By Jonathan Ames
Scribner
Absolutely Hilarious! It was better than Cats! I will read it again and again. Truly a great read, so much so that I wrote a fan email, which I never do, although unlike most writers I read, I felt Mr. Ames would really appreciate to hear that his work is very much appreciated; you know, to build up his self-esteem.
The adventures of the neurotic Alan Blair and his trusted valet, Jeeves, were not only deliciously funny but smart and intellectually stimulating. Ok, maybe the last comment is laying it on a little thick, but many great philosophical questions were discussed, such as “Is life long or is life short?” and “the Homosexual Question and the Jewish Question”. Oh! And Crabs…yes, there are crabs, and I am not talking about the Maryland Blue kind. Ok, maybe you wouldn’t categorize crabs as smart or intellectual so to speak, but Ames certainly manages to make crabs fun. Crabs! Fun! Who would have thought?
I declared myself a writer a few weeks back (see blog on Making of a Stand Up Guy), and I now have found my hero. The backdrop to these adventures is the writing of Alan Blair’s follow up novel, nine years in the making. I found the pitfalls to be remarkably familiar (i.e. believing solitaire to be a muse…just read my About Me!), so it is nice to know I am not the only one who is easily sidetracked. Even when Blair attends an artist colony, dedicated to allowing artists to focus on their art, he still manages to get distracted with drinking and the other mentally unbalanced artists. I can relate to dealing with crazy artists; my sister is a fashion designer and if you have ever watched Project Runway, you certainly know what I am talking about, although this season is quite tame except that girl Janine who appears to be quite overwhelmed with the whole situation. But, I digress. I do believe I have picked up a couple of strategies for overcoming by inability to put my words down on paper or on computer screen, to be more accurate from Blair/ Ames…specifically, I will wear an eye patch over my right eye to help promote growth in the right side of my brain, hence increase my creativity. Yes, it is all coming together now!
I have to say, with every book of Ames I read, I like him more and more. He certainly has gotten my attention, and I will continue to get caught up with his career by reading the five remaining books he has published to date. I am about to dig into The Extra Man, and I do so with very high expectations.
