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456th out of 2,610 books
—
917 voters
Dogrun
mary bellanova came home to her east village apartment, cooked dinner, and fought with her boyfriend, primo. but soon mary realized that primo's silence in front of the tv set was more than just one of his bad moods: primo was actually dead. other guys had abandoned mary before,but primo's exit was by far the most unique. and suddenly mary's life -- defined so far by a str...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
October 1st 2000
by MTV Books
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I think of this book as a sort of anti-Sex & The City. The main character is a literate, witty single woman in NYC who goes to clubs with her man-hunting friends, makes cynical observations about people, and dabbles in writing. The book is replete with references to specific NYC landmarks (especially in the Village). Unlike any of the SATC foursome, however, the main character of Dogrun is reduced to taking a job at Kinko's and joins a punk band out of spiteful feelings toward her deceased c...more
4 stars is generous but since I can't rate in increments...
This built to an end where I almost loved...something about it, the way I loved Chip Kidd's The Learners and The Cheese Monkeys. It was poignant without trying, a sort of effortless reverberation. I loved what the author did with the story...or maybe what he allowed the story to do.
It fell just shy of ending totally cheesy without stripping the characters of hope. Throughout there were was cynical, skeptical and temptuous. I held my bre...more
This built to an end where I almost loved...something about it, the way I loved Chip Kidd's The Learners and The Cheese Monkeys. It was poignant without trying, a sort of effortless reverberation. I loved what the author did with the story...or maybe what he allowed the story to do.
It fell just shy of ending totally cheesy without stripping the characters of hope. Throughout there were was cynical, skeptical and temptuous. I held my bre...more
It was a fun, easy read. I found the protagonist, Mary, to be a little dull at times but for the most part she was pretty likable. There were some times that I wanted to slap her, though. The supporting characters are pretty good, too- and there are a LOT of them. But, they're all fleshed out pretty well and by the end of the novel their presence makes sense. However, I ultimately was left kind of wonder what the point was? I understand the story, but I just didn't understand why any of it was h...more
A story about a 20 something trying to get through life that mirrors all those in quarter life crisis mode.
The Dogrun revolves around a Ms. Mary Bellanova after she discovers her (ex)boyfriend dead in their New York City apartment. Nearing 30, stuck in a mediocre job and has not made use of her skills as a writer, Mary sees Primo's death as another thorn in her life. What starts out as a search to just simply dispose of her ex-lover's ashes evolves into an odd story of finding herself through he...more
The Dogrun revolves around a Ms. Mary Bellanova after she discovers her (ex)boyfriend dead in their New York City apartment. Nearing 30, stuck in a mediocre job and has not made use of her skills as a writer, Mary sees Primo's death as another thorn in her life. What starts out as a search to just simply dispose of her ex-lover's ashes evolves into an odd story of finding herself through he...more
This is honestly a wonderful book. I shot through it in a day and a half. Chicks boyfriend is dead in front of the television and then she takes a cruise through the east village/alphabet city looking for all the women her ex boyfriend has fucked (literally and figuratively) Eventually through a couple of revelations and such she comes to learn a life lesson. Not something cheesy and overplayed but the kind of no bullshit life lesson that I can say will probably stick with me. Nercessian is a go...more
"This is the third novel I decided to read by Nersesian after finishing up Unlubricated which was good for what it was but didn't have the same flare as The Fuck-Up. this novel however changed all of that because it was another different direction for Nersesian but he still writes in his New York City rugged style famous in all his novels. What stands out with this novel was it was a romance novel...and I did not expect that.
The story is about a woman named Mary Bellanova who comes home to her a...more
The story is about a woman named Mary Bellanova who comes home to her a...more
FINAL full review:
This is the fourth Nersesian novel I've read, and as with the others I enjoyed the experience greatly.
They say Anton Bruckner wrote the same symphony nine times; that each work was just a variation on the others, and that's how I feel when I read Nersesian. His characters are typically young working stiffs in New York, often a paycheck away from disaster, rebounding from love lost and trying to piece together the lives of their lost objects of affection. There are typically se...more
This is the fourth Nersesian novel I've read, and as with the others I enjoyed the experience greatly.
They say Anton Bruckner wrote the same symphony nine times; that each work was just a variation on the others, and that's how I feel when I read Nersesian. His characters are typically young working stiffs in New York, often a paycheck away from disaster, rebounding from love lost and trying to piece together the lives of their lost objects of affection. There are typically se...more
Just get it. Best one of all the books he's written. Title has nothing to do with the story. A woman comes home to her husband, starts making dinner and finds out he's dead. She tries to figure out what he has been up to until his final exit. It is so well written I couldn't tell that a man was writing it or was using a psyedonym. I wish I could find a book of this calibre now. Short read from what I can remember. You will be glued to it.
Much like the book Suicide Blonde, Dogrun is about a blonde woman's investigative remembrance of her dead boyfriend. Unlike Suicide Blonde, however, the general tone of Dogrun is more hopeful, the main character is generally less fucked up, and there is far less emotional drowning.
The main character is refreshingly upbeat and carries herself with a relatively strong attitude that I enjoy. She feels very NYC to me, which is good, as that's where the story takes place. She meets some interesting p...more
The main character is refreshingly upbeat and carries herself with a relatively strong attitude that I enjoy. She feels very NYC to me, which is good, as that's where the story takes place. She meets some interesting p...more
I liked this book - I think if I had ever really been to New York and new all the sights and places I would have given it 5 stars. I really liked the Narrator. she really had it together in spite of your circumstances. You just know she will end up getting a published book!
I was reading a book, it took me about 4 days to read it, but as I'm reading it I knew it was a pretty good book. When I read the last page and closed the back cover I actually sat up and was amazed at how good the book was. I, quite literally, sat up and said aloud "Wow that was a really good book". Now for those of you who've actually made it through all of this conjecture and want to know what the book was it's - dogrun, by Arthur Nersesian. It's about a woman who lives in the East Village w...more
Like Bridget Jones' Diary, but with more annoying little witticisms and less character development. It brought back a lot of memories -- good, neutral, and otherwise -- about the places I used to go to in NYC, but it also reminded me why I left.
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I read this a long time ago, but I remember liking it a lot. It was one of the first really gritty books I read, and I was a sucker for the fast-paced, real-life kind of style.
Great book. It's early on in Nersesian's career, right after The Fuck Up, but it's cleverly written and very witty. It's great to read a male writer who writes women so well. Read it- should only take you a day or two.
What a nice surprise to pick up this book. I can't wait to read his other book The Fuck Up. This story is written from a woman's point of view. This book has lots of twists and turns and takes place in NYC. Mary Bellanova has a shitty boyfriend and she comes home, makes them both dinner and finds out he is dead while sitting in front of the TV. As time passes, she finds out what a real a$$hole this guy really was. This is an MTV book. Didn't even know there was such a thing. Check this book out....more
Pretty good read but the plot plays out too much like Chinese Takeout and The Fuck Up for me.
i really just read this to remember things about new york city.
Quick, smart, fun read. For me, the ending fell short.
A clumsy, heavy-handed, uninteresting excuse for a novel.
Kind of boring. Can barely even remember plot.
Arthur Nersesian is amazing, he's my hero.
Arthur Nersesian paints a clear picture of the life of Mary Bellanova. The first chapter begins as Mary comes home to her good-for-nothing boyfriend Primo. She cooks him dinner, fights with him and yells before she realizes he's dead.
After this spins a whirlwind of dates, interesting people, unearthed lies, stories of his past and the growth of a main character.
A very satisfying, earthly, dark, humorous tale of Mary Bellanova, a NYC inhabitant carving her own path among the grime of the city s...more
After this spins a whirlwind of dates, interesting people, unearthed lies, stories of his past and the growth of a main character.
A very satisfying, earthly, dark, humorous tale of Mary Bellanova, a NYC inhabitant carving her own path among the grime of the city s...more
If you enjoy novels set in New York from a young profession woman's perspective, then you'll love Nersesian's writing. Maria comes home, fights with her boyfriend, cooks dinner...and then wonders why her boyfriend is so subdued - it's because he's dead...in front of the T.V. The novel then chronicles her life from that point, as she follows a string of her dead boyfriend's ex-lovers and discovers secrets he was hiding. Nersesian's writing is smooth, fun, and at times beautiful.
This is one of my favorite books. I love stories that take place in New York and this one is no exception. It's a dark comedy that's got it all...Sex, drugs, rock and roll. It's sad, hilarious and heartwarming all at once. One of the things that struck me most about this book is that it's written, quite accurately, by a male author through a woman's perspective. Not since She's Come Undone have I been so impressed by that. Maybe I need to read more?
I really enjoyed this book - it was thoroughly entertaining and I never knew what to expect next. I thought it was also very intriguing that a man created such a true to life and likable female character. Mary Bellanova felt genuine and real like someone I've known for years (and I have to admit, I have some of these traits as well). I cannot wait to read Neresian's other books!
i waffled between 4 and 5 stars for this book. ultimately, it gets 4 because the ending was a little weird. i really liked it up until the last couple pages, where it suddenly took on a sappy tone that was inconsistent with the rest of the book. but overall, it was great. i love the writer's voice. i like the characters, i like the pacing. i'm honestly surprised how much i liked it.
The first bit is rough if you are in a depressed mood, but it comes back, a bit, focusing for most of the book on how crappy people are. There is a two chapter rebound at the end. Being a single woman is a kin to leprosy, and being a single woman near 30 is worse.
I'm not a big fan of the book. I'm still trying to figure out why I finished reading it.
I'm not a big fan of the book. I'm still trying to figure out why I finished reading it.
Arthur's work is a bit innuendo-laden for my taste, but his characters are New Yorkers; what do you expect?
The plot is a bit trivial and scattered, but for me, in some strange way that I can't put my finger on, Mary's dog, Numb, held the whole thing together emotionally and really drove the book home.
An interesting and worthwhile read, on the whole.
The plot is a bit trivial and scattered, but for me, in some strange way that I can't put my finger on, Mary's dog, Numb, held the whole thing together emotionally and really drove the book home.
An interesting and worthwhile read, on the whole.
My best friend recommended this book, but I'm still not sure what he was thinking. This book was painful to read. I'm pretty sure it was written simply for New Yorkers to read about New York. It's too bad too, because the story could have been great if the author didn't make his characters so shallow. I mean, does anyone really think so much about lipstick?
Nima recommended two books to me some time during 2002. They were: Fraud and Dogrun. Both were passed along with the comment, "I think you'll love these books." I loved neither and even disliked Dogrun. I don't know whether this is a review of the book as much as it is a review of Nima's taste (of my taste). But still. Dogrun - yuck.
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Arthur Nersesian is the author of eight novels, including The Fuck-Up (Akashic, 1997 & MTV Books/Simon & Schuster, 1999), Chinese Takeout (HarperCollins), Manhattan Loverboy (Akashic), Suicide Casanova (Akashic), dogrun (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster), and Unlubricated (HarperCollins). He is also the author of East Village Tetralogy, a collection of four plays. He lives in New York City.
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“Finally life becomes a very specific thing--and that's what we are. Ultimately, looking back, I'm beginning to believe that we need to always be fucked up. We need to always have some reason to hate ourselves, something to make us feel eternally incomplete.”
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11 people liked it
“Nowadays the standards had plummeted so far that I failed even at being a failure. I silently packed up. Nothing else was left. They had even robbed me of self-pity”
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4 people liked it
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