Journal Entry 1 by red-amaryllis from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Thursday, February 02, 2006

Tortured by the depth of his intellect, plagued by his own overwhelming sense of self-awareness and the moral implications of every action he makes, Antoine, a 25-year-old Aramaic scholar, is at the end of his rope, with only one viable solution in sight: he must denounce his intelligence, by any means necessary.
What follows in Martin Page's wickedly funny satire is an odyssey unlike any other as Antoine walks the streets of Paris trying everything from alcoholism to stock-trading to the prescription drug Happyzac in order to lighten the burden of his mind and his soul, and to fulfill his dream if becoming stupid enough to be a happily functioning member of society.
(from the blurb of the book)

 

Journal Entry 2 by red-amaryllis from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Thursday, February 09, 2006

Journal Entry 3 by linguistkris from Solingen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Monday, February 20, 2006

Wurde mir gerade in die Hand gedrückt, so dass ich es morgen als fliegender Bote nach Deutschland überführen (und es mir die Reisezeit vertreiben) kann!! 

Journal Entry 4 by linguistkris from Solingen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Thursday, March 02, 2006

Fun, clever read, if a tiny bit of a let-down. 

Journal Entry 5 by linguistkris at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt / Persönlich weitergegeben --, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Thursday, March 02, 2006

Released 6 yrs ago (3/2/2006 UTC) at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt / Persönlich weitergegeben --, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany

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Ab die Post! 

Journal Entry 6 by Piggeldy from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Friday, March 10, 2006

The book arrived here safely. I'll have to finish another English bookring before I can start reading this one, but they're both quite thin.

Edit, March 21st: A strange book. I'm not sure whether I like it or not... There were funny things, but it was not really what I'd expected. Anyway, it was quite a quick read! 

Journal Entry 7 by Piggeldy at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Released 6 yrs ago (3/21/2006 UTC) at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Baden-Württemberg Germany

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Have a nice journey! 

Journal Entry 8 by vinterstorm from Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Monday, March 27, 2006

Das Buch ist bei mir angekommen und landet erst mal auf dem TBR Stapel. Weiterer Eintrag folgt :) 

Journal Entry 9 by vinterstorm from Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Wednesday, June 28, 2006

So... mit etwas Verspätung gelesen! (Dafür aber sämtliche Prüfungen gut überstanden.)
War schon amüsant, aber ich hätte mir unter dem Titel wesentlich mehr vorgestellt. Eher die Art der Probleme, die entstehen, wenn man denn dumm ist und weniger ein halbes Buch, was sich damit beschäftigt wie man dahin kommt.
Adresse meiner Nachfolgerin habe ich schon und das Buch wird dann auch ganz fix weitergeschickt. Vielen Dank für die Geduld mit mir ;-) 

Journal Entry 10 by Buchfresserle from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Friday, July 07, 2006

Es ist sicher bei mir angekommen, Danke fuers Schicken! 

Journal Entry 11 by Urfin from Friedrichshain, Berlin Germany on Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Und jetzt ist es sicher bei mir...

14 Dec.
My last train journey was enough to read the whole story! Highly entertaining :o)
I like the game with the big divide in the world, must try that with my friends.
Also, am considering the book as a gift during the upcoming festivity... 

Journal Entry 12 by anesthesia from Solingen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Friday, December 22, 2006

Das Buch ist heute angekommen, danke urfin. Ich bin sehr gespannt!

8. Januar
Das ist ein nettes kleines Buch. Ich hatte mir etwas mehr davon versprochen, aber es hat Spaß gemacht es zu lesen.
Sobald ich die Adresse von ScarletBea habe reist es weiter.
 

Journal Entry 13 by ScarletBea from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, January 14, 2007

Received it yesterday, thanks!
I'll start reading it as soon as I finish my current one.
 

Journal Entry 14 by ScarletBea from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, January 28, 2007

This book was ok, but it didn't capture my interest that much. I think the idea behind the story could have been developed in a different way. I can't quite put my finger on it...
 

Journal Entry 15 by Franciek from Firenze, Toscana Italy on Tuesday, March 20, 2007

just found home!!! 

Journal Entry 16 by Franciek from Firenze, Toscana Italy on Monday, April 02, 2007

I've finished this last week... wrote to Abena to get her address, but she didn't answer. To whom shall I send it? anyway the book was cute and quite a laugh! I've enjoyed it a lot 

Journal Entry 17 by Diamondlucy from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Monday, April 16, 2007

Got this book in the mail today, thanks a lot. Will pass it on to Abena as soon as I've finished reading it!

Thanks! 

Journal Entry 18 by Diamondlucy from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Friday, April 20, 2007

That book was an easy and quick read! I thought it was marvellous!

I liked the idea that Antoine, the main character, had such a sophisticated way to approach things. Like it isn't enough to simply go to a bar and start drinking when wanting to become an alcoholic, but reading all the reference literature so you could easily name every drink by sight... *grins*

The end was a bit of a downer, because I thought something great, unexpected would take place, but well, you can't have everything, right? 

Journal Entry 19 by Abena from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Sunday, April 22, 2007

Franciek I am so sorry, but when I received the message I had completely forgotten about the bookring and somehow thought its a spam and deleted it.
Finally it is now with me and I give it now the honor to read it as fast as I can before returning it to red-amaryllis. 

Journal Entry 20 by Abena from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Reading this book was bringing me to act out a diversity of feelings. In the beginning I was about to quit reading. I had expected it hilarious, but it proved to me more of a bizarre and unrealistic story than an amusing one. But besides the exceptional version of the so called social disadvantaged groups and Antoines try to fit into it and failure but success in terms of riches, the view of intellectual and stupid is quite rigid and makes the whole story again to smile at it.

3komma14 also wants to read it before the book returns home. 

Journal Entry 21 by 3komma14 from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Monday, May 14, 2007

My opinion is split: there where brilliant parts like the discussion between Antoine and the alcoholic and great sentences like "This July is working the script of may." On the other hand it was quite boring sometimes and I had to force myself to continue in some parts. And I found the end a bit artificial.

All in all, some brilliant ideas, but probably not enough talent to carry it through.

Thanks R.A. for providing the book, though. 

Journal Entry 22 by feloris from Graz, Steiermark Austria on Monday, July 16, 2007

Ok, a somewhat thin, English book that sounds fun...just what I need this summer!