Bringing Down the House

by Richard P. Brickner

A novel of social satire. Multibillionaire Goddard Moss has a a city rising tall on the South Dakota prairie dedicated to Art. Not art of the staid, traditional, edifying, entertaining variety, but the Modern—modern painting, modern theater, modern sculpture, modern dance, all as obscure, pretentious, and offensive as its creators can make it (and with luck, government-funded). As Culture City rises from the grassy fields, playwrights, performers, and artists prepare for the gala opening week. Gregory Lubin's expansive stage re-creation of the Tower of Babel story is awaited with particular anticipation. But revolution is brewing just yards beyond the city walls and as far away as rural Maine. Despite the money being lavished on it, it becomes doubtful that "the Artland in the Heartland" will survive past its premiere.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Richard P. Brickner was an American novelist, memoirist and critic.

Reviews

[Joseph Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing story, the author made me feel like I was sitting at tables. Watching the characters signal each other. Riveting!

[Fahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I prefer the movie over the book but never the less, the book was outstanding. From the details to the thrilling moments this book has it all. Its interesting topic adds a great initiative for readers to pick it up. The storyline as well as the development of it were incredible! I enjoy reading books as such. The description made it easy to visualise the book, whilst the storyline made it interesting. A great combination when looking for a good read. These MIT students managed to do amazing things with math. Counting cards is not something new, but reading about it at such a high level is remarkable and extremely interesting.

I would recommend this book to teenagers and young adults. Its a strong topic but its very fun to read and it keeps you at the edge of your seat until the end of the book. You can never predict what happens next in the book either. This gives it a sense of imagination and allows readers to think of their own ending before the book's ending is revealed.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book chronicles how a group of MIT students took Vegas casinos for millions by counting cards. Interesting story. However, I was disappointed by the language in the book. I watched the movie "21" first and it is rare for me to recommend a movie over its book, but such is the case here.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a couple of M.I.T students taking Vegas for millions (legally)

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story - and much better than the movie (21) based on it.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. I really liked it but it had a lot of the F word in it.

[Erik K]

This was a really good book. The movie was good, but like most things, the book was better.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, easy read that is fast paced and a lot of fun. Really enjoyed the simplicity of the story but the complexity of getting the job done.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, easy read but totally engaging.