Lucky Man is a quintessentially American tale about friendship, growing-up, moving-on, and whether or not it takes luck to do so. It is also about ...
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Feb 05, 2008
Kelly
rated it: 
I just finished reading/reviewing this book for the author, Ben. Findings are below...
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In this book, Lucky Man, by Ben Tanzer, I found many grammatical errors, such as commas needed in several places and words missing to complete phrases, such as the/and/a. I found misspellings and words used out of context, such as their/there, and anyways/ any way. At times the language can be abusive, but given the situation and the characters I don’t feel it takes away from More...
__________________
In this book, Lucky Man, by Ben Tanzer, I found many grammatical errors, such as commas needed in several places and words missing to complete phrases, such as the/and/a. I found misspellings and words used out of context, such as their/there, and anyways/ any way. At times the language can be abusive, but given the situation and the characters I don’t feel it takes away from More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Don
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A really fast-paced read, and character-driven, which I like. I've been sort of lucky, myself. This is only the fifth novel I've read in four years (the rest being story collections, mostly), and it was a decent read.
Was a little thrown by the ending, but it's my own fault, not the author's (I met him at the reading he had in town, here). When you've been reading stuff like the anthologies Interfictions and Paraspheres, your mind expands into weird places, much like some of the More...
Was a little thrown by the ending, but it's my own fault, not the author's (I met him at the reading he had in town, here). When you've been reading stuff like the anthologies Interfictions and Paraspheres, your mind expands into weird places, much like some of the More...
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Mar 19, 2008
Gerald
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To the extent that Lucky Man is a first-person narrative about young men coming of age, you could say it’s fratire. But this is damned serious stuff, making the book much more ambitious, I think, than some of the other puke-on-my-own-shoes books in that genre.
This is, as the reader will guess soon enough, a last-man-standing story. In the end, the question is, “What’s it all mean?” Tanzer gives no clue, but I do give him a great deal of credit for at least raising the question.
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This is, as the reader will guess soon enough, a last-man-standing story. In the end, the question is, “What’s it all mean?” Tanzer gives no clue, but I do give him a great deal of credit for at least raising the question.
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Apr 24, 2008
Bayshore
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“Lucky Man” by Ben Tanzer is an edgy debut novel depicting the struggles of four boys trying to escape the realities of becoming an adult. Through first person narration from all four points of view, I was able to get to know each and understand a bit more about the choices they make. The characters are believable and the story clearly shows the talent of Mr. Tanzer. As long as the reader is able to overlook the lack of editing or even proofreading, this is an impressive first novel.
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Jul 27, 2009
Brandon
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God damn this book is good! It takes a few short chapters to get used to the format (which is confusing at first, switching P.O.V.s without saying who's who when you're still trying to figure out who's who and whom's whom and where they are and what's going on), but if you give it that much, you'll be wrapped up in no time.
The story moves fast. Huge events happen, little moments happen, all the while it keeps moving forward, rolling along, like the neverending calendar-page-flips of More...
The story moves fast. Huge events happen, little moments happen, all the while it keeps moving forward, rolling along, like the neverending calendar-page-flips of More...
Oct 09, 2008
Ginnetta
rated it: 
I was drawn in and became captivated. The drug trips were vivid to my imagination as was the escapism.
Update:
I changed my mind and gave this book 5 stars instead of
4 stars. From now on. In my world every writer gets 5 stars and poops Pulitzers.
Update:
I changed my mind and gave this book 5 stars instead of
4 stars. From now on. In my world every writer gets 5 stars and poops Pulitzers.
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Oct 01, 2010
Beth A
rated it:
Ok, Ben, FINALLY!!!!! A+...last chapter, A+++
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Oct 23, 2008
Maria
rated it:
This is a book about four friends, Gabe, Jake, Louie and Sammy, following their last years in school/college; however, it is not only a book for teenagers. I think everyone, young and old, will enjoy reading this book. It is a book about growing up, relationships, family problems and teenage social behaviour. The writing style is unconventional - there are no quotation marks used to signify speech, which first seems very unusual, but once you get used to it, doesn't seem that bad. Each chapt
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Aug 27, 2008
Ken
rated it:
Full disclosure: I know Ben Tanzer (although we’ve yet to meet in person) and will actually be reading with him at Freebird Books in Brooklyn, NY on September 28. (http://www.kenwohlrob.com/2008/08/mark-y...)
Some books have a way of winning you over. I remember the first time I picked up John Fante’s Wait Until Spring, Bandini. It was not Ask the Dust. When the former was written, the author had not developed into the great teacher of Bukowski that can be found in the latter. And yet More...
Some books have a way of winning you over. I remember the first time I picked up John Fante’s Wait Until Spring, Bandini. It was not Ask the Dust. When the former was written, the author had not developed into the great teacher of Bukowski that can be found in the latter. And yet More...
Nov 30, 2007
Jason
rated it:
(My full review of this book is larger than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Some of Tanzer's newest work is currently being considered for CCLaP's upcoming publishing program, which starts in spring 2008. The person ultimately making the decision is the same person who wrote today's review.)
As regular readers know, it can be a real crap shoot with me sometimes when i More...
As regular readers know, it can be a real crap shoot with me sometimes when i More...
Aug 11, 2008
Ross
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 03, 2008
Jason
rated it:
Structurally similar to Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, or Dills’s Sons of the Rapture contemporarily speaking, Ben Tanzer’s debut novel Lucky Man (Manx Media, 2007) splits the narration among the four chief characters, who are otherwise known as Gabe, Jake, Louie, and Sammy. And as the back of the book aptly puts it, “Lucky Man follows four friends from their final days of high school through their first couple of years out of college. Each has personal demons they are battling – anger, substance ab
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Jan 29, 2008
Sherrie
rated it:
Ben Tanzer's debut novel LUCKY MAN sucked me in with its smart little chapters changing point of view every few pages like a good high school basketball game. This is a plot driven book that lets character development rise from action.
I wasn't sure how he was going to tie it all together in the final pages, but I think he did it. Very, very interesting. A fresh, energetic voice.
[If I were able to rate Manx Media with the star system, however, I would give them one, lonel More...
I wasn't sure how he was going to tie it all together in the final pages, but I think he did it. Very, very interesting. A fresh, energetic voice.
[If I were able to rate Manx Media with the star system, however, I would give them one, lonel More...
Feb 11, 2008
It is funny, but also sad and strange and surprising and many other engaging ‘S’ words. I was especially impressed by his range of emotion and for his clever plotting. As the novel went from coming-of-age to On the Road-like road trip, I was happy to bum along, expecting it to end in the requisite literary epiphany, but I was excited by the deft turn in the book’s conclusion. Lucky Man makes me eager for more from Tanzer.
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Nov 29, 2008
Rusty
rated it:
Yeah, so this has only taken me months to review(I don't really know how long (Sorry Ben!). This is a very slick debut. I'd call it a coming-of-age novel, but it's more complex than that. I found all the relationships (esp the father/son dynamic) to be right on target. Some layout issues and typos make the book feel less than professional sometimes, and that's too bad: this book deserves better.
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