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The Pursuit of Other Interests: A Novel
by
Jim Kokoris (Goodreads Author)
Charlie Baker is a neurotic but charming 50-year-old workaholic CEO ofa major Chicago ad agency who seems to have it all: an impressive house in an upscale suburb, an equally impressive salary, the requisite pretty wife and accomplished son. All of this comes crashing down when Charlie is unceremoniously fired. In an instant, his life is transformed from corporate titan to...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
October 27th 2009
by St. Martin's Press
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I must say I really enjoyed The Pursuit of Other Interests. Sure, the ending is a bit cheesy, the key challenges that Charlie faces with the humiliation of being fired and the marital estrangement are very well written. Kokoris most of the time manages to get the balance between comedy and pathos spot on. There are alot of cliches in the book and Charlie is an everyman type, so much so that I kept thinking of Steve Carell's character in the film Evan Almighty and the TV series the Office. Simila...more
This was one of those books I bought on a whim and then lost the motivation to read. Yesterday, I pulled it from the shelf and decided to give it a quick scan. As I started reading, I thought it was pretty lack-luster ... no intrigue, creativity, historical value or beautiful imagery ... ho hum. But before I knew it, I was halfway through, enjoying Kokoris' uncomplicated writing and clever humor. I realized that it was actually the 'lack' of sensational story-telling that made the book endearing...more
Jul 25, 2011
Larry Hoffer
added it
Charlie Baker has it all. He's the award-winning managing director of a major Chicago advertising agency, gets driven to and from work by a car service, and has an enormous house in the suburbs with a loving wife and teenage son. Or so it appears, until Charlie is unceremoniously fired, and he discovers that his life isn't nearly as secure and wonderful as he thinks. His wife resents his never being home and missing everything in his son's life, and his son doesn't know what to think.
After his...more
After his...more
When I first started reading this book (which I won through GoodReads, yay!), I thought I was going to hate it. Every cliche of a self-obsessed, workaholic business executive you can imagine. But as I got further into the book, I found myself appreciating the playful way the author took this cliche and made it human. In the end and after a bit of contemplation, I really enjoyed this book. I wish the author hadn't neatly tied up every piece of the plot. Not quite sure how to explain, but the book...more
This was a fabulous, timely book -- alternately humorous and poignant -- with a searing inside look at what it means to have spent most of your adult life in presentations and airports and suddenly to be unemployed.
Charlie Baker -- the CEO of a major Chicago ad agency and the creator of an infamous airline commercial featuring Paula Abdul and a talking rodent -- is unceremoniously dumped from his position. The novel centers on his days at an outplacement firm where he mingles with a motley group...more
Charlie Baker -- the CEO of a major Chicago ad agency and the creator of an infamous airline commercial featuring Paula Abdul and a talking rodent -- is unceremoniously dumped from his position. The novel centers on his days at an outplacement firm where he mingles with a motley group...more
In Pursuit of Other Interests isn’t the sort of book I’d normally choose to read. The novel follows a difficult few months in the life of Charlie Barker, a manic workaholic who gets fired from his position at the head of a big ad agency in Chicago only to find that his home life is already in as much of a shambles as his career. He discovers that he’s been ignoring his wife and she’s on the verge of leaving him, and his son has grown up without his input at all. Growth ensues.
A few thoughts:
* T...more
A few thoughts:
* T...more
I got more than enjoyment out of this novel by Jim Kokoris. I developed a newfound appreciation for being employed! The lead character and others spend a lot of time at a transition agency searching for new jobs. When the lead character, Charlie Baker, discovers that some of them have been there for years, it's a startling revelation.
As far as the actual plot goes, it's pretty predictable. The characters make this a quick read, and I think what hooked me is that anyone could find themselves in t...more
As far as the actual plot goes, it's pretty predictable. The characters make this a quick read, and I think what hooked me is that anyone could find themselves in t...more
I thought this was a simultaneously sad, funny, warmhearted, poignant story of what it is like to lose your job in a downward economy. The main character, Charlie, is a Type A workaholic who suddenly and unexpectedly is fired from his very well paid advertising job. It seemed as though one day he had everything he thought he wanted and the next day was in danger of losing it all. He spends his lost hours at an outplacement firm where the main focus is on getting rehired. During the course of his...more
Because it's about a recently fired Chicago ad exec, the comparisons to Then We Came To the End are inevitable, but this comedic novel is less bleak. At first, I found the neuroses of Charlie, the middle-aged main character, forced. But the book grew on me once Charlie moved from from the ad agency to a wacky executive outplacement firm. I laughed a lot, and liked the familiar locations and the poignancy of Charlie's relationships with both his family and the unemployed "refugees" he meets in th...more
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This one was disadvantaged from the get-go, because I was coming off another book that I LOVED. I always feel badly for those who have to follow.... It was written by a Chicagoan and takes place in Chicago, which is why it was chosen by me. Charlie and team did make me feel badly, because when I was laid off from June 08 - Jan. 09, I was happy as a lark. Every day that I went to workout, or lay in the sun, or READ, I had a HUGE SMIRK on my face. Good thing I never met up with the Charlie types.
I really like Jim Kokoris' writing style. This story is about Charlie, a CEO of a big advertising company who gets fired and suddenly finds himself with a lot of free time. Charlie discovers that he doesn't know his family and hasn't been available for them for so long that they have learned to manage without him. Charlie is forced to look at his life and make some challenging decisions about his future. Even though the story is somewhat predictable it's enjoyable to see the main character go th...more
A reviewer named Anne wrote this:
"Started off as a wicked black comedy, morphs into more of a human interest story by the end. Set in the Chicago area. Timely story of someone fired (not laid off in this case), trying to find a new job (and new life) in a tough economy. Fun read."
I couldn't have stated it better myself. The humour throughout was great. I think my husband got tired of me reading parts out loud to him.
I'm definitely going to try more by this author.
"Started off as a wicked black comedy, morphs into more of a human interest story by the end. Set in the Chicago area. Timely story of someone fired (not laid off in this case), trying to find a new job (and new life) in a tough economy. Fun read."
I couldn't have stated it better myself. The humour throughout was great. I think my husband got tired of me reading parts out loud to him.
I'm definitely going to try more by this author.
I enjoyed the different perspective of this book, I don't often think of life the way a 50 year old man might. I also like that the characters evolved throughout the book as well as how different characters in similar situations responded differently to the circumstances. It was also interesting to me that this book was written in 2009, when the recession was just starting out, and yet it was already "tough out there." This was a book about unemployment, life changes, growing older and finding y...more
This free copy was sent to me to read and review. While I liked it, I wanted to much more than I did. Maybe because it didn't seem to move as fast as I thought it should.
Charlie Baker loses his white-collar job and discovers himself and the wife and son he's ignored for his work. He's hard to feel sorry for, but he grows on you.
Mr. Kokoris does not skimp on developing his characters. This is a sad, funny, insightful book. I recommend it.
Charlie Baker loses his white-collar job and discovers himself and the wife and son he's ignored for his work. He's hard to feel sorry for, but he grows on you.
Mr. Kokoris does not skimp on developing his characters. This is a sad, funny, insightful book. I recommend it.
Upper middle class white guy, Charlie, former Beverly south-sider and classic idiot clueless boss, finally gets caught sleeping at his desk and is fired. He proceeds to pretend to go to work everyday, and hilarity, sadness, and confusion set in, as he is forced to come to grips with man he has become and the family he is close to losing. Great book, and based in Chicago (just like the author), which is always a plus for me in a book. :)
This book is so relevant to today's society - I actually checked the date to see when it was made. This came out in 2009 and it could have been written yesterday for as much as it speaks to what so many are going through - a humorous, heartfelt, touching story about an older man who loses his job (sound realistic enough for ya?) that he has literally lived for. He doesn't know his wife, his kid, and now he is forced to realize how much he has lost, and not just on the job front. It is not as dep...more
Charlie Baker is such a mess, he is actually pretty endearing. He is rightfully fired from his role as a top executive at an ad agency, and comes to realize that he is losing everything and everyone. A bonus, if you are a Flight of the Conchords fan: Ned, the outplacement counselor reminded me very strongly of Murray Hewitt's character. As a matter of fact, I didn't get through a single scene of him without picturing Murray.
I really loved this book. First of all, it was hilarious. I was literally laughing out loud throughout much of the book. Charlie is one of the funniest characters I've encountered in a long time. But also, it was touching and compassionate. For all of Charlie's flaws, his suffering in the midst of hard economic times, and the fallout of his misguided pursuits of wealth and happiness, is portrayed clearly and sympathetically. Overall, a joy to read.
Jan 12, 2010
Relyn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
hmmmm...
Recommended to Relyn by:
Laura Duet
You know, I started out loving this book. It was funny and highly entertaining. But, as it went on, I just felt sorry for frenetic, crazy-man Charlie. As I continued, I just plain lost interest. It may not have stayed that way, but it got to where I felt like I was laughing at someone. It's a testimony to the skill of the author, Charlie did seem real. Too real, I couldn't stand to laugh at him.
I have about 80 pages still to go, but I'm really enjoying this book. If for no other reason, it deserves five stars because of the amazing writing -- both creatively and technically. I am annoyed by the enormous number of typos in the published manuscript. That seems to be more and more common these days. Are publishers getting lazy?
I finished. Loved it.
I finished. Loved it.
Although I thought the ending petered off a bit, I found most of this book very enjoyable to read. Kokoris paints a very visceral picture of what it feels like to be unceremoniously fired. The stunned surprise, the humiliation and disbelief, and all of the other feelings and emotions associated with such a shock are vividly evoked here. Charlie Baker is the guy who is fired, and he has been riding high in the advertising world. He has ignored his family, made some questionable calls at work, and...more
I was a little disappointed by this book, after the passion I felt for Kokoris's other books.
It was an easy and enjoyable read but lacked the originality of The Rich Part of Life and the poignancy of Sister North.
The material felt pretty hackneyed: middle-aged executive loses job and suddenly realises his marriage is also in disrepair not to mention the fact he has no relationship with his child; has an epiphany - 'there's more to life than work!' - makes radical changes to rebuild relationship...more
It was an easy and enjoyable read but lacked the originality of The Rich Part of Life and the poignancy of Sister North.
The material felt pretty hackneyed: middle-aged executive loses job and suddenly realises his marriage is also in disrepair not to mention the fact he has no relationship with his child; has an epiphany - 'there's more to life than work!' - makes radical changes to rebuild relationship...more
Well-written and at times quite amusing, but utimately sort of predictable. Overworked executive loses job, struggles in outplacement, and eventually has an epiphany that his family is more important and that he doesn't want to hop back on to the upper management hamster wheel. The supporting characters and several clever predicaments save this from being completely ho-hum.
In my opinion, this book was very good - not perfect of course. Some parts were "outlandish", but it was fiction and didn't pretend to be anything else. I thought the author was witty and insightful and I felt that I learned something from Charlie's tale...I did see some similarities to the old Harrison Ford movie - "Regarding Henry" - did any of my dear Goodreads friends see that movie? Anyway - I liked this book and am curious to see what else Kokoris has written...
A funny, often cynical, look at down-on-their luck former CEOs and the their job placement mentors. I simply wanted to scan this book, only several hours later I found myself at the end. While Kokoris' moral is a common one, his book is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Started off as a wicked black comedy, morphs into more of a human interest story by the end. Set in the Chicago area. Timely story of someone fired (not laid off in this case), trying to find a new job (and new life) in a tough economy. Fun read.
This is an easy read that reminds us all that sometimes you get so caught up in one aspect of life that the rest of the areas are neglected. I'd liken it to a modern day parable of the businessperson and what could happen at the end of the day.
Won this through the First Reads giveaway. The main character, Charlie, is fired from his high powered executive job. He spends his days at the outplacement center with a cast of characters while initially not telling his wife he was fired. Troubles at home have been brewing for some time with his wife and he barely knows his teenage son. What unfolds is a story of choices, consequences, and ultimately, what matters most.
Charlie is one of those characters who says the most absurd things in such...more
Charlie is one of those characters who says the most absurd things in such...more
I was pleasantly surprised and uplifted by this quick, timely read. The main character Charlie loses his job then searches for himself along the way as well as a new source of employment. I especially enjoyed the interactions and growing camaraderie between Charlie and Ned, his caseworker at the outplacement firm; they made me laugh out loud.
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Chicago-area novelist Jim Kokoris is the author of three books, "The Rich Part of Life," "Sister North," and "The Pursuit of Other Interests." His books have been published in 15 languages and have been optioned for film consideration. The winner of The Friends Of American Writers Award for Best First Novel ( 2001), his humor essays have appeared regularly in The Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine.
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Jul 20, 2011 09:30am