false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172725497m/210817.jpg 210817 15 Vladimir Girshkin, a likeable Russian immigrant, searches for love, a decent job, and a credible self-identity in Gary Shteyngart's debut novel, <I>The Russian Debutante's Handbook</I>. With a doctor-father of questionable ethics and a manic, banker mother, Vladimir avoids his suburban parents and their desire that he pursue the almighty dollar as proof of success. Vladimir gets by as an immigration clerk, eking out a living in a cruddy New York City apartment while accumulating an array of quirky acquaintances, from a wealthy but disheveled old man (who claims his electric fan speaks to him) desperate for citizenship to Challa, a portly S/M queen. As a love interest, Challa is replaced by Francesca, a graduate student whose friends welcome Vladimir for the status he brings their bohemian clique, and whose parents encourage them to shack up (she lives at home) as visible proof she can maintain a steady relationship.<p> <I>The Russian Debutante's Handbook</I> is a quirky amalgam of dead-on American absurdities, albeit with somewhat stereotypical characters. While Vladimir flounders with how to improve his state, he becomes an expatriate in a trendy European city, becomes somewhat of a mobster himself, and generally has a good time. While many of the central characters remain elusively thin, Vladimir is a delight, and Shteyngart's wit is merciless: Russian women wear "wedding cakes of blond hair" and graduate students lounge in a bar "as if waiting for funding to appear." Reminiscent of Gogol and other Russian satirists, <I>The Russian Debutante's Handbook</I> is a genuine, sublime social commentary. <I>--Michael Ferch</I> 28227 book 29 4 2002 The Russian Debutante's Handbook total:1871|5:272|4:683|3:615|2:217|1:81| 1871 6463 2632 278 3 2 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri May 16 22:33:40 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 22:33:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Jun 04 06:17:06 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 09:24:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Nov 09 09:06:13 -0800 2007 Thu Sep 20 13:45:41 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 20 13:50:48 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Fri Aug 17 09:24:55 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 09:29:33 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 2 false false Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Jan 07 19:22:37 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 19:25:55 -0800 2009
"Breezily hilarious."
-New York Magazine
"Blisteringly funny."
-Salon.com
"Remarkable."
-New York Observer
"As funny and wicked as Waugh."
-Time
"Brilliant."
-Harper's...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 01:03:10 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 14 05:46:18 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 20:57:16 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 21:20:24 -0700 2007
This book deals with all that interests me so much in that community - the courage to immigrate in the fi...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Apr 30 15:28:45 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 07:46:03 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 20 01:54:46 -0800 2007 Sun Jan 27 10:39:46 -0800 2008
Okay - I finished it and loved it... but like many a debut novel, it petered out at the end. It's like - I"m not sure how to end this thing so I'll throw every...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Dec 23 17:12:23 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 23 17:14:06 -0800 2008 1 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Dec 09 10:51:07 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 11:00:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Tue Nov 10 10:23:54 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 10:23:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 23 22:02:45 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 24 20:22:19 -0700 2007 1 0 false false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 10:33:50 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 14:36:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 25 21:43:18 -0700 2008 Sat Nov 15 18:31:05 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Dec 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 15:18:31 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 10:52:15 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Dec 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 04 14:27:29 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 14:27:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Fri Dec 26 18:14:20 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 07:35:18 -0800 2008
A wonderful farce of one man's coming of age entangled with lit...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Apr 01 20:07:58 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 01 20:07:58 -0700 2008
Dreams of becoming a czarina aside, "Handbook" chronicles Vladimir Girshki...more...]]> 4 0 false true Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Mar 20 11:06:59 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 15:27:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=210817