the entire world Payne has created to get bright again, violently if needed.
The last book, Revoltingly Young, does a much better job with the current-day "future" of Nick Twisp, burying the past in much better fashion. In the end, we learn a lot about the characters and their lives, but maybe all we wanted was to laugh.

[Skyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but not as funny as the first 4 books.. And is anyone else pissed about Sheeni being a complete bitch all the time in this book and then disappearing.. All in all it was ALRIGHT but hopefully the 6th book is better

[Brannon O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Nick Twisp is a legend, even when he is getting his teeth kicked in at every turn. This book does put Nick through a lot, but he keeps his chin up (which is good, because it makes it easier to kick his teeth in). While these are not the greatest or most glamorous of Nick Twisp's adventures, this book provides an incredibly bittersweet ending to the Nick Twisp story. It's a good stopping point, but from what I understand, there are more books based on other Twisps out there, and I can't afford to miss them.

[Andy Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly reading these all back to back isn't the best idea. A move to Paris seems like it might be good material but peters out when Sheeni disappears. The later half of the book with Nick running away with the circus feels a bit desperate and the descent into a game for a hand in marriage just becomes tedious. That the story quickly finishes and wraps in with a '13 years later' prologue suggests Payne was running out of steam too.

[Chinedu]

interesting,very captivating in it's entirety

[novoten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nerozumím tomu. Proč se po letech vracet k něčemu, co se na konci druhé (pro české čtenáře čtvrté) tak krásně uzavřelo? A když už to udělám, proč najednou polevit a dát nám - co vlastně? Hašteření s Sheeni už k Nickovi patří, naprosto neuvěřitelné situace (klip, cirkus, soutěž o Reininu ruku) taky, proto je škoda, že se pořád musíme vracet k postavám, které už minule postrádaly zajímavost (Vijay, Soňa). Potěší jen depresivní Trent Preston a neúnavná vdavekchtivá Connie. Ale ten úplný finiš vydýchat nedokážu.

(Definitivně poslední šance přestat číst před zásadními spoilery). To, že Sheeni uprostřed knihy bez varování zmizí je fajn zvrat. Ale že ji Nick už NIKDY neviděl? Nikdy se nesetkal se svojí "manželkou", kterou prakticky bez ustání uháněl téměř celou dobu, co ho jako čtenáři známe? A dítě se nenarodilo? I tenhle zvrat se hodil do koše? A když už nám byla představena dokonale sympatická Reina, proč se dozvídáme, že ani ona nebyla Nickovi vyvolenou a skončila s druhořadým klaunem (kterého jsme navíc do té doby vůbec nepotkali)? Já vím, já vím. Psaní dětských či teenagerských deníků občas končí znenadání a zde je to z detenčních důvodů ještě pochopitelnější, ale přesto. Tohle si Nick nezasloužil a jak jsem psal na začátku, nerozumím tomu, proč se k němu C.D. Payne zachoval takhle macešsky.

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

HY-LARIOUS. Two American fifteen-year-olds get married and run away to Paris together. Nick Twisp is the man of the couple who's had plastic surgery to look like Jean-Paul Belmondo and doesn't speak French; they get into all kinds of scrapes, and eventually he runs away to join the circus disguised as a little old Scottish lady, and... Just read the book.

"She's probably not thinking at all," remarked my spouse. "She's enmeshed with a Twisp--not a state conducive to rational thought."
"We Twisps can be devastatingly attractive," I admitted.
"Oh?" said Sheeni. "When do you start?"

All in all, the show was pretty awesomely spectacular--even if someone did try to pick my purse--a fashion accessory I devote exclusively to used Kleenex. Get my germs and die, you filthy thief!

This is book five of a series... needless to say, I must go back and read them all.

[Leeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 5th installment of the Nick Twisp saga had its moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity but overall seemed lacking compared to the first 3 (all of which are contained in the first volume, Youth in Revolt). I felt similarly about #4 (Revolting Youth), so it's more or less what I was expecting: this is a good Nick Twisp fix but just can't quite occupy the same place in my heart as my old, much-loved, nearly-falling-apart copy of Youth in Revolt.

Also, I wish they'd stop playing off the same 2 words for the title of every freaking book in the series. It's getting old, and I liked the original title of this (Youth in France) better.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Mr. Twisp's final days as a wanted renegade, although satisfying to the Twispian completist, lack the deftness and charm of the earlier novels. If you've come this far you'll probably enjoy it anyway. Payne still has a knack for writing about the modern absurd - circus midgets in homoerotic dutch music videos, paying five Euros for a lemon in a Paris Epicerie - but by the fifth book the magic seems to have panned out. It's been a long year for Nick and Sheeni and their chaotic, triumphalist picaresque has had its day.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately the author should have stopped while he was ahead. The first two books were very funny and the story ended nicely there. Yes, the first two were ridiculously unrealistic, but this one is not even remotely believable, and by now the joke has gotten old.

[Buck Swindle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judged on its own, this final book in the Nick Twisp journals was a decent read. Sadly, when compared to the brilliance of the first two tomes it falls frightfully short. The book felt rushed and out of new ideas reminding me of the final episode of Seinfeld. Bummer.

[Elizabeth Nordquest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5... Maybe 5. This was way better than the second (fourth?) book. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I think it made sense for a 15 year old guy. Highly entertaining. Not sure if I should read the little brother's book...

[Jeff Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to revisit the characters in Nick Twisp's life, but much like a "Saved by the Bell Goes to Europe" episode the gimmick got a little old. It was still very funny and nice to have an ending to the Nick Twisp saga.

[Joshua Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow this one was not like the others. In fact, it was rather like torture in some places. It just went on and on and on and then all of the sudden everything's wrapped up at the very end with very little explanation.

[Tobey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Nick Twisp, but I just got mad for the story wrapping up so quickly. More Nick!

[carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

more fun with nick twisp. everything previously stated about c.d. payne still applies to this novel: will make you laugh, moves fast, is quite addictive, and might even leave you with a hangover.

[Dow Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

super good. i didnt like the ending but that's just because i need to know every detail.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of these books have been quick reads and difficult to put down. I didn't love the way this ended, but while reading it I enjoyed myself.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Nick Twisp!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

should stop after the second book.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as the other books, and it had an anti-climactic melancholy finish. I'm kind of bothered by the end of the saga, but that's not to say Nick didn't get what was coming to him.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridiculous as always, but still entertaining. This book didn't hook me as well as the earlier ones did, but I did appreciate that it was concluded well!

[Ivona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sice jsem to dočetla, ale pokračovat dalším dílem nehodlám. Je to za vlasy přitažený příběh, který už pro mě nějak postrádá na vtipnosti.

[Amable seňor Marek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Konec? Páni! A to vlastně ještě není tak úplně konec. Jenom jedna větev tak košatého stromu C.D.Payna ;)

[Vuk Maletin]

I loved the ending.

[Jamison Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated the weird end and Sheeni drives me crazier than ever, but I just can't get enough of that Nick Twisp.

[Jarmil Dufek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asi určeno jiné cílové skupině i generaci