One of the most acclaimed novels of the late 20th century is back.
When members of the National Book Critics Circle were polled to see ... read full description
reviews
Aug 20, 2010
Nate
rated it: 
A constant incisive crosscutting of anecdote, allegory, reminiscence, and upended maxim, all jumbled into an unfamiliar poetry and forcing new associations out of the disarray.
Page by page, the wording and insight here are a pleasure. And I appreciate Adler's humor: satirizing through cynical, scathing restatement of the familiar, rather than engineering outlandish scenarios to advance a point. (There are a few outlandish scenarios nonetheless, but they tend to be off on their own, f More...
Page by page, the wording and insight here are a pleasure. And I appreciate Adler's humor: satirizing through cynical, scathing restatement of the familiar, rather than engineering outlandish scenarios to advance a point. (There are a few outlandish scenarios nonetheless, but they tend to be off on their own, f More...
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Jul 02, 2011
Mike
rated it: 
The fact that this extraordinary, sui generis book (originally published by Random House!) is now out of print really makes me worry about our national culture. Do whatever it takes to find it.
AWESOME ADDENDUM, 07.02.11: Melville House will be reprinting Speedboat and its sister novel Pitch Dark in February 2012!
AWESOME ADDENDUM, 07.02.11: Melville House will be reprinting Speedboat and its sister novel Pitch Dark in February 2012!
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Aug 31, 2011
Michael
rated it:
There is something of an aura around this book, in certain circles-- and that aura is deserved. 'Speedboat' is very smart, often very funny, occasionally cynical, and occasionally disaffected, as if the author were lamenting the way we live now, while refusing to be nostalgic for some other time, and some other way of living.
In 'Reality Hunger,' David Shields (who has long admired this book) refers to 'Speedboat' as a "collage novel," which I think is an apt description. More...
In 'Reality Hunger,' David Shields (who has long admired this book) refers to 'Speedboat' as a "collage novel," which I think is an apt description. More...
Mar 07, 2011
Oh man. I couldn't figure out how a book that had won so many awards could be out-of-print. After trapping myself on a bus for several hours with only this as entertainment, now I know why. This writing style is totally insufferable. I can deal with staccato impressions-of-life, and even vague pronouncements in the midst of apparently unrelated observations. I can't help but think that Lorrie Moore must have been a Renata Adler enthusiast. But the difference is that in this book the observations
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Nov 07, 2011
Rose
rated it: 
I don't know why this book is called a novel, but I love it.* It has no plot, but it is a collage about urban life & "how we live now". It works by accumulation to make a picture of, more specifically, life in NYC in the late 60's/early 70's among the artsy/literary set. It reminds me of Donald Barthelme; partly by association (both wrote for the New Yorker), but also, a shared bemused tone and attention to the language coming out of tv sets and people's mouths.
*if I love i More...
*if I love i More...
May 31, 2011
Perry
rated it:
Speedboat is about a lot of things, but centers mostly on the life of this newspaper reporter, her travels, and just city living in general. It's made up of a lot of interweaving stories and nonsequitors which, if you take all together, feel very comprehensive, like living a whole life.
A lot of it is about living in the city (New York) which I really enjoyed - parts about payphones, apartment buildings, masses of people. And there's a lot of little stories which sometimes add up in i More...
A lot of it is about living in the city (New York) which I really enjoyed - parts about payphones, apartment buildings, masses of people. And there's a lot of little stories which sometimes add up in i More...
Jul 15, 2011
Eugene
rated it: 
a snarkfest. some funny punchlines--but many more stale ones. a structure to admire if it only had a bit more heart and a little less posturing. that is, just couldn't get into it... best things about it were historical -- its capturing of 60s and 70s racism, its city university riffs, the tone and portrait of hip and swinging but fried and bankrupt NYC intelligentsia.
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Dec 21, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
One of the first 'modern fictions' that I read, (I found it randomly in a thrift store in NYC)... just rambling goodness. I read it at least a few times. Mesmerizing, sort of surreal, and yet filled with super realistic details that rang true for me (as a New Yorker, it seems a little 'of a certain time'). Maybe it's not even fiction, it might be a memoir.
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Jun 09, 2011
S.B.
rated it:
"So I was in despair because six fat women of Venice I would never see again thought I was pregnant by a man who did not want to marry me, and he was in despair because he thought he was a necrophiliac. Both despairs were genuine. It may be that we were retarded. We were younger. We were other people, anyway, in another world."
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May 07, 2010
Eric
rated it:
A fascinating fiction that works by accretion of impressions, thoughts, character sketches, and memories instead of traditional narrative. David Shields recommends this book, which is why I went through the trouble of finding it (it is no longer in print); I was not disappointed.
Aug 09, 2010
Donald
rated it:
This was fantastic, a real gem and a great time capsule as well.
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Dec 10, 2009
Kate
rated it:
There, are so many commas, in this book. But, the vignettes are interesting, and, read like poetry, or stream of consciousness. I had Renata Adler, as a professor, in college, and she writes, exactly, like she thinks. In bursts. Of crazy.
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Sep 02, 2008
Jane
rated it:
wow. I enjoyed this, although it was hard to track in some spots. More like reading poetry than a novel. I think an annotated version would be nice. I mean, I LIVED through the sixties but I missed a lot of the references!
Feb 04, 2008
Gabriel
rated it:
Three and a half stars, really. An aesthetic (the pseudo memoir) that disgusts me, but more or less well done for that.
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Feb 10, 2012
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