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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/328854.Motherless_Brooklyn?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Motherless Brooklyn" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1173796844m/328854.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/328854.Motherless_Brooklyn?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Motherless Brooklyn</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6404.Jonathan_Lethem">Jonathan Lethem</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4751123?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Motherless Brooklyn is a beautifully written novel about a complicated man named Lionel Essrog who is an orphan and a sufferer of Tourette's. As we all know about Tourette's, the syndrome causes you to spurt out words (sometimes profanity) during periods of stress in order to ease an internal undying mental angst. Lionel also suffers from OCD and the infinite need to count things...to mix words in his head and regurgitate them in order to sort through the chaos that is everday life for a hood in Brooklyn, New York.
 
 Lionel is a Minna man, a supposed brainless strong-arm for a man named Frank Minna. When Minna is killed, this story becomes a classic detective novel, as Lionel takes it upon himelf to solve the case of his dead boss, mentor, and father-figure.
 
 " I cut the sandwich into six equal pieces, taking unexpectedly deep pleasure in the texture of the kaiser roll's resistance to the knife's dull teeth, and arranged the pieces so they were equidistant on the plate. I returned the knife to my counter, then centered plate, candle, and drink on the table in a way that soothed my grieving Tourette's. If I didn't stem my syndrome's needs, I would never clear a space in which my own sorrow could dwell."
 
 I love this book because it's set in NYC and romanticizes (in the way that makes your mouth water for a pepperoni-and-provolone hero with peppers inside) and villifies Brooklyn at the same time. The dialogue reminds me of an old Humphrey Bogart movie--The Big Sleep (the R. Chandler novel was quoted more than once in the book) or the Maltese Falcon, or even, the more contemporary movie (loathed by many, liked by me) "Brick." It was similar to "The Curious Incident..." in that it was a mystery told from the perspective of a mentally handicapped protagonist--and by walking in his shoes we learn more about what it would be like to suffer from the syndrome ourselves.
 
 The character of Essrog was also a bit reminiscent of Nic Cage in the movie "Matchstick Men" but much more loveable and complex. This novel was BORN to be a fantastic movie (as now being filmed by/with Ed Norton? (thanks Beth). Can't wait to see it. It would also make a great series of novels.
 
 
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/124482?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Alison's review
rating:
bookshelves: contemporaryfiction, crime-fiction
recommended for: "crazies", "maniacs", "freaks" (i.e. everybody)

Motherless Brooklyn is a beautifully written novel about a complicated man named Lionel Essrog who is an orphan and a sufferer of Tourette's. As we all know about Tourette's, the syndrome causes you to spurt out words (sometimes profanity) during periods of stress in order to ease an internal undying mental angst. Lionel also suffers from OCD and the infinite need to count things...to mix words in his head and regurgitate them in order to sort through the chaos that is everday life for a hood in Brooklyn, New York.

Lionel is a Minna man, a supposed brainless strong-arm for a man named Frank Minna. When Minna is killed, this story becomes a classic detective novel, as Lionel takes it upon himelf to solve the case of his dead boss, mentor, and father-figure.

" I cut the sandwich into six equal pieces, taking unexpectedly deep pleasure in the texture of the kaiser roll's resistance to the knife's dull teeth, and arranged the pieces so they were equidistant on the plate. I r...more Motherless Brooklyn is a beautifully written novel about a complicated man named Lionel Essrog who is an orphan and a sufferer of Tourette's. As we all know about Tourette's, the syndrome causes you to spurt out words (sometimes profanity) during periods of stress in order to ease an internal undying mental angst. Lionel also suffers from OCD and the infinite need to count things...to mix words in his head and regurgitate them in order to sort through the chaos that is everday life for a hood in Brooklyn, New York.

Lionel is a Minna man, a supposed brainless strong-arm for a man named Frank Minna. When Minna is killed, this story becomes a classic detective novel, as Lionel takes it upon himelf to solve the case of his dead boss, mentor, and father-figure.

" I cut the sandwich into six equal pieces, taking unexpectedly deep pleasure in the texture of the kaiser roll's resistance to the knife's dull teeth, and arranged the pieces so they were equidistant on the plate. I returned the knife to my counter, then centered plate, candle, and drink on the table in a way that soothed my grieving Tourette's. If I didn't stem my syndrome's needs, I would never clear a space in which my own sorrow could dwell."

I love this book because it's set in NYC and romanticizes (in the way that makes your mouth water for a pepperoni-and-provolone hero with peppers inside) and villifies Brooklyn at the same time. The dialogue reminds me of an old Humphrey Bogart movie--The Big Sleep (the R. Chandler novel was quoted more than once in the book) or the Maltese Falcon, or even, the more contemporary movie (loathed by many, liked by me) "Brick." It was similar to "The Curious Incident..." in that it was a mystery told from the perspective of a mentally handicapped protagonist--and by walking in his shoes we learn more about what it would be like to suffer from the syndrome ourselves.

The character of Essrog was also a bit reminiscent of Nic Cage in the movie "Matchstick Men" but much more loveable and complex. This novel was BORN to be a fantastic movie (as now being filmed by/with Ed Norton? (thanks Beth). Can't wait to see it. It would also make a great series of novels.

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message 1: by Beth

08/18/2007 10:20PM

I can't wait for you to read this! It is so freakin' hilarious. They are making a movie with Edward Norton playing Lionel Essrog. Jonathan Lethem came to a bookstore in Jackson to do a reading last year. I missed it, because one of my inconsiderate co-workers had to take her daughter to the algebra tutor, and I couldn't leave work on time. I am still mad about that. But, I think I was kind of secretly glad, because I am a little bit infatuated with Lethem, and the thought of being in the same room with him makes me a little nauseous. Plus, watching him do a reading would reveal any annoying or weird personal characteristics he might have, therefore destroying my mental image of him as perfect literary genius god-figure. So, probably good that I missed him.