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I am not sure what the criteria is for a Pulitzer prize (which this book won), but it meets my criteria for a good book. It tells the story of Arthur Less, a middling novelist who chooses to take some less than tantalizing jobs around the world in order to avoid the wedding of his former lover. It is often laugh out loud funny as Arthur travels the world. One of my favorite parts takes place in Germany, where Arthur who seems to believe he is fluent in German teaches a 5 week class on literature. Despite his horrendous grasp of the language (he tells his students he will need to kill some of them since the class is overbooked) his students love him. At a party a fellow author tells Arthur he is a "bad gay" since a gay character in his book goes back to his marriage. There are many such interactions and minor disasters, and yet Arthur's interactions with the locals are often sweet as well as funny. This is a quick read and very entertaining.
