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The Extra Man (Contemporary Classics (Washington Square Press))

Average customer rating:

Delicious and complex
light & hilarious
Pretty good
Can't Believe This Is A "Contemporary Classic"
great comic novel

The Extra Man (Contemporary Classics (Washington Square Press))
Jonathan Ames
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671015583

Book Description

"A storyteller of refreshing inventiveness and subtlety" (San Francisco Chronicle), Jonathan Ames has won critical raves for this delightful "comedy of impeccable manners with a debauched '90s spin" (Elle).

Meet Louis Ives: well-groomed, romantic, and as captivating as an F. Scott Fitzgerald hero. Only this hero has a penchant for ladies clothes, and he's lost his teaching post at Princeton's Pretty Brook Day School after an unfortunate incident involving a colleague's brassiere.

Meet Henry Harrison: former actor, failed but brilliant playwright, and a well-seasoned escort for New York City's women of means. He dances alone to Ethel Merman records, second-acts operas, and performs his scrappy life with the dignity befitting a self-styled man of the world. What can this ageless Don Quixote of the Upper East Side have to offer a young gentleman such as Louis? What, indeed.

Well, the answer lies somewhere between the needs of an irascible mentor and the education of his eager apprentice...between cocktails on the Upper East Side and an even more intoxicating treat along the secret fringes of Times Square...and between friendship and longing.

Download Description

Jonathan Ames, whose first novel was praised as a "stylistic achievement" by Philip Roth a "striking debut" by Joyce Carol Oates, has written a hilarious and poignant story about a young man searching for love -- and for himself -- in the heart of New York City. A teacher at a tony Princeton day school, Louis Ives fancies himself as a gentleman modeled after his heroes in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. But in a comic and strange incident involving a colleague's brassiere, Louis loses his job. Without a lot of money, he heads to New York and finds a cheap room in the dirty and cluttered apartment of Henry Harrison, a failed playwright who dyes his hair with a mascara wand, sneaks into Broadway shows and the opera, and serves as an escort to the rich widows of the Upper East Side. The two men, separated in age by more than 40 years, develop a relationship that is irascible mentor and eager apprentice. But when he's not with his teacher, Louis has fascinations that lead him into the netherworld of Times Square. He develops a secret life there, which he fears will be his undoing and which he desperately wants to keep hidden from Henry. With early interest from Hollywood and an energetic, well-connected young author, The Extra Man is destined to become an instant classic among lovers of smart comic fiction and adventurous New York stories.

Customer Reviews:

Delicious and complex.......2007-06-11

The Extra Man is simply a great read, and a book that stays with you. I think it's because here Ames demonstrates beautifully his ability to mingle elements that might seem incongrous: readability and complexity; old world propriety and honest, intense sexuality; laugh-out-loud-humor and poignant depth. This book is a winner -- as is his other novel, Wake Up, Sir!

light & hilarious.......2006-08-15

very funny, better than Wake Up Sir, though that was entertaining as well.

Pretty good.......2006-01-05

Jonathan Ames is a great author. While not as good as Wake Up, Sir! The Extra Man is still an excellent and often hilarious read. This is a book that ends with you wishing it hasn't.

Can't Believe This Is A "Contemporary Classic".......2005-11-28

Johnathon Ames is a great writer. His prose and direct style definitely make for easy reading. His ability to create everyday people who get into the wildest situations make way for only slight suspension of disbelief.

We have Louis, a femmy but otherwise "straight" teacher in Princeton, NJ who loses his job after being caught dancing around his office in a lady coworker's undergarments. For some reason or another, he gets it into his head to move to New York City. His new roommate is Henry, an elderly but spry male escort to Manhattan's aged female society. They live in classic New York squalor with Louis in the tiny bedrooom and Henry on the couch. Henry becomes more difficult to live with, a natural grump who thinks he knows everything and assumes the persona of an aristocrat. He claims to be able to advance Louis socially, but all it turns out to be is hanging out with old ladies for a free meal and a show.

I don't know how it happened, but out of nowhere Louis is outed to us as a closet transvestite. It builds from a nervous curiosity to full-blown perversion as the story deepens. He starts frequenting a trans-bar where he makes his share of friends and lovers.

I work in television and I was once hired to shoot a docu-story set in a bar just like the one Louis hangs out in, so if you think that what he goes through is far-fetched, you don't know Manhattan. Ames expertly puts Louis through some serious complications thanks to his strange love.

This thing doesn't get five-stars for a couple of reasons. First, BEWARE, there are sex scenes that are very gay and quite explicit. That's not my thing and if I'd known it was coming, I wouldn't have bought the book. I found myself skipping whole pages just to keep my lunch down.

Second, Ames has a preoccupation with various formulaic elements, resulting in boring repetition. I loved his "Wake UP, Sir!" (which was written later) But, after reading "The Extra Man," here are some things that bother me:

("Wake UP, Sir's" main protagonist was Alan. Remember that as you read on.)

Alan and Louis are both writers and we never see them write anything.

Alan and Louis both live in New Jersey from the outset.

Both end up finding themselves run out of town and into New York.

Both Alan and Louis want nothing more than to be "young gentlemen," a la Fred Astaire in "Top Hat" or Jeeve's Bertie Worster.

Both fail miserably every step of the way, showing themselves to be anything BUT young gentlemen.

Alan and Louis love to wear seersucker jackets.

They both spend their time with older men with seemingly worldly ways and know-it-all advice.

Ames has a need to include within his stories characters with "mediterranean accents." Whatever that is.

Alan had a nose fetish. Louis has an armpit fetish. Both very strange.

Both characters get into major trouble thanks to their obsessions - Alan has booze and Louis has men who dress like girls.

Both men have a thing for Wodehouse.

Boring. You see where I'm going with this? It really makes me not want to read another Ames book because of this tedium; this formula that really doesn't need to be there. If I were to make a film about this book, I'd cast Jack Plotnik as Alan and Tony Curtis as Henry.

great comic novel.......2005-01-02

After reading "Wake Up, Sir" by the same author I got this earlier novel. And it's another glorious funny read. We, as lovers of books, will be blessed if Mr. Ames chooses to continue writing novels in this style. I am a big fan of Peter De Vries, Thomas Berger, and other comic novels; so a high five to Jonathan Ames.

The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man (ES 77, 83, 92) (Early English Text Society Extra Series)

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The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man (ES 77, 83, 92) (Early English Text Society Extra Series)

Manufacturer: Early English Text Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Medieval | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0859919900

No Dope-A Book of Enlightenment and Pathway to Love: With an Extra Element: Bones-Meditations of an Old Black Man

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No Dope-A Book of Enlightenment and Pathway to Love: With an Extra Element: Bones-Meditations of an Old Black Man
Colbert Cobene
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Substance Abuse | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1420883704

Book Description

When it comes to the world of Addiction, we find some people sabotaging their chance at a new life {recovery} just so they can again experience the drug and it's effect. Whether this action is carried out because of an outside influence, or it is purely an act originated by the person; will become part of the diagnosis once the process to recovery begins. At the moment of relapse, it then becomes a deadly game and if the using does not stop, they may go insane or even die from drug overdose. All people agree, the addict must recover, but there must be a genuine recovery process outlined in order to do that. In addition, we cannot become someone who has closed his or her eyes to the world and call ourselves recovered. The recovery world itself calls for an adjustment to be made in the person's overall life; their standards and principles must change if need be. Life is a gift, and we are placed within it to experience a demonstration. This demonstration will begin to show us secrets about ourselves and especially if he/she is of Black decent and have a connection with the slave holocaust here in America. Why? Because of who and what you are and where you came from, and what you carry with you into the process of recovery. The process of recovery {the spirituality} has many variances and can easily cause confusion if you do not become equipped with a guide. All of the research on recovery has been done including the History that surrounds Black people of America. In this outlined text; you will see, there is more to you and your recovery than what meets the eye; and your heritage connects to deep spiritual roots, which make it virtually impossible to live without consciousness on a higher level. Welcome to the world of: No Dope. A Book Of Enlightenment And Pathway To Love

The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Success Principles and eCommerce for Content-writing Services Biz 3 CD Package

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The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Success Principles and eCommerce for Content-writing Services Biz 3 CD Package
Don Z Wilson
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000PIJTVI

The Rich Man's Make An Extra Income, Marketing and Inner Game for Corporate Gifts On-line Biz Package (3 CDs)

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The Rich Man's Make An Extra Income, Marketing and Inner Game for Corporate Gifts On-line Biz Package (3 CDs)
James Z Moore
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OYZ93A

The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Inner Game and Sales Models for Patio Heaters Web Biz 3 CD Course

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The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Inner Game and Sales Models for Patio Heaters Web Biz 3 CD Course
Raul Z Jones
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000PVF2PC

The Rich Man's Generate Extra Cash, Inner Game and Accounting & Finance for Rental Services Web Biz 3 Course + Resource Guide

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The Rich Man's Generate Extra Cash, Inner Game and Accounting & Finance for Rental Services Web Biz 3 Course + Resource Guide
Oedipus Z Miller
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000PTD85A

The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Godfather Principles and Sales Models for Nutritional Supplements Biz 3 CD Package

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The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Godfather Principles and Sales Models for Nutritional Supplements Biz 3 CD Package
Solomon Z Wilson
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000QAAO8C

The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Marketing and Success Principles for Party Souvenirs Web Biz 3 CD Course

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The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Marketing and Success Principles for Party Souvenirs Web Biz 3 CD Course
Don Z Jones
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Web Marketing | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OUZ6SW

The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Marketing and Success Principles for Fly Fishing Rods Internet Businesses 3 CD Power Pack

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The Rich Man's How To Earn Extra Money, Marketing and Success Principles for Fly Fishing Rods Internet Businesses 3 CD Power Pack
William Z Taylor
Manufacturer: LTBR, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Web Marketing | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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