Kicked out of Yale at age 14, Judd Breslau falls in with Phillips Chatterton, a bathrobe-wearing Egyptologist working out of a dilapidated home ... read full description
reviews
May 04, 2008
Debbie
rated it: 
The man who wrote the first screenplay for Mr. Magoo, now at 91 years old, gives us his first novel. He is not new to writing, only novels, having written several screenplays, a few award winning.
Remember Mr. Magoo? Anyone? The blind man who did all kinds of funny things because he couldn't see? Well, that theme, the hilariousness of blindness comes out in BOWL OF CHERRIES. Everyone blind with greed. And when you're blind, things get rather funny.
Mr. Kaufman, bless his h More...
Remember Mr. Magoo? Anyone? The blind man who did all kinds of funny things because he couldn't see? Well, that theme, the hilariousness of blindness comes out in BOWL OF CHERRIES. Everyone blind with greed. And when you're blind, things get rather funny.
Mr. Kaufman, bless his h More...
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Mar 01, 2008
James
rated it: 
I have just finished reading Bowl of Cherries, the debut novel from nonagenarian, Oscar-nominee, and Mr. Magoo co-creator Millard Kaufman.
Kaufman is a precocious writer, unabashedly using phrases like “wee beasties,” and this particular tale is indeed cut from the same cloth as Catcher in the Rye. In fact, given all the secrecy and reclusive nature surrounding J.D. Salinger, I’m going to go ahead and spin the rumor mill: Millard Kaufman IS J.D. Salinger.
Millard also displays More...
Kaufman is a precocious writer, unabashedly using phrases like “wee beasties,” and this particular tale is indeed cut from the same cloth as Catcher in the Rye. In fact, given all the secrecy and reclusive nature surrounding J.D. Salinger, I’m going to go ahead and spin the rumor mill: Millard Kaufman IS J.D. Salinger.
Millard also displays More...
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Mar 16, 2008
Anastasia
rated it: 
3/14 I just started this book last night and, sadly, I have had to re-read several pages to really get the gist of what's going on. I don't think I'm an especially stupid person. Kaufman, in his 90 years, has simply learned A LOT of words (that I haven't yet learned).
Luckily for anyone who is reading this review before reading the book, here is a list of THIRTY-FOUR words (and their definitions) you probably don't know, either:
1. bilbo--a long iron bar or bolt with slidin More...
Luckily for anyone who is reading this review before reading the book, here is a list of THIRTY-FOUR words (and their definitions) you probably don't know, either:
1. bilbo--a long iron bar or bolt with slidin More...
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Oct 26, 2008
Erin
rated it:
i read this because this is the author's first work. the author is in his 90's. bully for him! and, truly, the publisher is to be commended for a great book design. sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.
slightly strange book by oddly hypnotic. i couldn't stop reading it. honestly, it was just a compelling read. i can't even say specifically whether it was the plot or the characters that drove my interest... it just kind of happened. i suppose i needed to see how it was More...
slightly strange book by oddly hypnotic. i couldn't stop reading it. honestly, it was just a compelling read. i can't even say specifically whether it was the plot or the characters that drove my interest... it just kind of happened. i suppose i needed to see how it was More...
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Oct 04, 2011
Paul
rated it: 
Hmm. This book was touted as similar to the works of Vonnegut or Heller, but I can't see it. The tale is told well enough, but there was little of the humor I hoped to find. Kaufman's vocabulary is impressive - I often found myself going to the dictionary, which can be tiresome.
I also dislike stories which jump back and forth between the past and the present, which this tale does. Fortunately, those interludes are generally fairly short, so the action keeps moving forward.
Overall, I wouldn't ste More...
I also dislike stories which jump back and forth between the past and the present, which this tale does. Fortunately, those interludes are generally fairly short, so the action keeps moving forward.
Overall, I wouldn't ste More...
Jun 09, 2009
Ralph
rated it:
Laughably, intentionally badly written, this book is almost a caricature of the Michael Chabon novel, with its florid, esoteric 800 verbal SAT score prose and Jewish protagonist.
I'm not sure if the author, the ninety year old creator of Mr. Magoo, intended to simulate youth vernacular of today, as the novel is set around 2004, they speak more like youth from the '60s or '70s, which adds to the humor value. Their actions as well as the descriptions of locations, seem hopelessly dat More...
I'm not sure if the author, the ninety year old creator of Mr. Magoo, intended to simulate youth vernacular of today, as the novel is set around 2004, they speak more like youth from the '60s or '70s, which adds to the humor value. Their actions as well as the descriptions of locations, seem hopelessly dat More...
Dec 29, 2007
Matt
rated it: 
A birdie that lives inside me said to check this book out, written by quite an old man who has lived a full life. I enjoyed 30% of the book, the remaining 70% reminded me why I hate gifted children, pick fights with them I always said. I will continue to say-unless they are in an Iraqi jail. If I go by this book once they get to that near death place in life they become cool.
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Dec 22, 2009
Kim
rated it:
This book offered a lot. The main character was intriguing but lacked a real drive. The real drive was offered by his obsession with his love interest but she lacked any real depth to make up for lack of motivation. The book dragged on and on, even though the story could have been done one hundred and fifty pages back. The writing, which is witty and fun, was the only thing that kept me turning pages. That and I really wanted to know what the heck was going on. It's good read if you have p
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Jan 14, 2009
Geof
rated it:
Millard Kaufman, who is in his 90s, is a pretty good writer. He obviously loves language and has a vocabulary to boot, and his sense of humor is – for a man of an older generation – well-anchored in the modern era. But his first novel is not what I would call great.
One gets the impression that if he had started writing fiction earlier, he might have churned out something pretty incredible by now. Bowl of Cherries is not it. However, I would still recommend it as an entertaining and More...
One gets the impression that if he had started writing fiction earlier, he might have churned out something pretty incredible by now. Bowl of Cherries is not it. However, I would still recommend it as an entertaining and More...
Nov 14, 2008
Kyra
rated it:
This is the story of a kid genius, Judd, who, despite his intellect, is more motivated to pursue young women and meditations on an absent father than to finish his thesis. Judd tells the story from prison in Iraq, sometime around 2005. (Although the story is fictional, there are humorous references that ground the story in the present--the US president, for example, authorizes Judd's trip to the Middle East because he is obsessed with finding yet elusive WMDs.) After dropping out of college, Jud
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Aug 30, 2008
Paul
rated it:
I wanted to like this book a LOT more than I did. How you can not get behind a 1st novel written by an author is his NINETIES?
Unfortunately, it is what it is...meaning that it's a first novel, and it shows. It shows in the tenuous structure, linked only because it's all happening to the protagonist, and it shows in the manner of how the author gives equal import to every event, regardless if that event has any import to the story, and it shows in the irritating over-use of language, More...
Unfortunately, it is what it is...meaning that it's a first novel, and it shows. It shows in the tenuous structure, linked only because it's all happening to the protagonist, and it shows in the manner of how the author gives equal import to every event, regardless if that event has any import to the story, and it shows in the irritating over-use of language, More...
Mar 19, 2008
Magda
rated it:
A year sped by, calendar leaves exfoliating.
And so it was that on a dank, dark autumn day, before the hermetic snows of winter gripped the world and everything went bare and shriveled and icy, I sloshed through the melancholy leaves down the tree-lined corridor of Chatterton's ancestral seat.
Of course we were not lovers, now would we ever be in any sense of the word that transcended an almost jarring physicality; lovers make love in countless ways, seeking contact as well More...
And so it was that on a dank, dark autumn day, before the hermetic snows of winter gripped the world and everything went bare and shriveled and icy, I sloshed through the melancholy leaves down the tree-lined corridor of Chatterton's ancestral seat.
Of course we were not lovers, now would we ever be in any sense of the word that transcended an almost jarring physicality; lovers make love in countless ways, seeking contact as well More...
Jan 25, 2008
n*
rated it:
I read this book at the same time that I was re-reading Cat's Cradle, by the sorely missed Mr. Vonnegut. It was actually a very bizarre experience, because the books have some fairly severe similarities in plot.
1. Both narrators are scholars that are rather unimpressed with their work.
2. Within the first few pages of the both books, each scholar-narrator writes a letter requesting information on fictional historic characters.
3. Both scholar-narrators end up ta More...
1. Both narrators are scholars that are rather unimpressed with their work.
2. Within the first few pages of the both books, each scholar-narrator writes a letter requesting information on fictional historic characters.
3. Both scholar-narrators end up ta More...
Apr 15, 2008
Josh
rated it:
I liked this book quite a bit. It's very impressive for a 90 year old first time novelist. At times I feel like Kaufman has a difficult time speaking in the language of youth in today's culture. Judd, the protagonist, doesn't exactly talk like Juno. In fact, were it not for the inclusion of the war in Iraq and a scene with a bumbling misspoken president, I would think this book could be 30 years old. But, in the long run, Kaufman makes the young characters work by sticking to this same timelessn
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Jan 22, 2008
Sara
rated it:
"Bowl of Cherries" is a first novel by a ninety-three year old writer. I find this adorable and plunge in. The book is humorous, with well-imagined characters and thoroughly sprinkled with words you have only seen in dictionaries and many that you are suspicious Kaufman may have invented.
The plot moves along at a steady pace; the main character, a listless and luckless boy genius scrambles from bizarre setting to bizarre setting at a rate that keeps things interesting. I More...
The plot moves along at a steady pace; the main character, a listless and luckless boy genius scrambles from bizarre setting to bizarre setting at a rate that keeps things interesting. I More...
Nov 11, 2011
"[An] irresistible comic novel, a bawdy, original coming-of-age tale. Kaufman's screwball sensibility, relish for language, gleeful vulgarism and deep sympathy for his characters make this novel an unprecedented joyride....Kaufman's book is shot through with worldly wit and a keen sense of the humor in human foibles." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Listen to Bowl of Cherries on your smartphone.
Listen to Bowl of Cherries on your smartphone.
Jan 13, 2009
Rhi
rated it:
Half-way through this book. Had I known it was a McSweeney's rectangular, I might not have started. It clearly bears the stamp of McSweeney.
All the way through and I won't say that I want those hours of my life back, but this wasn't very good. The writing was unusual, especially if you know the author was in his 90's when he wrote it, good for expanding your vocabulary too. The story is interesting in the sense that a lot of stuff happens, but somehow it was missing something.
All the way through and I won't say that I want those hours of my life back, but this wasn't very good. The writing was unusual, especially if you know the author was in his 90's when he wrote it, good for expanding your vocabulary too. The story is interesting in the sense that a lot of stuff happens, but somehow it was missing something.
Mar 07, 2009
Ashley
rated it:
Initially, I was really into this book. But after awhile, the main character reminded me too much of Holden Caufield (and I HATE "Catcher in the Rye"). About halfway through the story started to get too fantastic for me, and I found myself almost skimming the pages just to get it over with. Oh.. and since the author was 90 when he wrote this, I found the dialague between the characters in their late teens/early 20's a little unreal.
Sep 29, 2008
Julie
rated it:
I laughed so many times while reading this book, I will remember it fondly!
The hero is like a less-loathsome Ignatius J. Reilly (Confederacy of Dunces protagonist)--he relentlessly criticizes the ridiculous elements and people in his life with a mind-blowing vocabulary and monumental sense of humor. He's like a Holden-Caufield-softened Ignatius.
Here is a passage that had me chortling at the reference desk:
"Another and noxiously pervasive ambiance was More...
The hero is like a less-loathsome Ignatius J. Reilly (Confederacy of Dunces protagonist)--he relentlessly criticizes the ridiculous elements and people in his life with a mind-blowing vocabulary and monumental sense of humor. He's like a Holden-Caufield-softened Ignatius.
Here is a passage that had me chortling at the reference desk:
"Another and noxiously pervasive ambiance was More...
Mar 13, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
Millard Kaufman is smart. Really, really clever. A description of the narrative of this book would not have enticed me to read it, but a random sampling of the prose most certainly did.
Observe the first paragraph on page 49:
Me? Mature? I rearranged my face into a saint's mask of huckdummy humility, a violet by a mossy stone, in Wordworth's lapidary phrase, half-hidden from the eye. A conspiratorial hush descended on the fuggy, frostbitten room, profaned by the disintegra More...
Observe the first paragraph on page 49:
Me? Mature? I rearranged my face into a saint's mask of huckdummy humility, a violet by a mossy stone, in Wordworth's lapidary phrase, half-hidden from the eye. A conspiratorial hush descended on the fuggy, frostbitten room, profaned by the disintegra More...
Apr 04, 2011
Lindsey
rated it:
the prose and references are really intelligent, which one might hope is a given coming from a 98-year-old debut novelist - but the density of the novel was surprising to me. it still retains a very playful attitude; i found myself smiling at more than one passage. but i was unsatisfied with the abrupt ending, especially after reading through the rest which was so well crafted.
Oct 02, 2007
Sara
rated it:
Here's something unexpected: a youthful, energetic debut novel by a 90 year old for whom it apparently wasn't enough to be a WWII veteran, co-creator of Mr. Magoo, AND two time Oscar nominee. Now he gets to hob-nob with all the hipsters at McSweeney's too but it is well deserved. He's written a grand comic opera in the tradition of Vonnegut or Voltaire with just a touch of Joseph Heller, only this time around the best of all possible worlds might be a small province in Iraq that's shaped like a
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Aug 27, 2011
Agnese
rated it:
Not cynical but, sad to say, realistic. The story of how people strive to impose their "gods" for their personal advantage and in their arrogance step carelessly on somebody else's values. A handful of wormy cherries twitching in a bowl can be as meaningful to somebody as cumulating gold is to others'. A bit of love and honesty surviving lonely in the jungle of opportunism can always open a new path and keep hope alive. The prose is fresh and brilliant as certainly was the mind of the
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Aug 03, 2011
David.
rated it:
What a vocabulary! This will put some readers off because the dictionary must be a companion. Or just read it anyway even though you don't know the meaning of some words. It is a wonderful read, and it has in it's deadly sight politics, wars, religion, and relationships. What more do you want in a book? Oh, yeah, there is that too.
Mar 23, 2009
Suburbangardener
rated it:
This book is actually better than my rating would indicate, as it is more a personal preference. I would probably have enjoyed this book more if I were male. It is rather "Catcher in Rye"-esque. The protagonist is brilliant but stupid. I found myself wishing I could just smack him upside the head & yell "Grow up!" The irony here is that the author wrote this when he was 90. He just passed away at 92.
Sep 17, 2008
Natalie
rated it:
Now that I am all sad and alone in a house with no furniture, sick in my bed and cut off from the outside world I have only books and goodreads to turn to when procrastinating on turning in my homework for f%*@$ng library school.
Every review you read of this book will start out by telling you that the author is a first time novelist and octogenarian. True. The sprawling scope and academic references remind me of Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace (the little I actually read of More...
Every review you read of this book will start out by telling you that the author is a first time novelist and octogenarian. True. The sprawling scope and academic references remind me of Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace (the little I actually read of More...
Mar 06, 2010
Sick
rated it:
Good job on writing a book 90 year old dude. You should have set it in the sixties instead of 2004 so it could be a commentary on the war in Iraq. I would have liked it better. People have computers and cell phones now. Nobody uses telegrams anymore. You do have an excellent vocabulary though.
May 03, 2010
Eoin
rated it:
3.5 A surprisingly fun, well-paced, sexy first book. The subject, tone, and voice are very much in the McSweeney's universe, which is surprising from a nonagenarian. I enjoyed all the characters, though slightly cartoonish, and the plot, excepting the end. Worth it for Dawnette.
Jul 03, 2011
chris
rated it:
I picked it up because it was the first book written by a 90 year old, and it was published by McSweeny's. I liked the start, the second third annoyed me, I finished it because I started it.
I liked the wordy style of writing, but the trajectory of the plot disappointed.
I liked the wordy style of writing, but the trajectory of the plot disappointed.
Sep 14, 2010
Jill
rated it:
what got me about this book was that it was written by a 90 year old person who created Mr. Magoo. That sealed it for me. I was amazed by this man's clever and imaginative writing as well as his vocab, I was sent to the dictionary several times. I loved the book.
