Skip to main content

Review: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole


Book: A Confederacy of Dunces

Author: John Kennedy Toole

Pages: 394 pages

Read on: Kindle

Read in: Across a few days

Plot Summary: A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero is one Ignatius J. Reilly, "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times)

What I Liked: This is an utterly hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny book! That apart, here is the list:
  • The characters in this book are real characters! They are eccentric, kooky and totally nuts! They are all trapped in their own worldview/ way of looking at things and this is what leads to a lot of shenanigans and the aforementioned laugh-out-loud moments. 
  • The setting of New Orleans- the language, the tone (you can hear it in your head as you read) and the spirit of the city are all very well captured! 
  • The shenanigans that Ignatius and the other characters get up to in the book are inanely and insanely funny. I laughed out loud on so many occasions, often in the dead of the night, thereby, startling my family!
  • Ignatius Reilly is utterly ridiculous! He is a total caricature and a self-proclaimed anachronism! He hates everything about the "modern age"- the TV shows, the movies, the morals- and he makes sure everyone around him knows of his disapproval. He also gets into major shenanigans because he is actively trying to get out of doing any work. 
What I Didn't Like: Nothing much, really. The New Orleans style of speaking, which is the voice in which the book is written, took some getting used to. There were multiple accents (in a manner of speaking) in which the characters spoke and it took some getting used to. 

Rating: 5/5
A Confederacy of Dunces is a really, really funny book. If you want to read an intelligently written quasi-satirical work, then this book is a good choice. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a