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420th out of 616 books
—
601 voters
Adverbs
Hello. I am Daniel Handler, the author of this book. Did you know that authors often write the summaries that appear on their book's dust jacket? You might want to think about that the next time you read something like, "A dazzling page-turner, this novel shows an internationally acclaimed storyteller at the height of his astonishing powers."
"Adverbs" is a novel about love...more
"Adverbs" is a novel about love...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
April 11th 2006
by Ecco Press
(first published April 1st 2006)
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Jenna once gave me the idea of buying books from Borders and then returning them within 31 days after having read them.
The problems with that practice in my life are not ethical; they are practical:
1) I read in two- to three-months fury spurts, just like how I knit, except the reading trend is unrelated to avoiding other things in my life. Said fury spurts cannot be fabricated or induced, they just happen. I forget this, however, with great frequency, and buy fury spurts' worth of books sometime...more
The problems with that practice in my life are not ethical; they are practical:
1) I read in two- to three-months fury spurts, just like how I knit, except the reading trend is unrelated to avoiding other things in my life. Said fury spurts cannot be fabricated or induced, they just happen. I forget this, however, with great frequency, and buy fury spurts' worth of books sometime...more
40 likes · like · see review
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Three is too generous, because I'm mad - deeply mad - at you, Adverbs. You sucked away 17 days of my life for what? WHAT, I ask you? Some clever lines, repeating symbols, cutesy structure - but what the hell was this? A novel? (no) Short stories? (maybe) Intellectual masturbation, because Daniel Handler could? (probably)
By the end I was confused and annoyed, and now I'm reliving that confusion and annoyance. I confess, I've decided to abandon this one short story/chapter/ejaculation before the e...more
By the end I was confused and annoyed, and now I'm reliving that confusion and annoyance. I confess, I've decided to abandon this one short story/chapter/ejaculation before the e...more
19 likes · like · see review
Jul 13, 2011
oriana
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2007,
phenomenal
This is the kind of book that makes me want to go back and take all my 5-star ratings down to 4, so that giving this one 5 will mean more. This is the kind of book where, even while I was reading it, I was thinking about how I would read it again, slower, more thoughtfully, with intense-er concentration. And so I did; I read it twice through, one after the other, and good fucking grief, it is so good. The second time maybe a tiny little bit less so because I already knew so many of the good part...more
25 likes · like · see review
What is love? The song suggests that ‘oh baby don’t hurt me’ so does that mean is love about pain? I think that this is probably not the impression you want to give… unless you are into that sort of thing, which most women 15-65 seem to be if this is so popular.
Love is…
Well, when I was young, I used to think that this represented love.
I’m not sure that that is so healthy either, but I had a ton of them.. they were my ‘go to’ I guess…
When I google ‘Love is’ I get this comic strip… which I kno...more
5 likes · like · see review
I've never read Handler's kid stuff but Adverbs did make me feel young again, if you don't mind that dust-smudged cliche. Not that I'm old even. And I certainly don't yearn for a lost childhood. Adverbs, the novel, or rather Adverbs: A Novel, made English over for me again, for the little while I was inside it. I had that giddy feeling I remember from my toddling times after reading my first "grown-ups" book -- that is, my first book without pictures. I don't know what that book was but it doesn...more
David Handler is brilliant. This book compiles a bunch of stories involving characters who are intimately or barely connected to each other. Each chapter is a short story but the characters become so intertwined that it feels like a novel. The theme of this book? Love, love, and more love. But it aint what you think. This isn't a cheesy and cliche book about the heart to heart, folks. This is a book about every kind of love, from the obvious to the mysterious. I think that when I am done reading...more
Back Flips and Party Tricks
I hated the first chapter of this novel, so much so that it took almost 200 pages for me to recover and trust Daniel Handler.
Still, once it all started to come together, I did an amazing about face.
By the end, I loved “Adverbs” and felt sad that I had to leave this crazy assortment of characters behind (or was it them who left me behind?).
I didn't want the party to end.
Across the Great Divide
The first chapter concerns an unnamed apparently heterosexual male character...more
I hated the first chapter of this novel, so much so that it took almost 200 pages for me to recover and trust Daniel Handler.
Still, once it all started to come together, I did an amazing about face.
By the end, I loved “Adverbs” and felt sad that I had to leave this crazy assortment of characters behind (or was it them who left me behind?).
I didn't want the party to end.
Across the Great Divide
The first chapter concerns an unnamed apparently heterosexual male character...more
24 likes · like · see review
"Wah, wah, wah! I can write grown-up books too! Myeaaaaah! Look at my big sad lumpy head in this author photo! Poor me, people think I can only write kid books, did you notice how sad I looked? Let me just go ahead and start off being self-referential, and then maybe I'll refer to that self-referentiality later and it will be SR^squared!"
I was so excited to finish this book so that a. I could never read it anymore and b. I could write this scathing review.
Tripe the First: Adverbs: A Novel. A Nov...more
I was so excited to finish this book so that a. I could never read it anymore and b. I could write this scathing review.
Tripe the First: Adverbs: A Novel. A Nov...more
funny, wordsmithy, delightfully quirky. i like the occasionally intruding author's voice ("those are my wife's favorite cookies") in the lives of the characters -- kinda kundera-like in that way. the music references were fun, and i like the mixing of real bands and songs with made-up ones. but there was an authorial distance, a real arms-length narration the whole way through -- sometimes overly clever, snickety, let's have a looksee at what our hapless little characters are doing -- that preve...more
After having read The Basic Eight and a few of the volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, I picked this up for a light and absorbing plane-read on my way to a funeral. I was thrilled, then, to find it both unexpectedly poignant and powerful. Handler's easygoing and conversational voice effortlessly masks true linguistic prowess, allowing me to read his stories as breezily or as pensively as I chose. Truly a book of linked short stories, rather than a "novel" as the back cover suggests, the...more
Jul 27, 2009
Matt Buchholz
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people that laugh when they're told to.
Recommended to Matt by:
I got myself into this mess.
As is the case with Barenaked Ladies fans and people that think Jay Leno is funny, those that like this book will be judged harshly and possibly abandoned.
7 likes · like · see review
I hate adverbs, but there was something intriguing about this collection of stories written by the author of the Lemony Snicket books. Unfortunately, this is one of those books that aspires to be something more than it is. While I like the interconnectedness of the stories, I couldn't help feeling like I'd seen this trick somewhere before...and executed less self-consciously. Anyone whose read Series of Unfortunate Events is aware of the author's insistence on always keeping one foot in the stor...more
Mar 01, 2007
Amy
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like don't mind not being able to follow everything
Shelves:
bookclubbook
This book looks, at first, to be a series of short stories that are titled with adverbs - Particularly, Often, etc. A cute concept that sparks some curiosity. But it really gets going when you realize that all the characters are connected, but the stories are not chronological nor are narrations always comprehensible. Sometimes Joe isn't Joe and Mike is called Mark but his name is something else, and there are 2 Andreas, or are there? A mental map is so not good enough. I would suggest writing d...more
5 likes · like · see review
"This is a novel about love," says the back cover. Well, it's half right. It is about love, but calling it a novel is a bit of a stretch. The book has no central character or plot, just a series of stories, sometimes connected, about a bunch of different people who sometimes pop up in each others' stories. I think maybe someone might say that love is the main character, but having a main character who's schizophrenic and/or prone to wild mood swings is a difficult task to pull off without a plot...more
I have loved the way Daniel Handler plays with words since I first picked up his Series of Unfortunate Events. This is the first adult novel by him that I have read, and I loved it. Yes, it's a difficult and sometimes frustrating book to follow. I found it easiest to push past his repetition of characters (or just their names?) and focus on the bigger theme of love and romance. There are many points in the novel where Handler gets things exactly right, and you're overwhelmed by his beautiful lan...more
I don't know what possessed me to pick up this book as I tried to read his Lemony Snicket books and I just wasn't a fan. In the end, however, I decided that I liked this book, although I didn't feel it was entirely successful in what he was trying to do.
I don't know if I can explain it...but it's one of those books that was trying to convey heavy ideas but doing them in such a light way that it seems more like the characters are in the background while the author is telling you something (as op...more
I don't know if I can explain it...but it's one of those books that was trying to convey heavy ideas but doing them in such a light way that it seems more like the characters are in the background while the author is telling you something (as op...more
I imagined I would L-O-V-E this book. Daniel Handler (of A Series of Unfortunate Events fame) is an expert with words and some of his clever phrases and descriptions make me gasp with joy. But it is just a touch too disjointed for me to all-caps L-O-V-E the whole thing.
The set up is adorable: This is a book about love. Each chapter in the book is named after an adverb that describes the love story within (Immediately, Frigidly, Particularly, etc). Within the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if...more
The set up is adorable: This is a book about love. Each chapter in the book is named after an adverb that describes the love story within (Immediately, Frigidly, Particularly, etc). Within the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if...more
Daniel Handler is a fireball genius. As a person who grew up with ASoUE, I have a great affinity for his style and it is such a pleasure to read like, MORE of all the best bits from UE. I've read this book before, but I've picked it up again because 1) it's entirely great and 2) I'm trying to write more lately and DH really inspires me to write in my own style. Does that make sense?
Finishing this book was like making a friend who loved me completely: not by some worthless sap who sprays their a...more
Finishing this book was like making a friend who loved me completely: not by some worthless sap who sprays their a...more
Aug 20, 2012
Davisburns
marked it as to-read
library audiobook; July 2012
Summary; "Adverbs" is a novel about love -- a bunch of different people, in and out of different kinds of love. At the start of the novel, Andrea is in love with David -- or maybe it's Joe -- who instead falls in love with Peter in a taxi. At the end of the novel, it's Joe who's in the taxi, falling in love with Andrea, although it might not be Andrea, or in any case it might not be the same Andrea, as Andrea is a very common name. So is Allison, who is married to Adr...more
Summary; "Adverbs" is a novel about love -- a bunch of different people, in and out of different kinds of love. At the start of the novel, Andrea is in love with David -- or maybe it's Joe -- who instead falls in love with Peter in a taxi. At the end of the novel, it's Joe who's in the taxi, falling in love with Andrea, although it might not be Andrea, or in any case it might not be the same Andrea, as Andrea is a very common name. So is Allison, who is married to Adr...more
I absolutely adore this book. "Immediately" was so far from what I expected - although I'm not sure what I expected exactly, but it wasn't that - I had to keep stopping reading because it was so odd. It's not the sort of story collection one thinks of when one imagines a book about love. I was confused, surprised, nearly shocked into tears (which is quite exceptional, because I can count on my hands the number of times fiction had made me cry), laughed uncontrollably, and essentially covered an...more
Daniel Handler rocks. I am stalking him across the globe. I had a chance to see him in Wales for the Guardian’s Hay on Wye literary festival both as Lemony Snicket (or more accurately in place of Lemony Snicket) and as Daniel Handler. I also saw him in Seattle for a Mcsweeney’s fundraiser where he had Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service fame) Sarah Vowell (“Assassination Vacation”) and Colin Meloy (the Decemberists) act out a play about his life. He was fantastic on each occas...more
A reviewer on the front cover writes: "Anyone who lives to read gorgeous writing will want to lick this book and sleep with it between their legs." Well, I can think of many other things I'd rather sleep with between my legs than this book!
At first, I didn't realise this is a novel rather than a series of short stories. Hell knows what the plot is; maybe there isn't one. The chapters seem disjointed. Half the time you don't know whose the "voice" is. Where names reoccur, you're not sure if they...more
At first, I didn't realise this is a novel rather than a series of short stories. Hell knows what the plot is; maybe there isn't one. The chapters seem disjointed. Half the time you don't know whose the "voice" is. Where names reoccur, you're not sure if they...more
I read this book when it first came out because I liked A Series of Unfortunate Events. Unfortunately enough, I didn't quite get it at first. Perhaps it was because I was just a kid who had not experienced love, sex, true friendship, or literary interpretation and appreciation, that made this novel fail to stick with me. However, I came across it a few weeks ago and decide to give it another chance, and I am very happy that I did. Adverbs is brilliant, charming, inspiring, melancholic at times,...more
I am utterly and totally confused by this book. To start off this review, I think a quote from the author about this book would be appropriate.
Quoth Handler "Yes, there's a volcano in the novel. In my opinion a volcano automatically makes a story more interesting." And there is a volcano in the novel, it seems to be one of his favorite things to talk about. In addition to this there is an abundance of birds, alcohol, and taxis.
I'd like to provide a timeline and a list of characters but the story...more
Quoth Handler "Yes, there's a volcano in the novel. In my opinion a volcano automatically makes a story more interesting." And there is a volcano in the novel, it seems to be one of his favorite things to talk about. In addition to this there is an abundance of birds, alcohol, and taxis.
I'd like to provide a timeline and a list of characters but the story...more
A book for grown-ups.
“How do you forget something? You just walk away from it, those who are still alive. There are so few clearings in our hearts and minds, so few places where something can’t grow on top of whatever happened to us before, and this is love too. “
The NY Times write this far better than I could ever: Like the album, “Adverbs” brings together thematically linked atmospheric tales, or riffs, with recurring characters but no real narrative thought-line. Each chapter is named for an...more
“How do you forget something? You just walk away from it, those who are still alive. There are so few clearings in our hearts and minds, so few places where something can’t grow on top of whatever happened to us before, and this is love too. “
The NY Times write this far better than I could ever: Like the album, “Adverbs” brings together thematically linked atmospheric tales, or riffs, with recurring characters but no real narrative thought-line. Each chapter is named for an...more
You know the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover'? Well, it doesn't apply to this one. Actually, the best thing you can do when it comes to Handler's Adverbs is to judge it by its cover - I hope it will have the same effect on you as it had on me; it made me fall in love with it at first sight. Handler himself wrote the short witty text on the inside cover, promising us an unusual chain of linked stories about love, life, and a volcano. Oh yes. There's an actual volcano in this book.
I don't...more
I don't...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I picked this book up at the library, it seemed like a cool concept. A bunch of little love stories titled by adverbs? How adorable! I thought it was going to be a quick, light read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy but still had some of the quirkiness that I love about Handler’s writing.
However, as I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel like I was reading a Burroughs novel from an alternate reality where instead of shooting up with heroin, he shot up with love and heartbreak...more
However, as I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel like I was reading a Burroughs novel from an alternate reality where instead of shooting up with heroin, he shot up with love and heartbreak...more
The book is maybe a novel (unlikely) or a collection of stories (possibly) but is only connected by the characters names. Not the characters but the their names. There will be a girl called Eddie in one story and another called Eddie in a completely different story.
From my perspective, of an easily confused person, I just got lost. It felt uselessly ambiguous and I don't know if it was this but I didn't get to know any of the characters. But maybe Daniel Handler did this deliberately because his...more
From my perspective, of an easily confused person, I just got lost. It felt uselessly ambiguous and I don't know if it was this but I didn't get to know any of the characters. But maybe Daniel Handler did this deliberately because his...more
My book club voted to read this book for the month of January.
An interesting book, with an interesting concept behind it. Even though the overall theme of the work was the idea of love, there were some sections in which this was blatantly obvious, and other parts where it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what the conflict or the point was.
It did take me some time to get used to the more, outrageous tidbits that he sprinkled in, such as the volcano references and The Snow Queen portions, particu...more
An interesting book, with an interesting concept behind it. Even though the overall theme of the work was the idea of love, there were some sections in which this was blatantly obvious, and other parts where it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what the conflict or the point was.
It did take me some time to get used to the more, outrageous tidbits that he sprinkled in, such as the volcano references and The Snow Queen portions, particu...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Quotable quotes. | 3 | 38 | Dec 27, 2007 06:45am |
Daniel Handler is the author of the novels The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, Adverbs, and as Lemony Snicket a sequence of children's novels collectively entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events." He also plays the accordion.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_H...
More about Daniel Handler...
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_H...
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“How do you forget something? You just walk away from it, those who are still alive. There are so few clearings in our hearts and minds, so few places where something can't grow on top of whatever happened to us before, and this is love too. ”
—
74 people liked it
“Someone can break your heart, leave you dead on the lawn, and still you never learn what to say to stop it all over again. ”
—
62 people liked it
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