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Humboldt: Or, the Power of Positive Thinking
The Iraq War? The housing market collapse? College football's concussion crisis? How can anyone be expected to understand such complexities, especially a "horticulturally dyslexic" farmboy with an eighth-grade education and a penchant for perpetually misunderstanding, misreading, and misinterpreting the world? Born on a farm in Ohio, Humboldt is content to spend his life "outside amongst the oxygen and unhurried hydrocarbons." But when his father's farm is threatened with foreclosure, Humboldt is forced to save it by enrolling in college, leading him on an epic absurdist adventure through Washington politics, New York performance art, Boston blue-bloods, post-Katrina New Orleans, multiple murders, and holy resurrections. Mixing the speed and structure of Voltaire's Candide with a heavy dose of Joycean wordplay, and a love of literary acrobatics worthy of David Foster Wallace, Scott Navicky's debut novel assails some of modern America's most cherished beliefs and institutions with the battle cry: "Ticklez l'infame!"
302 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 4, 2016
I keep trying to write a review for this book, which had a coworker asking me if I was okay because of the noises I apparently made whenever I stifled the unprofessional guffaws trying to erupt from my face while I was reading it (fuck yeah, bookworming on the company nickel), but it keeps coming out as shitty parodies of "Bohemian Rhapsody." And both pieces deserve better than shoddy manglings.
One day, sugar lumps. One day.
One day, sugar lumps. One day.
Read
January 18, 2014I won't be rating this book because I am promoting it. And that would be a conflict of interest. But there is nothing to stop me from telling you that you MUST grab yourself a copy of this bad-boy!
It releases on Feb 17th and it's our first ever full length novel, and our first ever traditional printed paperback!
The main character, Humboldt, has a bit of Forrest Gump in him. Born a simple farm boy, Humboldt experiences culture shock as well as some incredible dumb luck when he is pushed out into the real world when his father’s land is in jeopardy.
It's funny and a bit absurdist, naive but whip-smart.
Read this. Trust me. Have I steered you wrong yet? Actually, If you agree to review it here on Goodreads, I want to GIVE you a digital copy of the book to read RIGHT NOW. Hit me up here, and it's yours.
It releases on Feb 17th and it's our first ever full length novel, and our first ever traditional printed paperback!
The main character, Humboldt, has a bit of Forrest Gump in him. Born a simple farm boy, Humboldt experiences culture shock as well as some incredible dumb luck when he is pushed out into the real world when his father’s land is in jeopardy.
It's funny and a bit absurdist, naive but whip-smart.
Read this. Trust me. Have I steered you wrong yet? Actually, If you agree to review it here on Goodreads, I want to GIVE you a digital copy of the book to read RIGHT NOW. Hit me up here, and it's yours.
April 29, 2014
A modern-day Candide!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Being a bit of a fan of Voltaire, it interested me greatly; although the great philosopher is mentioned only twice in this novel, his presence is strongly felt. Voltaire’s cry was, Écrasez l’infâme. While Humboldt boldly cries: Ticklez l’infâme! To crush or to tickle…? Hmmm, which is more effective?
Navicky expertly captures the spirit of good ol’ Candide and his various adventures. What pervades the book is an almost dream-like state of passing the hours of existence. The chapter titles are deceptively simple (“How Humboldt entered college, obtained his class schedule, and found his room”), yet the book so expertly displays the deeper (darker?) facets of everyday existence.
But this book is also funny as hell. And that, my friends, is why I enjoyed this book. As the title of this review states, this is a modern-day Candide. Navicky’s humor wraps around the deeper commentary like a smooth, silky glove.
—So we are both banished from the land of our birth.
—Yes, Humboldt replied forlornly.
—I think we’re both lucky, Marty said. We should be praising our good fortune.
I think, in a very subtle way, that this is what makes this a new Candide. For in an age where all things happened for a greater good, a terrible, devastating earthquake upended Lisbon, Portugal. If that event did not rattle the core of modern philosophy, then Voltaire’s reaction surely did. And thus it is with Humboldt: We banished, outcast, thumbed-under; we should be happy that we are allowed a pittance from our benevolent overlords. We who slave by scorching computer monitor in order to raise the profit margin by a hair; we should raise our glasses in praise and joy (give me a hallelujah, say thankya) to the billionaires whose pockets we are lining. Say a toast and be glad: “You should be happy that you’re employed.”
Funny, yes. Scathing, oh hell yes.
So if you don’t like satire, as other reviewers have said, this might be a toughie. And it can be challenging to stick through this, but it is definitely worth it, and it is fun to let yourself get swept away into the world of Humboldt. You will find yourself laughing at things you normally may not laugh at: But as Monty Python proved, if we can’t laugh at everything (everything!), then how can we laugh at anything?
One little nit to pick, however: I still cannot get used to the dash to indicate speech. Technically it fits the spirit of the book, but my tired eyes sometimes tripped up on the usage; it requires effort to scan for the break in speech and reassign the narrator’s voice to the text in question.
Highly recommended!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Being a bit of a fan of Voltaire, it interested me greatly; although the great philosopher is mentioned only twice in this novel, his presence is strongly felt. Voltaire’s cry was, Écrasez l’infâme. While Humboldt boldly cries: Ticklez l’infâme! To crush or to tickle…? Hmmm, which is more effective?
Navicky expertly captures the spirit of good ol’ Candide and his various adventures. What pervades the book is an almost dream-like state of passing the hours of existence. The chapter titles are deceptively simple (“How Humboldt entered college, obtained his class schedule, and found his room”), yet the book so expertly displays the deeper (darker?) facets of everyday existence.
But this book is also funny as hell. And that, my friends, is why I enjoyed this book. As the title of this review states, this is a modern-day Candide. Navicky’s humor wraps around the deeper commentary like a smooth, silky glove.
—So we are both banished from the land of our birth.
—Yes, Humboldt replied forlornly.
—I think we’re both lucky, Marty said. We should be praising our good fortune.
I think, in a very subtle way, that this is what makes this a new Candide. For in an age where all things happened for a greater good, a terrible, devastating earthquake upended Lisbon, Portugal. If that event did not rattle the core of modern philosophy, then Voltaire’s reaction surely did. And thus it is with Humboldt: We banished, outcast, thumbed-under; we should be happy that we are allowed a pittance from our benevolent overlords. We who slave by scorching computer monitor in order to raise the profit margin by a hair; we should raise our glasses in praise and joy (give me a hallelujah, say thankya) to the billionaires whose pockets we are lining. Say a toast and be glad: “You should be happy that you’re employed.”
Funny, yes. Scathing, oh hell yes.
So if you don’t like satire, as other reviewers have said, this might be a toughie. And it can be challenging to stick through this, but it is definitely worth it, and it is fun to let yourself get swept away into the world of Humboldt. You will find yourself laughing at things you normally may not laugh at: But as Monty Python proved, if we can’t laugh at everything (everything!), then how can we laugh at anything?
One little nit to pick, however: I still cannot get used to the dash to indicate speech. Technically it fits the spirit of the book, but my tired eyes sometimes tripped up on the usage; it requires effort to scan for the break in speech and reassign the narrator’s voice to the text in question.
Highly recommended!
January 19, 2014
Here is an advanced readers copy of one of CClap Publishing's novels. Humboldt is part of the series of novels that will be released in paperback this year. The book cover is quite a beauty don't you think? It kind of matches the nature part of the story, but nothing will match the craziness and the absurdity of this novel.
I think from now on, I'm just going to copy and paste the synopsis because half of the time I get the summary wrong anyway. Am I being lazy?
The Iraq War? The housing market collapse? College football's concussion crisis? How can anyone be expected to understand such complexities, especially a "horticulturally dyslexic" farmboy with an eighth-grade education and a penchant for perpetually misunderstanding, misreading, and misinterpreting the world? Born on a farm in Ohio, Humboldt is content to spend his life "outside amongst the oxygen and unhurried hydrocarbons." But when his father's farm is threatened with foreclosure, Humboldt is forced to save it by enrolling in college, leading him on an epic absurdist adventure through Washington politics, New York performance art, Boston blue-bloods, post-Katrina New Orleans, multiple murders, and holy resurrections. Mixing the speed and structure of Voltaire's Candide with a heavy dose of Joycean wordplay, and a love of literary acrobatics worthy of David Foster Wallace, Scott Navicky's debut novel assails some of modern America's most cherished beliefs and institutions with the battle cry: "Ticklez l'infame!"
Now here's the review:
This book is so freaking insane, I don't even know what to say. Humboldt is a very likeable character, he's so innocent and optimistic because well, he lived on a farm and he wasn't expose to anything. So the poor guy is extremely naive but don't worry that will change, the crazy things that he experiences will make him a grown person. A lot of people think he's dumb but he's actually really freaking smart.
I feel like this review is really horrible. So every character is really quirky and unique, none of them blend into each other and they all have a purpose. This novel is also a satire so everything is really crazy and sarcastic so if you're dumb like me, you start to question if everything is serious. There were some jokes and dialogue where it's like "Woah, that's a burn, you better treat that burn."
It's a really fun novel and there's a lot of wacky situations and wordplay. Sometimes it's hard to understand because it really does spiral into insanity. It makes you feel really smart but at the same time your brain melts. It's like playing tennis and the ball is going back and forth slowly at first, but then the players gets intense and the ball starts flying faster and harder and the players are sweating and getting more pumped. There's Also a lot of that "Let's talk about life and how life works and parents and growing up" but then something absurd happens right after that and throws all of that mumbo jumbo out the window, especially when Humboldt kills people and then they somehow come back to life. It's like one of those parody movies that don't make sense but we keep laughing anyway because it's not supposed to make sense and nothing in life makes sense anyway.
Sometimes the absurdity does get a little tiring though, I will admit that towards the end I skimmed through or sped through some parts because I just got tired. Then the action finally happened and the ending just left me baffled. Why? Crazy character development. Humboldt had changed so much, stronger, smarter, but more cynical as if he finally lost optimism and turned into a pessimist. Humboldt learns all the ways of life in America and everything seems to be fake or a joke as if this book is making fun of American society, and sadly, everything is so god dang true. I do understand it's a satire though. By the way, There are some parts where the writing style changes from novel to a play.
The book is written in a very humorous way but there is one thing that I wanted to point out that I wasn't too comfortable with. Some people might point out and say "well it's a satire and Humboldt was an ignorant farmer so he doesn't know any better" and I understand that but seriously N-word town? Somebody is going to get really offended. Couldn't you call it Afro town or something? Like I understand why, but it put me off a bit.
Despite that little thing above, it's generally a favorable book for me. Congrats or thank you, I don't know how to end this.
Rating: 3.5/5
http://wordsnotesandfiction.blogspot....
I think from now on, I'm just going to copy and paste the synopsis because half of the time I get the summary wrong anyway. Am I being lazy?
The Iraq War? The housing market collapse? College football's concussion crisis? How can anyone be expected to understand such complexities, especially a "horticulturally dyslexic" farmboy with an eighth-grade education and a penchant for perpetually misunderstanding, misreading, and misinterpreting the world? Born on a farm in Ohio, Humboldt is content to spend his life "outside amongst the oxygen and unhurried hydrocarbons." But when his father's farm is threatened with foreclosure, Humboldt is forced to save it by enrolling in college, leading him on an epic absurdist adventure through Washington politics, New York performance art, Boston blue-bloods, post-Katrina New Orleans, multiple murders, and holy resurrections. Mixing the speed and structure of Voltaire's Candide with a heavy dose of Joycean wordplay, and a love of literary acrobatics worthy of David Foster Wallace, Scott Navicky's debut novel assails some of modern America's most cherished beliefs and institutions with the battle cry: "Ticklez l'infame!"
Now here's the review:
This book is so freaking insane, I don't even know what to say. Humboldt is a very likeable character, he's so innocent and optimistic because well, he lived on a farm and he wasn't expose to anything. So the poor guy is extremely naive but don't worry that will change, the crazy things that he experiences will make him a grown person. A lot of people think he's dumb but he's actually really freaking smart.
I feel like this review is really horrible. So every character is really quirky and unique, none of them blend into each other and they all have a purpose. This novel is also a satire so everything is really crazy and sarcastic so if you're dumb like me, you start to question if everything is serious. There were some jokes and dialogue where it's like "Woah, that's a burn, you better treat that burn."
It's a really fun novel and there's a lot of wacky situations and wordplay. Sometimes it's hard to understand because it really does spiral into insanity. It makes you feel really smart but at the same time your brain melts. It's like playing tennis and the ball is going back and forth slowly at first, but then the players gets intense and the ball starts flying faster and harder and the players are sweating and getting more pumped. There's Also a lot of that "Let's talk about life and how life works and parents and growing up" but then something absurd happens right after that and throws all of that mumbo jumbo out the window, especially when Humboldt kills people and then they somehow come back to life. It's like one of those parody movies that don't make sense but we keep laughing anyway because it's not supposed to make sense and nothing in life makes sense anyway.
Sometimes the absurdity does get a little tiring though, I will admit that towards the end I skimmed through or sped through some parts because I just got tired. Then the action finally happened and the ending just left me baffled. Why? Crazy character development. Humboldt had changed so much, stronger, smarter, but more cynical as if he finally lost optimism and turned into a pessimist. Humboldt learns all the ways of life in America and everything seems to be fake or a joke as if this book is making fun of American society, and sadly, everything is so god dang true. I do understand it's a satire though. By the way, There are some parts where the writing style changes from novel to a play.
The book is written in a very humorous way but there is one thing that I wanted to point out that I wasn't too comfortable with. Some people might point out and say "well it's a satire and Humboldt was an ignorant farmer so he doesn't know any better" and I understand that but seriously N-word town? Somebody is going to get really offended. Couldn't you call it Afro town or something? Like I understand why, but it put me off a bit.
Despite that little thing above, it's generally a favorable book for me. Congrats or thank you, I don't know how to end this.
Rating: 3.5/5
http://wordsnotesandfiction.blogspot....
July 26, 2016
Humboldt is a book that, among other things, demonstrates how a love of language need not be doled out heavy in hand or heart, and how a complex character need not be intensely intellectual (in the traditional sense) in order to have interesting things to say- what joys both of these ideas are!
The book is peppered with jaunty nods towards the literary greats- most apparent to me were Nabokov in the wordplay and Dickens in the form and quirky characters (I imagine, but not too versed in this guy- and the title is a bit Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne- but I haven't read these guys either! Important aside: neither do you need to in order to enjoy this book, because)- the sheer inventiveness of the language itself lifts the novel far away from mere imitation.
I also enjoyed the pre-emptive chapter summaries, which to me represented a kind of boyish confidence in the entertainment value of the prose- we are told roughly what the entire chapter consists of before it has begun: in this chapter, Humboldt is going to encounter and give his opinion on football, in one example, yet I thought "Great! I can't wait to find out what his opinion is!" Because Humboldt is such an interesting character and it's loads of fun to spy on all his first-times :)
I read this book breezily over a two-day period, but I would recommend that you space it out a bit further than I did, as the many quirky characters, while entertaining, can grate a little in quick succession- but this is a minor complaint.
And, of course, a wonderful antidote to the heavy "Heiiii auuurrrrtt tradisssion" (or as I read somewhere, "creamy-eyed beret-wearing") literary crowd which will re-invigorate jaded readers in the power of the prose, and will stand as the only bildungsroman I've ever been interested in reading (although as someone who has recently entered OFFICE JOB, this novel came at just the right time for me to re-discover growing up and be envious of boring repetitious days spent in the sun :D)
Well-recommended summer read for those who like their satire chirpy and their wordplay exuberant!
(Copy received from CCLaP for review.)
(And the cover art is great)
The book is peppered with jaunty nods towards the literary greats- most apparent to me were Nabokov in the wordplay and Dickens in the form and quirky characters (I imagine, but not too versed in this guy- and the title is a bit Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne- but I haven't read these guys either! Important aside: neither do you need to in order to enjoy this book, because)- the sheer inventiveness of the language itself lifts the novel far away from mere imitation.
I also enjoyed the pre-emptive chapter summaries, which to me represented a kind of boyish confidence in the entertainment value of the prose- we are told roughly what the entire chapter consists of before it has begun: in this chapter, Humboldt is going to encounter and give his opinion on football, in one example, yet I thought "Great! I can't wait to find out what his opinion is!" Because Humboldt is such an interesting character and it's loads of fun to spy on all his first-times :)
I read this book breezily over a two-day period, but I would recommend that you space it out a bit further than I did, as the many quirky characters, while entertaining, can grate a little in quick succession- but this is a minor complaint.
And, of course, a wonderful antidote to the heavy "Heiiii auuurrrrtt tradisssion" (or as I read somewhere, "creamy-eyed beret-wearing") literary crowd which will re-invigorate jaded readers in the power of the prose, and will stand as the only bildungsroman I've ever been interested in reading (although as someone who has recently entered OFFICE JOB, this novel came at just the right time for me to re-discover growing up and be envious of boring repetitious days spent in the sun :D)
Well-recommended summer read for those who like their satire chirpy and their wordplay exuberant!
(Copy received from CCLaP for review.)
(And the cover art is great)
February 24, 2014
FTC DISCLOSURE: I am the publisher of this book.
This is the latest book by my publishing company, and it's now here! Visit http://www.cclapcenter.com/humboldt to download a completely free ebook version, or to purchase the paperback or hardback editions.
This is the latest book by my publishing company, and it's now here! Visit http://www.cclapcenter.com/humboldt to download a completely free ebook version, or to purchase the paperback or hardback editions.
March 8, 2014
It's very difficult for me to review this book. It's probably one of the most unique stories I've ever read, and yet it's very hard for me to describe it. But I'll try: Forrest Gump meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I was totally amazed by the protagonist: a character much like Forrest Gump who could easily have gotten lost in the world, but who never seems to actually feel lost. Instead, he made me laugh and smile. A lot.
But one of my complaints is that too much happens in very few pages. Whenever we're introduced to a new setting, we're quickly torn away and thrown into another. All settings were interesting and amusing, but I'm all for taking your time, getting settled in and getting to know the situation. It felt rushed to me and I felt sad every time Humboldt left one place for another. Whenever I was really enjoying the story, I had to remind myself to not get too involved or excited as it would be over soon and on to something else. I'm not saying less should have happened - we should just have had a lot more pages. Like 1.000 pages, that would have captivated me more.
I remember feeling the same way when I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: It was fun and amusing, but where's the plot, the story telling? Another thing that kind of bothered me was that it felt as if the author was trying to force his opinions on me. That's one of the reasons why I've kept going back and forward between 3 and 4 stars over the past two weeks since I swiped the last page.
So what changed my mind? Well, whenever I think back to the novel, I get a huge smile on my face. There were so many details that won me over - like the bit where there's a therapist with a Scandinavian accent, and all Humboldt hears is the Swedish chef from The Muppet Show ("Hurleyburleyfergusbergus"). Being a Scandinavian myself (Danish, in case you were wondering) this stuff is perhaps extra hilarious to me.
And I adored how the author lashed out at post modern bestselling authors - like one of my favorite authors, Paul Auster. There's a scene where Humboldt goes to a Paul Auster reading and despises everything (except the lovely Siri Hustvedt):
The author oozed a pompous, arrogant persona and he paused frequently to stare out over the audience with his dark brooding eyes. He did this so frequently that Humboldt wondered if he was simply reminding everyone that he had dark brooding eyes.
That cracked me up - even though I can't help admiring those dark brooding eyes.
This book completed part of my reading challenge for this year: to read a book published in 2014.
I was totally amazed by the protagonist: a character much like Forrest Gump who could easily have gotten lost in the world, but who never seems to actually feel lost. Instead, he made me laugh and smile. A lot.
But one of my complaints is that too much happens in very few pages. Whenever we're introduced to a new setting, we're quickly torn away and thrown into another. All settings were interesting and amusing, but I'm all for taking your time, getting settled in and getting to know the situation. It felt rushed to me and I felt sad every time Humboldt left one place for another. Whenever I was really enjoying the story, I had to remind myself to not get too involved or excited as it would be over soon and on to something else. I'm not saying less should have happened - we should just have had a lot more pages. Like 1.000 pages, that would have captivated me more.
I remember feeling the same way when I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: It was fun and amusing, but where's the plot, the story telling? Another thing that kind of bothered me was that it felt as if the author was trying to force his opinions on me. That's one of the reasons why I've kept going back and forward between 3 and 4 stars over the past two weeks since I swiped the last page.
So what changed my mind? Well, whenever I think back to the novel, I get a huge smile on my face. There were so many details that won me over - like the bit where there's a therapist with a Scandinavian accent, and all Humboldt hears is the Swedish chef from The Muppet Show ("Hurleyburleyfergusbergus"). Being a Scandinavian myself (Danish, in case you were wondering) this stuff is perhaps extra hilarious to me.
And I adored how the author lashed out at post modern bestselling authors - like one of my favorite authors, Paul Auster. There's a scene where Humboldt goes to a Paul Auster reading and despises everything (except the lovely Siri Hustvedt):
The author oozed a pompous, arrogant persona and he paused frequently to stare out over the audience with his dark brooding eyes. He did this so frequently that Humboldt wondered if he was simply reminding everyone that he had dark brooding eyes.
That cracked me up - even though I can't help admiring those dark brooding eyes.
This book completed part of my reading challenge for this year: to read a book published in 2014.
February 20, 2014
This book it fantastic! I love Humboldt and his zany brain! He kept me thoroughly and utterly entertained with his thinking thoughts. And then there is this spectacular cast of characters that I'm sure you've never seen the likes of before. The length of this book is never felt as you find yourself swiftly and, at times, feverishly flipping from one page to the next, eyes wide and mouth agape at the ridiculously absurd situations in which Humboldt and his companions find themselves. But it is the writing style of Scott Navicky that really makes this novel. I can't say I've ever encountered anything quite like it before. It's the kind of writing that harnesses you, perhaps not so safely, into this rollercoaster and takes your brain and your intellect for a wild ride and comes to a stop only when the back cover is closed, windblown hair and all.
July 28, 2016
I have no idea why it took me so long to move this to the top of my TBR pile but I should've done it a long time ago. Navicky captures so much in his fast-paced chapters - all of which are filled with the sophistication and humor of Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robins. I really couldn't recommend this book more and I can't wait for the chance to read more by this brilliant author!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews