The Thieves of Manhattan

by Adam Langer

The famously false memoirs of James Frey may be yesterday’s news, but as this funny riff reminds us, literary fakes are as old as literature itself. Ian Minot is an aspiring writer who labors over short stories that seem destined to remain unread. His beautiful Romanian girlfriend, Anya Petrescu, finds success more easily—and leaves Ian for Blade Markham, a bloviating ex-gangbanger whose “so-called memoir” is a best-seller. When Ian is approached by ex-editor Jed Roth, who wants Ian to publish Jed’s pulpy tale of book theft and murder as a memoir, then renounce it, it’s a chance for both of them to get revenge: Jed on his former employer, and Ian on the world. Although Langer may be too cute for some (he employs made-up slang in which a penis is a portnoy), he does an engaging job with the hall-of-mirrors plot. And if readers can predict that the book they’re reading is the one that Ian ends up writing, they’ll never guess the ending. Just when you want a surprising twist, Langer delivers several.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Books About Books, New York, Humor, American

259 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2010

About the author

Adam Langer is am editor, journalist, author, playwright, filmmaker and podcast producer.

He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember James Frey, the one Oprah picked for her book club because of his supposed memoir, A Million Little Pieces, which turned out to be a fraud/lie? What a fiasco that turned out to be - but, what a notoriety, as well.

In this story, Jed comes to Ian with a plan he thinks might work. He has written an action/adventure novel about the theft of a rare, priceless ancient manuscript. However, nobody wants to publish it.

But maybe if Ian publishes it as a memoir, instead of fiction, it might sell.

Ian, in his own financial jeopardy, agrees.

Fast-forward in time, and the hoax becomes a writer's dream - it's picked up by a major publisher, selected as a book of the month club and featured on an influential TV talk show. Sound familiar?

And then Ian begins to get harassed. And threatened.

This book reveals the gray area between a truth and a lie. The slippery slope, so to speak. What is it like when these worlds are unraveled?

The ending has some pleasant surprises. Even as we watch what happens...some of the most interesting parts of this book happens with the insights provided into the publishing world.

[Adam Langer]

I was told that I should sign up to Goodreads since people here were reading this book. I don't think I'm going to give it a star review, though, because well, I wrote it. However, if any of you would like to discuss it with me, feel free to send me an e-mail at adam@adamlanger.com or you can track me down on FaceBook or Twitter. In the meanwhile, I hope people here enjoy the book.

Cheers,

Adam/Ian

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Thieves" is magically entertaining. I loved Langer's wonderfully inventive literary references. Famous author's names can become verbs or evocative nouns such as when Ian, the main character, gets fed up with his crazy life and wants to pull a salinger, meaning he wants to hide away for awhile a la JD Salinger. People at upscale literary readings and parties drink faulkners (whiskey) or fitzgeralds (gin rickys), they wear ecklebergs or franzens, both forms of eyeglasses.

In the beginning Ian, a failing writer, meets Jed, another failed author, or is he a scam artist? and they embark on an adventure as they rewrite Jed's memoir. Along the way they speculate about what literary talent is, who has it, who's a fake or real in the corporate literary world and among their fellow writers. I loved the inside look into book society as well as the adventure tale running throughout the story. There are also a few love stories along the way and some cloak and dagger adventure. Best were the humor and the sense of fun. I enjoyed Langer's book immensely.

[Felice · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a crack up! Author Adam Langer has taken James Frey, publishing insiders, misery memoirs, the stereotypical Manhattan artist scene and written a funny, funny novel. His hero Ian Minot, a failed writer, is a classic bad luck Shleprock. He can't get anything right and his timing is worst of all. His lack of success is thorough. He can't get his work published and his immigrant Romanian girlfriend, the current darling of the publishing world as a result of her memoir of life under Ceausescu, is about to throw him over for a con-artist author Ian sees as the epitome of all that is wrong in publishing, Blake Markham. Into Ian's trough of self pity and failure comes brilliant editor Jed Roth, himself a rejected author, with a plan. Revenge.

The rest of the plot is Top Secret. Read Thieves yourself and find it out. By the time you finish it you will have had the world's best internship in publishing. The book will not only entertain you but it will also make you think about the voracity of what you read--just because it's in black and white doesn't make it black and white or anywhere near true. The shadier the road to success becomes for Ian the more important the truth is to him. Langer's novel (his 4th) isn't just all mock and no soul. Langer obviously has great affection for his characters and books.

My only dislike in The Thieves of Manhattan is a minor one. I did not enjoy all the fake book slang. Calling a short sentence a Hemingway or an umbrella a Poppins certainly displays Langer's reading credentials, but I found it tiresome and affected. There is even a glossary in the back containing all these terms presumably for all of us who don't get it. So you get the dumbed down explanation instead of the reward for being as well read as the author. Aside from that quibble, Thieves was a pleasure.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

For how much I love books about books, literary mysteries and New York stories, this book was pretty much tailor made for me. A nesting doll of a novel, a story within a story, mystery wrapped in an enigma. This book was so clever, it invented its own language of literary references, large enough to warrant its own glossary. Tale of a literary hoax, frustrated writers, frustrated betrayed homicidal bent librarians who used massive tomes on Shakespeare as weapons, pretentious posers, artists, editors, all manner of creative savages this is a wild romp, a satire of publishing world, a love story, an adventure and an absolute delight from start to finish. This book is exactly as exciting, inventive and fun as it sounds and a lightening quick read. Highly recommended.

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certainly one of the cleverest concoctions I've read lately. Playful, mocking, irreverent and painfully true.... That's the most absurd thing right there: how much of this story about fakery is based on the real world of literary hoaxes. Plus — a cover blurb from "JT Leroy" is truly the icing on a fake cake that is truly delicious.

Fresh and original, combined with a plot based on fakes and lies, here is a winning combination.

[4cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

A struggling author is asked to put his name to a fictional piece of work filled with unbelievabe characters and adventure, however there is a catch, the real writer wants him to pass it off as his memoir.

This is a novel which looks as the publishing industry and in particular the 'fake' memoir and the hype that is built by publishers, agents and even the film industry to make all of us want to be seen to read a particular book and then not to be seen to dislike it, our wanting to be part of something. It deals with the blurred lines between what is truth and what is lies and how we are manipulated by the media and the publishing industry. A satirical novel which doesn't overstretch itself or the reader.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure I've posted my perverse love of books about writers, and the more down and out they are, the better, so I liked this book before I even opened it. It's nice and breezy, with amusing doses of schadenfreude, and if he takes aim at a few of the obvious fish in publishing barrels, well somebody has to from time to time, or else what use are they. It's also pulpy and heartwarmingly bibliophilic, so altogether it was a quick, slight, enjoyable read.

However, his trick/tic/device/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, his free-floating display of cleverness which is not actually particularly clever, substituting lower-cased writers' and characters' names for various nouns and verbs, is just annoying.

(Free-floating not only because it hangs over the entire book, but because it is not attached to anything, is not anchored in any way to an additional layer of meaning, say, offering insight into either the thing it describes or the name it appropriates--chinaski, for example, means fuck; portnoy means penis; which, what? What does that tell readers of Bukowski or Roth that they did not already think? In fact, it reduces those writers to caricatures, simply waving around the least subtle and most cartoonish form of what everyone already thinks about them. It is a one-for-one substitute, so it does not shade or spin the word replaced, conveys nothing more to the reader than a randomly substituted word might have, other than to draw attention to itself, and say look at how clever this is. The author at some point acknowledges that it's likely to seem precious, and attributes it to the author of the book-within-the-book, but that just makes it worse, compounds the annoyance rather than blunts it, as does the glossary in the end, made necessary by the fact that nobody is going to know what a "canino" is.)

So, sorry for the rant, I did enjoy it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about writers or publishing. It reminds me a bit of a slighter and non-sf version of Jonathan Lethem's Gun, With Occasional Music.

[Bookmarks Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime caper meets metafictional satire of the publishing industry in this mischievous novel, says the New Yorker about this postmodern work, which skewers the publishing industry as it examines the meaning of truth and fraud. Snarky, clever, and preposterous, yet somehow credible (James Frey comes to mind), The Thieves of Manhattan kept critics on their toes. Yet while most critics enjoyed (or at least "got") Langer's name-dropping and insider vocabulary (a "poppins" is an umbrella, "franzens" are glasses, etc.), some thought his references were over-the-top. The ending also confounded a few reviewers who otherwise praised Langer's storytelling skill. Although entertaining and clever in its own right, the novel may best be appreciated by readers familiar with the tropes of the publishing world. This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Aharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book has to be pretty damn clever to justify ending with a glossary of made-up “literary” slang it uses. But this book isn’t that clever; it’s average, and so kinda bad.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not exactly sure why Adam Langer wrote this book. Langer is the well-regarded author of three wonderfully sly novels set in Chicago and New York, and one interesting memoir about his father. I've read and enjoyed all four books. While he's not - as far as I can tell, anyway - a mega-bestselling author like Grisham or Brown - his writing seems to have been well received. The character in "Thieves", Ian Minot, is a never-succeeding writer in Manhattan - the one in New York state - who sees success all around him, but never manages to attain it for himself. He sees writers less talented than he is take advantage of - or are taken advantage by - the literary establishment in New York. He's particularly bitter about the authors who write "memoirs" that are fake but go on to literary glory. Ian sees this as a large system of fraud, from the writers to the reps to the publishing houses, who are making a lot off phony memoirs. Ian falls into on ongoing plot with several other failing writers and the plot of the book he writes turns real.

So I don't think Langer wrote this novel - which is very good and funny - as a bitter rejoinder to the literary world for not seeing his talent. He's clearly NOT the character "Ian Minot", but he's obviously distressed at the state of the literary society today where authors and agents and publishers play a game with literary output. I couldn't help but laugh at the number of "blurbs" from other well-known writers praising Langer's book.

I think I'll wait awhile to see what others say about "Thieves of Manhattan" and Langer's reason for writing it. I have a feeling that either the book will be ignored or will actually bring about some valid questioning of the literary establishment.

In any case, as always, Langer's novel is a great read, with his usual sly wit. I also think its great that the book was published in trade paper instead of hard back.

[Aaron P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If by chance you are an aspiring writer this book's view of the publishing world might really bum you out. When a book is labeled as 'literary' it seems a somewhat natural response to brace for possible pretentiousness. Books about books can indeed be redundant and often miss the mark ; writer protagonists face a daunting task, because referencing other works may only remind readers of those works, thereby drawing attention to an authors inferiority. This is not the case with The Thieves of Manhattan. Adam Langer's approach shows his literary chops in a playful way that grows more endearing as the novel progresses. He does this by referencing books through descriptive slang - rather than in some long dramatic monologue by an annoyingly well-read character. For example ; A well groomed mustache is a Steinbeck. A pervert is a Humbert. A mischievous grin, a Cheshire. To puke, is to Palahniuk. All of these references may seem like s lot to remember.( there is a glossary in the back for those you might miss) However, much like the use of Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange Langer's slang is something I picked up quickly and really grew to appreciate.

As mentioned above Langer's protagonist, Ian Minot, is a writer. Ian is struggling to sell his short stories. Rejection letters note that his characters are small and quiet people who don't do enough, nothing is a stake for them. The success of both Blade Markham - a supposed former gang member and drug addict, and Ian's Romanian girlfriend Anya, only makes things worse. Blade's memoir is a mega-hit and Ian can't seem to escape his gangsta grill on billboards and TV. Anya is a short story writer like Ian, yet her past in Bucharest is both beautiful and heart-breaking. Her stories and her looks have made her a darling in the eyes of potential agents and publishers. This is where " The Confident Man " enters the story. The man is a regular at the coffee shop where Ian works. He comes in every day and sits down to read his copy of Blade By Blade. This naturally frustrates a resentful Ian. Shortly after being dumped by Anya, and verbally threatened by Blade, Ian blows up. When the confident man walks in Ian snatches the book away and hurls it out the door. Ian is fired on the spot and leaves fuming. The confident man is waiting down the street. It turns out that he was testing Ian. The man whose name is actually Jed Roth has a plan, but he needs Ian in order to make it work. Roth explains that he too detests Blade Markham's book, and even left his job as an editor over it's publication.

Roth's scheme for revenge is simple. Write a fake memoir ala James Frey, sell it to publishers as fact. Then when the time is right ( after they've cashed the checks ) reveal to the public that the book is all lies. This will crush the publishers reputation, but still leave Ian as a known entity. Having read Ian's stories before as unpublished submissions, Roth knows they won't sell. Unless of course people know his name. The Thieves of Manhattan is the book the two create together. The plot involves an authentic first edition of The Tale of Genji, a library fire, a beautiful stranger, a thieving librarian, a crooked antiques dealer, and of course the hero, Ian who supposedly lived it all. Like any good adventure novel it also includes chases, gunfights, and true love.

This is all setup for a face-paced story that shares some qualities with the pulpy works Ian's 'memoir' evokes. The chapters are short and often end on cliffhangers or Scheherazades, as Langer calls them. It will keep you reading as fast as any good thriller can. ( I finished it in less than 24 hours ) The humor is solid as well. There are very few books that have consistently made me laugh. Humor is a hard thing to nail in writing, at most funny fiction gets a few smirks and chuckles from me. While I wasn't physically laughing at Thieves I found myself smiling frequently which is probably the best a reader has the right to hope for.

I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading. 259 pages isn't asking much from the reader. Without question The Thieves of Manhattan is worth the day or two it takes to finish. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give a book which has been dubbed 'literary' is that it made me want to read the books it referenced. Most notable of those which I haven't yet read but now want to is Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep which is alluded to in Langer's term for gun, Canino. Initially I tried winning this book through goodreads. I didn't win but was still siked when I saw it at the library the next day. It's the most entertaining novel I've read in a while, and the best of the summer so far.

*Review w/ song can be found here
http://www.subliminalmaybe.blogspot.com/

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I worry that there's something recursive—or even, yes, vaguely masturbatory—about reading books about books. But I love them; I read them constantly; I may have what you'd call a bit of a problem. Perhaps the reason I can't seem to let a literary satire or reader's memoir pass me by is that I know from the start that—to very loosely paraphrase Woody Allen—I'll be reading a book about a subject I love: books.

Last year it was Steve Hely's How I Became a Famous Novelist that earned my ardor. The target of Hely's affectionate skewering are the "literary" blockbusters that tend to cling like limpets to the top of The New York Times' bestseller list. As part of a get-rich-quick/spurned-lover's-revenge scheme, Hely's protagonist devises a formula for bestsellerdom and swiftly hammers out his literary masterpiece, The Tornado Ashes Club. Yes, that title alone should be enough to do it: I'll pause for a moment here to let your snort and cringe and remember your book club's worst excesses.

Fortunately, those past mistakes can be remedied by Adam Langer's The Thieves of Manhattan, which has a bit of old school adventure and a dash of film noir thrown in with its playful poking at the rather ripe target of memoirs. Ian Minot, a sad-sack, down-on-his-luck barista—a.k.a, an unpublished writer—finds himself embroiled in scheme (those pesky buggers are everywhere!) to rewrite a stranger's failed novel as a TRUE STORY starring none other than Ian Minot. When this exciting and heartwarming tale lands on the bestseller lists, Ian, the plan goes, will then reveal that it was all fake--thus, says his new benefactor, humiliating the publishing executives who did them both wrong. Sounds foolproof, right?

Of course things get completely out of control, in an enjoyable madcap Hitchcockian style. But what really made me stop and savor The Thieves of Manhattan—and How I Became a Famous Novelist, as well—were the examinations of the creative urge and the question of how to honestly express oneself in a commercial world, artfully sprinkled amongst the shenanigans. A satire that isn't entirely cynical—that seems as rare and delicate a creature as a memoir that really is entirely true.

So, fine. In the spirit of all the honesty we're cultivating here, I'll admit: I did not "stop and savor" The Thieves of Manhattan at all. I raced through it in less than a day. Like a certain type of lie, leaping off the tongue, it wasn't something I could help. It felt too damn good.

[Honest confession No. 2: Effusive review + moderate rating = I wrote this for work.]

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great caper book that harkens back to the good old days where adventure and intrigue were par for the course when it came to novels. The plot twists and turns like leaves caught in an updraft but in the end it is all about a girl (isn't always?). The outward story is revealed to be a story about a struggling young writer in New York named Ian Minot. Ian detests Blade Markham. The so-called author of the new hit biography "Blade by Blade". Ian sees through the lies and believes Blade to be a fraud, building upon resentment that his stories are never picked up to be published.

Ian is offered a chance for wealth and fame by ghostwriting a 'supposed' memoir that we are told is absolute fiction. The author of said phony memoir is Jed Roth: a former publisher extraordinaire trounced from publishing for not editing what he considered trash - namely "Blade by Blade. The air is ripe with revenge. The only stipulation for Ian is that at an appropriate moment he has to reveal that the whole thing is a lie, thus bringing the publishing world to its knees and shining a harsh light on the realities of why certain books are chosen and some are not. In return, he will be able to spin his newfound fame (albeit illgotten) into a deal to publish his real stories.

While Ian wrestles with his conscience at first, he watches as people close to him begin to garner acclaim and success by (what he would consider) dishonest means; why not him?

As he is pulled into the publishing world the reader is offered a front-row seat to the many obstacles, foibles and out-right cons, perpetrated by the industry.

As fame beckons Ian and his memoir is set to unleash itself upon the world, a chain of events unravels blurring the line between fiction and reality. Beginning with the appearance of fictional characters from his novel giving chase through the streets of Manhattan, to a field in Kansas for a final confrontation; this book hits you with so many plot-punches that by the end, you'll be a literary Muhammad Ali. Finally a voice shouts out of the darkness that todays' readers do NOT need it dumbed-down a shade. Adventure, chase sequences, black-market fencing and the ultimate quest to finally become the person you most wished you were. This all resides in the pages of this hiddem gem by Adam Langer.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is so original and amazing, I wish I'd written it. Ian is a struggling writer who works at a cafe and is growing disillusioned with the publishing industry, as his "quiet" stories fail to attract any attention but a poorly-written memoir by some bozo named Blade about the streets (a memoir that, to Ian, is obviously fake) is a bestseller. After Ian hits rock bottom, he meets someone who seems to hate Blade and his memoir as much as Ian does. Together, the two hatch a plan to pitch an adventure novel as a memoir and use these lies to reap the benefits of the publishing world.

The writing in this novel is great. I was sucked into the story from the first page and immediately sympathized with Ian. He's a guy who has thoughts anyone in his place would have, and who wouldn't love a character who is seemingly the only one able to see how fake a ridiculous memoir out there is and going crazy because of it?

The story Ian is planning to pitch as his memoir is a fantastic tale, and it was great how dedicated Ian was to selling this as a real memoir. There is a lot of humor in the book, especially near the beginning, and then suddenly, the story veers off into an unforeseen direction that makes this an even more captivating read. I don't want to give away any major plot points, but the twist the book took was so clever and turned this lighthearted humorous book into nearly a thriller. So great!

The entire time I was reading, I kept wondering how the author was going to wrap the story up. There wasn't an obvious ending I could predict, no ending that would have been absolutely perfect. I think the author tied things up in a good way, though - the ending didn't completely wow me, but it provided closure for the story and was satisfying. I'd definitely recommend this book to others. I'm looking forward to checking out more of the author's books!

Update: Just reread this book and it was equally as engrossing as it was the first time around! I love picking up a book and being unable to put it down despite remembering what eventually happens!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book from the get-go, but the author really too it up a notch about two-thirds of the way through. It was a great read; a lot of that came from the insider knowledge of publishing - it's a huge wink-and-nod to that - but I think anyone could enjoy it. I read the glossary first, and there are a few terms I wish would become common usage (e.g the verb "lish," meaning to edit savagely; the verb "kerouac," meaning to drive cross-country). Overall, really entertaining and inventive, and "meta" without making a big deal about itself; it reminded me a little of The Imperfectionists, maybe because of the industry focus, because that was an entirely different book.

"And maybe that was a good way to write a story, he thought - start with reality, take a vicious left turn, slam on the gas, never look back. Maybe all stories started with "What if?"" (46-47)

"I felt confident, not only in my ability to write stories and see them through to the end, but in my ability to do the same thing with my life. I could find another job, that wouldn't be hard; I could make my rent, millions of other people did; I would fall in love with someone else, and someday I'd look back at this period as the one that had prepared me for the rest of my life." (80)

"...or perhaps in some other foreign country whose language he didn't speak, one where it would take him a lifetime to understand what old traditions were passing, so he wouldn't regret their disappearance." (149)

"This pace might have been inconvenient for the industry as a whole, but it was phenomenally useful to the con artist who knew how to exploit the flaws of a world that spun at two different speeds." (152)

"I imagined what it must have felt like to be the Beatles in Hamburg." (156)

"But I couldn't help noticing some undercurrent of regret or resentment, as if perhaps what he had always wanted was coming true but far too late and not in the way he had intended." (170)

"...all these clues for a mystery that she still couldn't solve." (227)

[Léna Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that Adam was a writer, until he friended me on Facebook and I started getting announcements and reviews about his book: The Thieves of Manhattan: A comic literary thriller in which a down-on-his-luck writer finds himself ensnared in a web of deceit when he puts his name to a fake memoir.

It's his fifth book, mind you, so I don't know what planet I've been on. Planet Mommy, Planet Writer. Adam was another parent of a delightful girl at my daughter's pre-school. We had talked parenting, sleep deprivation, potty-training. Talk about ourselves? Never!

So I finally got off my duff and started reading his book the day before yesterday, finished last night. Fake memoir? Might this also be a social commentary on the publishing aka entertainment industry? The hours I spent reading Adam's book were all too short. I laughed, chuckled and snorted at Langer's humorous semiotics and publishing caricatures, creating a literary world where glasses are called "franzens" (nod to Jonathon Franzen) and cocktails are called "fitgeralds" and "faulkners". A comic literary thriller indeed! These adjectives may seem oxymoronic, but with Langer, he makes the case for a new genre with grace and finesse. All the while Langer's prose tease and stimulate as he weaves his own questions about story as truth.

Go to my blog for more and for informal chat with Adam! www.lenaroy.com

[Tilly]

How many novels begin with a Milli Vanilli quote? In the case of the funny and sharp The Thieves of Manhattan, by Adam Langer , the lyric “Girl you know it’s true” is particularly apt, as this clever tale blurs fact and fiction to riotous effect.
Ian Minot is a disgruntled coffee barista who yearns to crack the literary world’s inner circle, but no one seems to want to publish his sensitive short fiction. Not helping matters is Blade Markham, author of a best-selling street memoir that may or may not be fabricated, who has just made off with Minot’s girlfriend (who herself just hit the big time with her debut novel). When Ian’s approached by a stranger with an idea to repackage a crime novel as memoir, the best-made plans (as usual) go completely haywire. It’s hard to predict where this satiric send-up of the publishing world is going to go, but it’s such an entertaining read that you’ll be willing to follow through every twist and unbelievable turn.

Source- http://www.veryshortlist.com/vsl/dail...

[Lindsey Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book would have merited a 5 star if it wasn't for the highly annoying 'literary references' sprinkled throughout which cause you to check a glossary at the back of the book for ones that aren't obvious. reading the story i understand why he had them and what the point was but i still found them so annoying that i almost put the book down several times especially when he would use the real word and then the 'literary' word for it in the same paragraph!
but other than that i thoroughly enjoyed the story itself and so i couldn't ever put it down when i got annoyed each time he referred to a bed as a 'proust' or a gun as a 'canino' because i wanted to know what happened next. it was a superbly crafted story and i would still highly recommend it as i see from other reviews that some people absolutely loved the literary references. i guess i'm in the minority there, but i just didn't feel that the story needed them to be good. i loved the book for the story and characters themselves. i would definitely read more by this author.

[Fiona]

Read it for work. It's a really well-told story, and it drew me in by the end despite my initial I've-been-read-Tolstoy-and-everything-else-sucks-by-comparison feelings. He has a linguistic gimmick which is sort of nice -- using author's names as nouns, e.g. "hammet" for "bullet" or "hemingway" for "well-constructed sentence," but all nice feelings you have about it die when you notice a) there's a glossary in the book — like anyone interested in books enough to read this incredibly insidery publishing book would NOT be able to glean from context what a "hammet" referred to — that feels condescending to the reader, and then b) about halfway through the book he CONGRATULATES HIMSELF ON BEING SO CLEVER WITH THIS GIMMICK. That's when I wanted to punch him.

Let's just say by the end I was involved enough that I looked up every number mentioned in the book to see if its corresponding category in the Dewey decimal system would illuminate any themes for me. So yes, it was engaging.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All right, I didn't actually like this book.

It's corny, cutesy, gimmicky, and...crap.

But, people working on their first manuscripts should read it. First it'll make you mad. "How can this schmuck have a published book?" (The unasked part of the question is, "...and not me," but the answer is of course, "Because you haven't written one yet, dumbass.") Then if you're anything like me you'll think to yourself, "Waitaminnit! This guy got his novel(s) published. I don't write that poorly. Maybe my work will see the light of day, someday."

Then you'll get back in front of your laptop or notebook or legal pad or whatever, and get back to work,, not even having wasted very many hours, really.

[Marc Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd have given this two stars if it weren't for the location and my familiarity with it. I understand that the book is a parody of itself, but it goes a little too far and it becomes such a huge gimmick that it interferes with the story.

The story itself is OK, though perhaps authors, publishers, literary agents and book reviewers might have a bigger appreciation for the references to the publishing industry. Also, the language in the book doesn't seem authentic - people don't really talk like that in real life. Then again, that very issue is mentioned in the book, too, so it's just frustrating. We get it, Langer, but fewer gimmicks would have been better.

If you're looking for a quick, somewhat entertaining read, this book isn't terrible, but there are better options out there.

[Jyotsna Negi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seemed such a promising start to me, but by the time i reached halfway through it I was grappling to finish it. References to chesire, gogol and canino turned from interesting to annoyances pretty fast- overkill is what the author did to them, surprisingly he used the term himself in similar reference(irony? Funny?) The story just kept changing so randomly once the initial suspense was over. Too fiction-y for me.

[Gail Baugniet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hardly feel equipped to review this novel. What I will say is, I kept thinking of it as a tutorial for writers ...
A book editor writes a book, gets rejected (been there), and decides to get his revenge by devising a plot and involving a few unwitting characters: an artist, a writer, and a wannabe actor.

If there were 6 stars available, I'd pick 6.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a small-time writer decides to con the publishing industry, he becomes part of a story much larger than himself in this literary caper. Or is it a memoir of fantastic fraudulence?

"She and Norbert may have been criminals, but she was still a scholar and he was still a librarian; both thought that they could find the solution to any mystery by discovering the right page in a book."

[Richbern · Rating 2 out of 5]

As this book wore on, it slowly ebbed from initial interest to outright dislike. Sort of like a SNL skit that goes on for far too long. The author is obviously very impressed with his own cleverness. But it's all concept with tedious execution; all plot points with no character development. Would have made a very good short story.

[Mica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book. It was funny, very intelligently written, clever, and there was a lot to "digest". I found it very clever and really enjoyed the character of Ian Minot.

I recommend this book, and I’d love to read more by Langer.

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

for a book that I picked up randomly in Canada's biggest humanities library I think I did pretty good. this meta book was at first kinda slow but then super exhilarating and I'll leave it at that. it's the metaness that got me but the story ended up being fun too

[Lenakoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein spannendes Buch über Agenturen in New York und die Buchbranche zusammen mit einer Abenteurergeschichte. Nur die Hauptfigur fand ich relative flach.

[Kristine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read about 20 pages and didn't have the patience to carry on. That is all.