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The Abstract: Tales of Wickedness and Sorrow
ABSOLUTELY SPOTLESS. BUY WITH CONFIDENCE. MONEY BACK IF UNHAPPY. NO HASSLES. WE LIKE HAPPY CUSTOMERS. LET US MAKE YOU HAPPY. WE SHIP DAILY.
- GenresFiction
302 pages
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Goodloe Byron
12 books36 followersGoodloe is unique, some might say crazy. The Frederick, MD native has self-published thousand of copies of his 3, novels, packs them into his car, and goes on massive road trips to give them away – to students, lawyers, the homeless – for free. He’s even been to China on this mission.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 29, 2009
I approached The Abstract with curiosity due to its unusual distribution method (giving them all away for free). In order to do that, to devote so much of your time and precious funds to this cause, I figured the book must be pretty good. That assumption was thrown out fairly quickly.
I read the first couple chapters and it seemed like he was going for a steam of conscious writing style but couldn’t present it fluidly enough. He would jump from observations about his hotel room to a sapling with little in between. That flaw was made worse by his inability to write clearly. For example,
“On the corner, a man vending things from a small cart was reclining against a wall, listening to music. His lip was stuck up into his moustache. His daughter was dirty, cross-legged on the pavement reading from a textbook and so on. The father said something to her in a private language. He imagined it was something intimate. Something that had never been said to him. Alas.” (Pg. 13)
This description is vague and the emotional response seemed contrived. What does it mean by “reading from a textbook and so on”? Am I supposed to know what a typical dirty person reading a textbook does or looks like? The two details (dirty and reading a textbook) don’t fit together well enough to give the reader a sense of her character. It is just sloppy writing.
If the book isn’t valued for its prose, then what basis does it stand on? All I can come up with is where I was at the beginning, its distribution method. Maybe it was a scheme to write something so bad that it isn’t worth the price of free. Or the author might be a shameless self-promoter looking to launch himself to celebrity status (essentially, taking the Paris Hilton method of celebrity to the literary world). I left this book thinking more about unorthodox tendencies of the author rather than the intricacies of the text.
I read the first couple chapters and it seemed like he was going for a steam of conscious writing style but couldn’t present it fluidly enough. He would jump from observations about his hotel room to a sapling with little in between. That flaw was made worse by his inability to write clearly. For example,
“On the corner, a man vending things from a small cart was reclining against a wall, listening to music. His lip was stuck up into his moustache. His daughter was dirty, cross-legged on the pavement reading from a textbook and so on. The father said something to her in a private language. He imagined it was something intimate. Something that had never been said to him. Alas.” (Pg. 13)
This description is vague and the emotional response seemed contrived. What does it mean by “reading from a textbook and so on”? Am I supposed to know what a typical dirty person reading a textbook does or looks like? The two details (dirty and reading a textbook) don’t fit together well enough to give the reader a sense of her character. It is just sloppy writing.
If the book isn’t valued for its prose, then what basis does it stand on? All I can come up with is where I was at the beginning, its distribution method. Maybe it was a scheme to write something so bad that it isn’t worth the price of free. Or the author might be a shameless self-promoter looking to launch himself to celebrity status (essentially, taking the Paris Hilton method of celebrity to the literary world). I left this book thinking more about unorthodox tendencies of the author rather than the intricacies of the text.
June 11, 2010
The Abstract: Tales of Wickedness & Sorrow
This is a dark, intense read open for interpretation. Goodloe Byron has his own unique writng style, some would say you either love it or hate it. I myself loved it.
Brandon is living abroad in a hotel, he come across as lonely, bored, emotional and on the edge. Forever popping pills, swollowing the occassional drink, he decides to take up writing. Trying to fit into society does not come easy for him. He may alter his attire, try for a meaningless non paid job, and giving his opinion on everyone he meets. He seems the most satisfied when he is within his own room, inside the hotel. Each day for Brandon is a challenge, possibly to his sanity and mental/emotioanl state.
The artwork throughout is detailed, interesting and unique. This is a book for open-minded individuals, who like originality and deep thinking.
This is a dark, intense read open for interpretation. Goodloe Byron has his own unique writng style, some would say you either love it or hate it. I myself loved it.
Brandon is living abroad in a hotel, he come across as lonely, bored, emotional and on the edge. Forever popping pills, swollowing the occassional drink, he decides to take up writing. Trying to fit into society does not come easy for him. He may alter his attire, try for a meaningless non paid job, and giving his opinion on everyone he meets. He seems the most satisfied when he is within his own room, inside the hotel. Each day for Brandon is a challenge, possibly to his sanity and mental/emotioanl state.
The artwork throughout is detailed, interesting and unique. This is a book for open-minded individuals, who like originality and deep thinking.
March 22, 2010
Goodloe Byron> On the intertubes I have found multiple references to a book of mine called The Abstract as being various people's most hated book. The reasonings provided aren't shocking, ordinarily entirely understandable, but ladies and gentlemen, it is better to rule in hell... "I will not entreat you; nor do I care what sentence you pass..." -heraclitus
Tod Jackson> i met a guy the other day that happened to be in a small bookstore when you were delivering "the abstract". he said, "well, i picked it up and liked it at first, but then nothing happened." i said, "that's kind of the point."
Goodloe Byron> It's kinda like having to eat your way through a mountain of chocolate!
Tod Jackson> i met a guy the other day that happened to be in a small bookstore when you were delivering "the abstract". he said, "well, i picked it up and liked it at first, but then nothing happened." i said, "that's kind of the point."
Goodloe Byron> It's kinda like having to eat your way through a mountain of chocolate!
October 30, 2010
This is an intense read.Brandon is living alone in a hotel, he comes across as bored, emotional, lonely and on the edge. He is forever taking pills and swallowing the ocassional drink, He decides to start writing a book. Trying to fit in does not come easy for him. He may change his attire,or try for a meaningless non paid job.He seems happiest when he is alonre in his room. Each day is a challenge for him, possibly due to his mental and emotional state. I especially loved the art work throughout, it is very detailed, and unique. Some would say either you love this story or you hate it.I myself loved this book. You need to have an open mind when you read it..
November 30, 2011
This is an odd little book. A fun one, but odd. Abstract is definitely an appropriate word to use in the title. We really don't know where this guy is from, who he really is, or even where he is. He wanders around doing odd things and hashing out complex scenarios with other people that never really leave his own head. Despite having a formal linear plot that I was able to detect, it was still fun to read about this goofball. I admit it, I had a good time.
October 13, 2009
This books seems to be attracting a pared down Mona Lisa kind of response, in that the work itself isn't necessarily remarkable, yet how it came to be - the conception, method of production and distribution, and perhaps the editorial process - is unusual enough to spark discussion.
Externally, The Abstract has enough of the interesting going for it. Given away for free, I was hard-pressed to cough up an excuse for bypassing this enigmatic book. Presented with the choice of two different covers, I was also deflected, like a hologram, from "judging the book by its cover." A lightweight paperback of medium length, The Abstract certainly isn't a burden to carry around.
Internally, the content is a complete waste of time, at least at a superficial level. Assuming underdog status, I was rooting for this indie offering. I wanted it to be great, and kept reading, hoping for some brilliant revelation or at least a nugget of insight. Instead, although the whims of the main character occasionally caused amusement or curiosity, I was more often bored, disappointed, even repulsed by his aimless, mildly subversive antics.
While I could be reading into it too much, it seems that The Abstract is an experimentation with the novel as an expressive device, and perhaps intends to be a commentary on mainstream reader expectations. In that event, I'd say it has succeeded in illuminating and challenging my current notions. Yet admittedly, I've yet to receive the full delivery of the message, if there is one.
Externally, The Abstract has enough of the interesting going for it. Given away for free, I was hard-pressed to cough up an excuse for bypassing this enigmatic book. Presented with the choice of two different covers, I was also deflected, like a hologram, from "judging the book by its cover." A lightweight paperback of medium length, The Abstract certainly isn't a burden to carry around.
Internally, the content is a complete waste of time, at least at a superficial level. Assuming underdog status, I was rooting for this indie offering. I wanted it to be great, and kept reading, hoping for some brilliant revelation or at least a nugget of insight. Instead, although the whims of the main character occasionally caused amusement or curiosity, I was more often bored, disappointed, even repulsed by his aimless, mildly subversive antics.
While I could be reading into it too much, it seems that The Abstract is an experimentation with the novel as an expressive device, and perhaps intends to be a commentary on mainstream reader expectations. In that event, I'd say it has succeeded in illuminating and challenging my current notions. Yet admittedly, I've yet to receive the full delivery of the message, if there is one.
Want to read
December 15, 2008Dude was giving his books out for free at the Small Press Book Fair last weekend – right next to the guy who had self-published his law book, who was giving away free bowls of homemade chocolate mousse. WTF?? I took both, of course, though I felt like I was going to get 'caught' any moment. So now I'd better read Goodloe, right?
November 2, 2008
Overall, kind of depressing. The writing is interesting in that is superbly descriptive of the mundane, hence the 'abstract.'
Want to read
September 13, 2010Review copy from author at BKBF
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews