Watch Your Mouth: A Novel
by Daniel Handler
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Read in January, 2008
Although I'm not prone to grandiose statements--oh wait, yes I am--I think I can state with reasonable certainty that Watch Your Mouth by Daniel Handler is one of the strangest books I've ever read. I'm not even sure how I feel about it. Did I dislike it? No. Did I like it? Not exactly. My reaction to this novel is one of ambiguity. (Is there a certain number of stars that one awards in such cases? I guess three will have to suffice.)
The novel is about a college-aged man (the n...more
The novel is about a college-aged man (the n...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
very few people, if any
I was sitting on the bus commuting to work when it suddenly hit me: this book was about comedic incest. it wasn't going to be a one-liner, but an actual plot line. the major plot line. I mention this in large part because most descriptions of the book discuss Jewish folklore or opera and leave out the Main Theme.
now, incest isn't a deal breaker for me. neither is changing the color of a book's font midway through the novel. but when font color and telling people that my book is about c...more
now, incest isn't a deal breaker for me. neither is changing the color of a book's font midway through the novel. but when font color and telling people that my book is about c...more
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Read in March, 2004
recommends it for:
the curious
I read this book because my kid was into the Lemony Snicket series, and I had learned his "real name" was Daniel Handler, and I had read a couple of the Lemony Snickets myself and was curious what he wrote for "adults."
Weird, weird book. I don't think it ever decided what it wanted to be - did it want to be dark humor? Did it want to be straightforward horror? Did it want to be set in the real world? Or some other?
Handler's a good writer, in the sense that he's good w...more
Weird, weird book. I don't think it ever decided what it wanted to be - did it want to be dark humor? Did it want to be straightforward horror? Did it want to be set in the real world? Or some other?
Handler's a good writer, in the sense that he's good w...more
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I love the Basic Eight (my copy's covers have been worn off with much loved re-re-re-re-reading) and I enjoy the Lemony Snicket series too.
My first time reading this was directly after reading The Basic Eight. Obviously, the two are nothing alike, but I never really got into this one. It wasn't the graphic incestuous sex that threw me off either; it seemed like the attempt to be over the top was just too over the top. Parts were amusing, but overall it definitely doesn't compare (for me) ...more
My first time reading this was directly after reading The Basic Eight. Obviously, the two are nothing alike, but I never really got into this one. It wasn't the graphic incestuous sex that threw me off either; it seemed like the attempt to be over the top was just too over the top. Parts were amusing, but overall it definitely doesn't compare (for me) ...more
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Read in September, 2007
As usual, Handler wrings plenty of humor out of witty wordplay, traumatizing misery and meta-hijinks. More predictable than his Lemony Snicket books, and not nearly the emotional tour de force that was Adverbs (his most recent adult novel), but you'll probably chuckle at least once per page. Especially if you or anyone you love is Jewish...and you aren't completely repulsed by incest jokes.
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Read in January, 2007
The operatic structure of this novel is genius. I love the stage directions and orchestral cues! In the second half, the protagonist follows a dubious 12-step program to try to make sense of the bewildering first half. Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) is hilarious throughout, but don't read this book if you're uncomfortable with frank sexual references and incest, even if presented as farce.
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This novel isn't as great as Handler's first, The Basic Eight, but it still features Handler's amazing genre mixing. Here, Handler mixes operatic tropes with the revenge novel. The first half was. The second half of the novel combines self help with psychological mystery. The two parts of the novel don't blend well, and this element is my only complaint.
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of Handler, incest, satire, experimentalism
This book is very polarizing and I'm not surprised. I'm of the camp that thinks it is amazing. Of course, I'm extremely interested in Oedipal themes and incest in literature. I also think that Daniel Handler is the best and bravest stylist of our time.
Grade: A-
Grade: A-
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As is brilliantly stated on the back of this book:
"Your basic self-reflexive parody Jewish incest opera mystery."
What more do you need?
(You do know, of course, that Daniel Handler is Lemony Snicket, right? Yes? Then why are you not reading this book yet?)
"Your basic self-reflexive parody Jewish incest opera mystery."
What more do you need?
(You do know, of course, that Daniel Handler is Lemony Snicket, right? Yes? Then why are you not reading this book yet?)
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3 comments
this is a disturbing book about an incestuous family from the pov of the daughter's boyfriend. what's disturbing about it is that daniel handler is lemony snickett. oh, baudelaire children!
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I recommend listening to him on the commonwealth club website (www.googlesyndicatedsearch.com...). He's witty and smart. I also recommend this book.
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Read in January, 2007
This was a really bizarre book about taboos told humorously. It was also a book in which you didn't know whether to take the narrator's word for things. Interesting!
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this book is a little weird. I really wanted to love it, since i LOVED the basic eight, but frankly, it was just a little bizarre. be warned.
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Read in August, 2007
To be honest, I'm not liking this one quite as much as The Basic Eight. Still a great book about sex & golums, though.
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Reviewers complained about the kitschy opera stuff, but fuck those dudes, I say Daniel Handler is a sentence surgeon.
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Read in January, 2006
A crazy, weird ride if a book. I'll never forget, it but I'm still not sure how much I liked it.
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It definitely gets weird. I still really liked it. Daniel Handler is a great writer.
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recommends it for:
people with an Oedipus Complex
This book GROSSED ME OUT!
Maybe it was all the incest.
Maybe it was all the incest.
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2 comments
Evan more disturbing than Basic Eight. Almost too creepy to enjoy.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.15 (153 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.14 (134 ratings) number of reviews: 23popular shelves
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"The rinsed foam swirled into one drain that always clogged come October when the maples dropped Canadian propaganda over everything."
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