Lucky Man

by Ben Tanzer (Goodreads author)
Lucky Man
book data
32 ratings, 4.25 average rating, 15 reviews (more data...)
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published
March 15th 2007 by Manx Media

binding
Paperback, 224 pages

url

isbn
0976969017    (isbn13: 9780976969013)

description
Lucky Man is a story about friendship, growing-up and trying to move on. Interwoven throughout are explorations into dreams, the Twilight Zone, the Gr...more




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Kelly Moran
01/02/08
Kelly Moran rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: my-reviews
I just finished reading/reviewing this book for the author, Ben. Findings are below...
__________________

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 fr...more
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Don
07/25/07
Don rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: novels
Read in July, 2007
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
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Gerald
03/06/08
Gerald rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in March, 2008
recommends it for: fans of fratire
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 questio...more
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Bayshore Books
04/24/08
Bayshore Books rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in April, 2008
“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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Ginnetta
06/10/08
Ginnetta rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in July, 2008
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.
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Maria
06/25/08
Maria rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in October, 2008
recommends it for: everyone
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...more
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Ken
04/26/08
Ken rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2008
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...more
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Jason Pettus
11/30/07
Jason Pettus rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in November, 2007
(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
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Ross
08/11/08
Ross rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in August, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Jason Jordan
03/11/08
Jason Jordan rated it: 4 of 5 stars

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, su...more
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Ben
12/18/08
Ben rated it: 5 of 5 stars

I wrote this book and I rated it. I am thrilled with the former and I am a little embarrassed about the latter. Either way though, I hope you read it. Well that, and enjoy it. And then maybe share it with your friends and possibly even buy more copies. So there you go. Thanks.
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Sherrie
01/06/08
Sherrie rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2008
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
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S.
01/14/08
S. added it

Read in February, 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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Rusty
01/06/08
Rusty rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in November, 2008
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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Beth
11/27/07
Beth marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read
Read in June, 2009
Batter up!
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Ellen
06/24/09
Ellen rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Quincy
06/07/09
Quincy marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Lisa
05/25/09
Lisa marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Deborah
03/31/09
Deborah marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Quentin
03/29/09
Quentin marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read


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