What do you think?
Rate this book
Mansklubben
En underhållande och svidande uppgörelse med manligheten i terapins tidsålder. Sju män, några av dem vänner, andra främlingar, träffas en kväll i ett hus i Berkeley. Det är sjuttiotal och de ses för att starta en mansklubb, vars syfte inte är uppenbart för någon av dem. Snart inser de dock att de alla har ett starkt behov av att prata om sina liv .
185 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
12 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Michaels
48 books110 followersLeonard Michaels was an American writer of short stories, novels, and essays, and a Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
August 10, 2017
Though most of my girlfriends (and a few of my guy friends) wouldn't like this, and though some lines made me cringe, I loved this brutal, gripping, candid, unique, and nuanced romp, reading it straight through a five hour plane ride and finishing it later in and out of a bath. Leonard Michaels Is Brilliant! His language is spectacularly spot on. Every page is surprising. His insights are hilarious and crushing. I can't believe more writers don't talk about him and/or this book. He reminds me of Denis Johnson and Paula Fox. I recently read and loved Sylvia and now I must reread (and this time finish) his collected stories.
December 17, 2016
While very well written, this book does leave one with a feeling of despair, both at one's gender and life in general. Some of the characters elicit sympathy and some are arguably 'nice guys', but others need a slap and a hard one. How much is this a book of its time and how much do the themes and the male ego self-indulgence continue as relevant to this day? I suspect the latter and a lot.
An academic is reluctantly persuaded to attend a new men's group, partly a reaction to the growth of feminist women's groups at the time, by an old friend a former professional basketball player. All the seven men gathered are professionals and well-resourced, which it seems is a good foundation for selfishness and self-indulgence. The seven are well-drawn with widely varying personalities, ensuring that there is comparatively little actual bonding, to my mind. Several seem on the verge of violence for most of the plot.
Helping themselves to a feast that is not there's to take, they gorge like pigs and drink themselves half insensible, with some pot thrown in for good measure (by probably the nicest guy). Most animals would behave better and the more civilised group members will awake with guilt. In this atmosphere the seven begin to swap stories of their current but usually former relationships. Some are brutal tales of perversion, others are tender although generally self-pitying, but not always some being genuinely caring and regretful. The tales are heard respectfully, even the more vile characters managing to keep complete contempt at bay.
On the host's wife's return as nemesis, the party is well and truly over. This is probably the best part of the book as revenge is wreaked.
If one accepts that shite stuff is going to happen at several points in one's life, that one is going to screw up at some point and probably several points, that no one is perfect and that one is going to get into middle age and look back with regret, even if successful (and what the hell does that mean?), then this book holds few lessons for you; other than in how not to behave. If you need this book to tell you something, professional help might be advised.
The book is not a grabber and I did find myself going back to it somewhat reluctantly at times. However, thanks to Nicholas Lezard of the Guardian for bringing to my attention. As a man it leaves me feeling a little dirty and presents life and relationships as really rather a squalid feat of endurance, rather than something to be relished and cherished. On this basis there are a lot of other books to read before another Leonard Michaels, fine literary craftman though he may have been.
An academic is reluctantly persuaded to attend a new men's group, partly a reaction to the growth of feminist women's groups at the time, by an old friend a former professional basketball player. All the seven men gathered are professionals and well-resourced, which it seems is a good foundation for selfishness and self-indulgence. The seven are well-drawn with widely varying personalities, ensuring that there is comparatively little actual bonding, to my mind. Several seem on the verge of violence for most of the plot.
Helping themselves to a feast that is not there's to take, they gorge like pigs and drink themselves half insensible, with some pot thrown in for good measure (by probably the nicest guy). Most animals would behave better and the more civilised group members will awake with guilt. In this atmosphere the seven begin to swap stories of their current but usually former relationships. Some are brutal tales of perversion, others are tender although generally self-pitying, but not always some being genuinely caring and regretful. The tales are heard respectfully, even the more vile characters managing to keep complete contempt at bay.
On the host's wife's return as nemesis, the party is well and truly over. This is probably the best part of the book as revenge is wreaked.
If one accepts that shite stuff is going to happen at several points in one's life, that one is going to screw up at some point and probably several points, that no one is perfect and that one is going to get into middle age and look back with regret, even if successful (and what the hell does that mean?), then this book holds few lessons for you; other than in how not to behave. If you need this book to tell you something, professional help might be advised.
The book is not a grabber and I did find myself going back to it somewhat reluctantly at times. However, thanks to Nicholas Lezard of the Guardian for bringing to my attention. As a man it leaves me feeling a little dirty and presents life and relationships as really rather a squalid feat of endurance, rather than something to be relished and cherished. On this basis there are a lot of other books to read before another Leonard Michaels, fine literary craftman though he may have been.
March 20, 2017
The Men’s club is set in 1970s in a suburban home in Berkeley, California. Seven men get together in a room that to form a men’s club. None of them know what the club is going to be about. The men in the circle are friends and strangers to some of the others in the circle. As the evening wears on, the men start talking.
Soon they open up about their regrets, love failures, unrequited love and what not. The first few chapters suck me into the book. The pace falls a but towards the middle. But the climax was funny and hilarious and I so did not see that one coming.
Check a detailed review on http://www.thebooksatchel.com/mens-cl...
Much thanks to Daunt Books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Soon they open up about their regrets, love failures, unrequited love and what not. The first few chapters suck me into the book. The pace falls a but towards the middle. But the climax was funny and hilarious and I so did not see that one coming.
Check a detailed review on http://www.thebooksatchel.com/mens-cl...
Much thanks to Daunt Books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
November 12, 2014
Darkly funny and bitter story of seven men who gather one night to drink, eat, laugh, unburden, and try to share and comprehend their lives. True, they are mostly a pack of selfish misogynists and there really isn't even one sympathetic character, but Michaels' prose is so good and true that I couldn't stop reading.
June 1, 2021
När män i slutet av 70-talet träffas i en mansklubb talar de om kvinnor. En efter en försöker de bräcka varandra med historier om sina förälskelser, sexuella upplevelser och det hat de känner för sina fruar och flickvänner. Kanske finns det inget annat att prata om när mansklubben startats som en motreaktion på kvinnornas klubbar, där de snarare pratar politik och feminism (och antagligen en del skit om svinen de är ihop med).
Mansklubben sätter fingret på varför män i grupp är det vidrigaste som finns. De har sönder saker, beter sig oansvarigt, grisar ned hus och hem och är allmänt svinga. De börjar till och med slåss med varann! Tack och lov dyker en kvinna upp i slutet av boken och hon är djävligt förbannad. Hennes uppenbarelse får männen att blicka utåt istället för inåt, kanske får de en liten liten förståelse för vilka svin de faktiskt är.
Ärligt talat är jag ganska trött på gruppen män. Speciellt den svinga sorten. Och därför blir inte Mansklubben en bok där jag får tjuvlyssna njutningsfullt på männens samtal. Det blir snarare en bekräftelse på varför, ja nu säger jag det bara, jag hatar män.
Mansklubben sätter fingret på varför män i grupp är det vidrigaste som finns. De har sönder saker, beter sig oansvarigt, grisar ned hus och hem och är allmänt svinga. De börjar till och med slåss med varann! Tack och lov dyker en kvinna upp i slutet av boken och hon är djävligt förbannad. Hennes uppenbarelse får männen att blicka utåt istället för inåt, kanske får de en liten liten förståelse för vilka svin de faktiskt är.
Ärligt talat är jag ganska trött på gruppen män. Speciellt den svinga sorten. Och därför blir inte Mansklubben en bok där jag får tjuvlyssna njutningsfullt på männens samtal. Det blir snarare en bekräftelse på varför, ja nu säger jag det bara, jag hatar män.
October 19, 2025
You certainly couldn't accuse Leonard Michaels from shying away from the more unsettling truths -- and here we find it amongst men. I have a feeling that DFW probably cribbed the tone of this when he wrote the interstitial passage of BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, though Michaels doesn't have an axe to grind and he never takes the easy way out. These men are sensitive, acrimonious, pardonable, unpardonable, and everything in and between. There's also a few satirical potshots at California culture in the 1970s and 1980s that I appreciated. Most importantly, there is the gentle eloquence of Michaels's unadorned and sparse prose style that still remains hypnotic four decades after the first version of this was published.
April 8, 2018
Dopo aver letto Sylvia, obiettivamente uno dei pochi romanzi che negli ultimi anni mi hanno straziato il cuore, mi sono avvicinato a Il club degli uomini con forte desiderio e altrettanto forte timore di venire deluso. Ancora una volta, la scrittura asciutta ma al tempo stesso piena di significato, carica di sensualità e ombre, mi ha colpito al cuore raccontando le storie di uomini che si fanno coro come ululato di lupi (non a caso) in un tentare di riaffermare sé stessi in un momento in cui sembrano a loro modo smarriti, scavando nel passato per raccontare il presente amaro in cui le loro vite sembrano galleggiare inerti. L'occhio privilegiato da cui ci viene raccontata la storia ci dice qualcosa di questi uomini, essendo li presente suo malgrado, ma forse tanto di più lo si evince dagli sguardi, dalle gestualità a volte accennate, altre esagerate volutamente o inconsciamente, in un turbine di emozioni e ricordi e storie, per lo più, di sconfitta. Una resa incondizionata, uno sguardo abbassato di fronte all'ambizione inafferrabile, alla vita scivolata via nel tempo di un incontro, a what if ormai sospesi in un tempo senza possibilità di riavvolgere il nastro e tentare di nuovo. A tutto questo tentano di opporsi gli uomini qui raccontati, in una notte che è forse inizio e fine, alba e tramonto che mai dimenticheranno
August 25, 2019
To be honest, this would be a great book for men to read. As a woman I can appreciate it in its effort to give insight into what men struggle to share not just with each other but with the women in their lives as well. Although the portrayal of women in the book is unsurprising - the wife, the other woman, the unattainable woman, the women that make men better and worse all at once. The men never quite at fault but sensing something amiss.
Overall, an easy read that was somewhat thought-provoking though I'd not list it as particularly influential for myself personally.
Overall, an easy read that was somewhat thought-provoking though I'd not list it as particularly influential for myself personally.
April 24, 2015
Not a great book. The action consists of a club for men that has its inaugural meeting and spends the night telling each other about the women that have been in their lives. The dialogue is very play-like and unrealistic and the slang they use is very dated. There are a couple of moments that I could relate to, but for the most part, the book is a very unconvincing depiction of what men talk about.
On the plus side, it's short and a quick read.
On the plus side, it's short and a quick read.
July 22, 2012
I grew up in Berkeley during the '70s, and this book really reminded me of my parents' world - a world in which new age nonsense collided with a rather shrill feminism and the dying remnants of male chauvinist piggery. The guys are wittily rendered and with more sympathy than perhaps they deserve. A quick read, and a fun-ish one, if you're interested in the whole battle between the sexes bit.
June 18, 2013
Definitely jumped right up into the toppest ranks of my favoritest books of all time forever. Completely deserving of the late hour blow-through. I was gripped. I didn't think putting it down was an option. Almost one hundred mostly uninterrupted pages of awesome. EASILY six stars.
December 1, 2019
Sono pochi i libri che invecchiano bene. Questo non sembra fare eccezione alla regola.
November 7, 2020
Shows what happens when you put the Jewish-American writer’s form of choice, monologue, in conversation. Make it a dialogue and the ugliness really reveals itself. The novel’s really carefully structured, and the presence of a woman at the end of the novel derails the men’s project of “honesty” and reveals it for what it is: power preservation, violence, etc. Interesting in the wake/presence of Roth et. Al, form reflects content, Michaels rejects the dominant form of the writers he’s so often compared to, so on....
Read
September 23, 2025Funny book about men. Will read more by this guy
August 25, 2020
L'idea di base è forte: un'club degli uomini' in cui ci si possa raccontare liberamente e intimamente.
Quello che non mi torna sono alcuni personaggi che popolano questo libro, sopra le righe, eccentrici e in alcuni casi così ricercati da far risultare il tutto un po' falso.
Quello che non mi torna sono alcuni personaggi che popolano questo libro, sopra le righe, eccentrici e in alcuni casi così ricercati da far risultare il tutto un po' falso.
June 11, 2021
Sju medelålders män samlas i en villa i universitetsstaden Berkeley. Det är 70-tal och olika kvinnogrupper är på frammarsch. Varför männen grupperar sig i en egen klubb vet de inte riktigt under det första famlande välkomnandet. Alla får varsin öl av värden. Michaels jagberättare funderar över huset inredning. Det är en kvinnas vardagsrum, slår han fast när han ser de gröna växterna och den brandgula mattan. Tanken löper vidare från växterna och berättare bestämmer sig: “poängen med klubben var att få umgås med män, inte att bekymra sig för kvinnor.”
Män som ska umgås. Vad ska de prata om? Vad ska de göra? När värden, och initiativtagare, plockar fram en låda med hundratals fotografier, bilder på alla kvinnor han legat med, blir det tydligt – de ska berätta livshistorier, episoder de skäms över eller vill skryta om. Berättelserna avlöser sedan varandra och vävs ihop med kvällens fortlöpande.
Plötsligt, efter att en av männen berättar om hur han planerade att skjuta sig i huvudet framför sin fru för att “visa hur han uppfattade förhållandet”, blir alla hungriga. Men ingen har planerat för mat. Kanske brukar den sysslan lämnas till fruar och flickvänner. Men männen har tur – nästa kväll ska en kvinnogrupp samlas i huset och kylskåpet är redan proppat med buffémat, dessert och kaliforniska viner. “Jag ger er alltihop, killar,” säger värden utan att tveka.
Mansklubben älskar att få bete sig som svin. Att de roffar åt sig kvinnogruppens mat gör bara att det smakar godare. Det är en destruktiv energi, en kaoskraft som samlas. Här börjar någon form av förvandling – från ansvarstagande samhällsmedborgare till män från grottorna. De berättar grövre och grövre historier. De tar fram knivar och börjar kasta dem mot dörrar och väggar. Till slut står alla sju i vardagsrummet och ylar “tills det verkade som om vi var en enda man i ylandena som steg och steg och lyfte oss uppåt.”
Det är inte sant att skriva att jag känner igen mig i Michaels bok. Men ändå, och trots att boken först gavs ut 1981, finns det sanningsenliga teman och scener om män i grupp.
Män som ska umgås. Vad ska de prata om? Vad ska de göra? När värden, och initiativtagare, plockar fram en låda med hundratals fotografier, bilder på alla kvinnor han legat med, blir det tydligt – de ska berätta livshistorier, episoder de skäms över eller vill skryta om. Berättelserna avlöser sedan varandra och vävs ihop med kvällens fortlöpande.
Plötsligt, efter att en av männen berättar om hur han planerade att skjuta sig i huvudet framför sin fru för att “visa hur han uppfattade förhållandet”, blir alla hungriga. Men ingen har planerat för mat. Kanske brukar den sysslan lämnas till fruar och flickvänner. Men männen har tur – nästa kväll ska en kvinnogrupp samlas i huset och kylskåpet är redan proppat med buffémat, dessert och kaliforniska viner. “Jag ger er alltihop, killar,” säger värden utan att tveka.
Mansklubben älskar att få bete sig som svin. Att de roffar åt sig kvinnogruppens mat gör bara att det smakar godare. Det är en destruktiv energi, en kaoskraft som samlas. Här börjar någon form av förvandling – från ansvarstagande samhällsmedborgare till män från grottorna. De berättar grövre och grövre historier. De tar fram knivar och börjar kasta dem mot dörrar och väggar. Till slut står alla sju i vardagsrummet och ylar “tills det verkade som om vi var en enda man i ylandena som steg och steg och lyfte oss uppåt.”
Det är inte sant att skriva att jag känner igen mig i Michaels bok. Men ändå, och trots att boken först gavs ut 1981, finns det sanningsenliga teman och scener om män i grupp.
January 23, 2013
Men in the age of therapy: it says on the back-cover. These 7 men in Michaels short novel do feel the need to talk. For some the talk even appears to be therapeutic. The story turns women's club on its head. A group getting together away from the other sex, but constantly talking about this other they are apparently escaping from. If Leonard Michael intended to look reprovingly at such clubs, he has done that well.
He has made each of the men a little vile, repulsive, a bit animal-like. Perhaps the point was exaggeration, perhaps he just thought idiosyncratic characters were easier to create and identify. He supports them with fantasy like stories which are interesting to read, and with a short, neat prose. The ending was very well executed.
I have been told he is a great American writer - well this is certainly not the book that could have given him that accolade.
He has made each of the men a little vile, repulsive, a bit animal-like. Perhaps the point was exaggeration, perhaps he just thought idiosyncratic characters were easier to create and identify. He supports them with fantasy like stories which are interesting to read, and with a short, neat prose. The ending was very well executed.
I have been told he is a great American writer - well this is certainly not the book that could have given him that accolade.
April 11, 2018
Erano quattro amici al bar... (Anche se qui in realtà erano sette!)
Sono arrivata all’ultima pagina esclamando “No!!”. Avrei letto almeno altre 200 pagine e invece è finito subito.
Dopo Sylvia, ovviamente, ero partita con altissime aspettative che però non sono state smentite.
La verità? Essere come un terzo occhio che ha preso parte alle storie di questi 7 uomini è stato terribilmente esaltante, provo un fascino inaudito verso la semplicità con la quale si instaurano i rapporti maschili, quella pura sincerità e non-competizione che nell’universo femminile di rado c’è.
Anche questa volta la scrittura di Leonard Michaels si conferma densa di contenuti e piena di sfumature.
Un libro bellissimo, ora recupero il film.
Sono arrivata all’ultima pagina esclamando “No!!”. Avrei letto almeno altre 200 pagine e invece è finito subito.
Dopo Sylvia, ovviamente, ero partita con altissime aspettative che però non sono state smentite.
La verità? Essere come un terzo occhio che ha preso parte alle storie di questi 7 uomini è stato terribilmente esaltante, provo un fascino inaudito verso la semplicità con la quale si instaurano i rapporti maschili, quella pura sincerità e non-competizione che nell’universo femminile di rado c’è.
Anche questa volta la scrittura di Leonard Michaels si conferma densa di contenuti e piena di sfumature.
Un libro bellissimo, ora recupero il film.
April 10, 2018
Descritto come il "romanzo definitivo e attualissimo sull'identità maschile", questo libro è stato una grandissima delusione.
I personaggi sono una manica di "sfigati" (ma ovviamente tutti professionisti affermati, come sempre capita con libri falsamente "progressisti" e di satira costume), poco interessanti e, soprattutto, poco rappresentativi dell'universo maschile; lo stile di scrittura non è adeguato al tono del racconto, che si vorrebbe ironico e provocatorio; la trama è inesistente, e si limita a unire tra loro le storie, poco coinvolgenti, che ciascun protagonista racconta.
Sarebbero due stelle e mezza, ma oggi mi sento buono.
I personaggi sono una manica di "sfigati" (ma ovviamente tutti professionisti affermati, come sempre capita con libri falsamente "progressisti" e di satira costume), poco interessanti e, soprattutto, poco rappresentativi dell'universo maschile; lo stile di scrittura non è adeguato al tono del racconto, che si vorrebbe ironico e provocatorio; la trama è inesistente, e si limita a unire tra loro le storie, poco coinvolgenti, che ciascun protagonista racconta.
Sarebbero due stelle e mezza, ma oggi mi sento buono.
January 23, 2019
"Potrei raccontarne altre, di storie senza senso. Mi capita spesso. Comincio a parlare pensando che ci sia un senso e poi non lo trovo. E che cos'è, ad ogni modo, il senso? Le cose succedono. Te ne ricordi. Tutto qui. Se le guardi da una prospettiva più ampia, ti renderai conto che il senso non c'è mai. C'è soltanto a prospettiva."
"Sono un flipper. Una donna ne rende necessaria un'altra."
"Deborah esagerava in tutto. Parlando di lei, io faccio lo stesso. Si fissava su tutto e niente si fissava su di lei, capite cosa voglio dire?"
"Sono un flipper. Una donna ne rende necessaria un'altra."
"Deborah esagerava in tutto. Parlando di lei, io faccio lo stesso. Si fissava su tutto e niente si fissava su di lei, capite cosa voglio dire?"
August 8, 2010
Beware of books (or movies) with the word "Club" in the title. If you loved that Cassavettes movie Husbands, you may like this book though. In fact, I bet Michaels was a big fan of Cassavettes and that movie in particular. I thought that there was some good writing in this book, but it was too self-indulgent and kind of childish in attitude. I much preferred his earlier novel Sylvia. But I can see how The Men's Club was a huge influence on lots of macho writers who came later.
December 6, 2008
Dated, but alive.
May 13, 2010
I like Lenny Michaels. I really like him. Yet, or therefore, I cannot finish this book.
February 26, 2011
I was not impressed. Don't recommend. Somewhat discomforting.
January 4, 2018
This was moderately amusing, but also shabby and immature. More than once I heard an imaginary accusatory voice asking: haven't you got anything better to do with your time?
April 15, 2018
Ma perché tutto questo?
September 2, 2018
Una storia così così.
La scrittura merita ma non ha fatto impazzire.
La scrittura merita ma non ha fatto impazzire.
June 17, 2025
Simply brilliant! Brilliant dialogues, brilliant monologues. Episodes of the highest humor and wit. This book is much more of a play than a novel, even if Michaels didn't write it that way. In this respect, it is reminiscent of the best material by Edward Albee and Tennesse Williams, and in a contemporary version even of Yasmina Reza. Snotty arguments, grotesque twists, deep characterizations, and all this on the basis that Michaels simply lets his protagonists talk as naturally as their (sometimes sexist, racist and body-shaming) beaks grow. Only one woman appears in this “Mens Club”. At the jaw-dropping end, it is the host's wife herself who surprises the unleashed horde in the late hours of the night. And HOW she does it! You really want to see this word carnage on a stage (you see it all the time anyway). Or in a theatrical film adaptation. This novel from 1978 is knee deep and rooted in the kind of 70's American literature I love (Updike, Roth, Kotzwinkle, etc.). And another incredible haul of my random reads from my ancestral favorite literary phone booth. I didn't know Leonard Michaels at all. Neither did my Dad (who encouraged and taught me to read all 20th century Americans). An absolute Dad book! I will be reading more from Leonard Michaels in the future. Simply brilliant!!
Simply brilliant!! Brilliante Dialoge, brilliante Monolge. Episoden von allerhöchsten Humor-Gnaden und Sprachwitz. Dieses Buch ist viel mehr noch in der Anlage ein Theaterstück als ein Roman, auch wenn Michaels den Text nicht so angelegt hat. In dieser Hinsicht erinnert er an die besten Stoffe von Edward Albee und Tennesse Williams, in einer zeitgenössischen Variante gar an Yasmina Reza. Rotzfreche Auseinandersetzungen, groteske Wendungen, tiefe Personenzeichnungen, und das alles auf der Grundlage, dass Michaels seine Protagonisten einfach aufs Natürlichste quatschen lässt, wie ihnen der (mitunter sexistische, rassistische und body shamende) Schnabel gewachsen ist. Nur eine Frau taucht in diesem "Mens Club"auf. Am die Kinnlade weit offen stehen lassenden Ende ist es die Frau des Gastgebers persönlich, die die entfesselte Horde in der weit fortgeschrittenen Nacht überrascht. Und WIE sie das tut!! Man will dieses Wort-Gemetzel wirklich auf einer Bühne sehen (man siehts die ganze Zeit sowieso). Oder in einer theaterhaften Verfilmung. Dieser Roman von 1978 ist knietief veranlagt und verwurzelt in die Art amerikanischer Literatur der 70er Jahre wie ich sie liebe (Updike, Roth, Kotzwinkle etc.). Und wieder ein unglaublicher Fang meiner Random-Readings aus meiner angestammten Lieblings-Literaturtelefonzelle. Ich kannte Leonard Michaels gar nicht. Mein Dad (der mir sämtliche Amerikaner des 20. Jahrhunderts nahegelegt und mich sie zu lesen gelehrt hat) auch nicht. Ein absolutes Papa-Buch! Ich werde mehr von Leonard Michaels lesen. Simply brilliant!!
Simply brilliant!! Brilliante Dialoge, brilliante Monolge. Episoden von allerhöchsten Humor-Gnaden und Sprachwitz. Dieses Buch ist viel mehr noch in der Anlage ein Theaterstück als ein Roman, auch wenn Michaels den Text nicht so angelegt hat. In dieser Hinsicht erinnert er an die besten Stoffe von Edward Albee und Tennesse Williams, in einer zeitgenössischen Variante gar an Yasmina Reza. Rotzfreche Auseinandersetzungen, groteske Wendungen, tiefe Personenzeichnungen, und das alles auf der Grundlage, dass Michaels seine Protagonisten einfach aufs Natürlichste quatschen lässt, wie ihnen der (mitunter sexistische, rassistische und body shamende) Schnabel gewachsen ist. Nur eine Frau taucht in diesem "Mens Club"auf. Am die Kinnlade weit offen stehen lassenden Ende ist es die Frau des Gastgebers persönlich, die die entfesselte Horde in der weit fortgeschrittenen Nacht überrascht. Und WIE sie das tut!! Man will dieses Wort-Gemetzel wirklich auf einer Bühne sehen (man siehts die ganze Zeit sowieso). Oder in einer theaterhaften Verfilmung. Dieser Roman von 1978 ist knietief veranlagt und verwurzelt in die Art amerikanischer Literatur der 70er Jahre wie ich sie liebe (Updike, Roth, Kotzwinkle etc.). Und wieder ein unglaublicher Fang meiner Random-Readings aus meiner angestammten Lieblings-Literaturtelefonzelle. Ich kannte Leonard Michaels gar nicht. Mein Dad (der mir sämtliche Amerikaner des 20. Jahrhunderts nahegelegt und mich sie zu lesen gelehrt hat) auch nicht. Ein absolutes Papa-Buch! Ich werde mehr von Leonard Michaels lesen. Simply brilliant!!
April 30, 2020
Misogynistic tripe. Here's a quote from the book, from page 43--"We were 'lucky,' said Kramer. Lucky, maybe, to be men. Life is unfair business. Whoever said otherwise? It is a billion bad shows, low blows, and number one has more fun. The preparations for the women's group would feed our club. The idea of delicious food, taken this way, was thrilling. Had it been there for us, it would have been pleasant. But this was evil, like eating the other woman." On page 26 he says that Cavanaugh talked and hung out with his "pickup" for about ten hours, but in that time period he never asked her her name, nor did she feel the need to volunteer the information. That is utterly ridiculous and unbelievable and there are passages like that strewn throughout the text. On page 153 Berliner is complaining about Quentin's wife and how disappointed he was that she didn't call to tell him her husband had died, even though he didn't like him and he says to the other fellows, "men play by the rules, you dig," in reference to the fact that Quentin would have phoned him if she had died. This is more ridiculous nonsense. Ask any women about dating and relationships with men and they'll tell you, the average man does what he wants and tries to get away with he can and decidedly, doesn't play by the rules. Cavanaugh on page 59 calls his wife "a conventional bitch, not wanting to fuck me at 5 a.m." Really? How many women or wives do you know that do that? On page 47, we have Philip say this: "The privet hedge out front was too tall, too bushy, millions of leaves striking in every direction, threatening property values with life." Really? Gee, did Leonard Michaels every hear of Landscaping Services? Like how much value really is a hedge going to deflate the value of a property, when all that needs to be done is trim it? More stupidity. I wouldn’t send this book as a gift to my worst enemy. Its anti-feminism comes through loud and clear. It’s a hate-filled jeremiad against the fairer sex. The only value I see in it is its use as a doorstop. Child please.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews