Vernon God Little

[lizzie_odd]

I seem to be working my way through past Booker Prize winners and nominees at the moment, but this one really stands out. Its blurb described it as comedy in the face of death, which is true, but it is a pretty good tale as well. Completely ridiculous, but with quite excellent writing and characterisation. At points, the tone Pierre uses can be a little pretentious in the way he expresses Vernon's voice, but it made me want to read some passages over and over because the expression was so very different and unique. A little difficult to begin, i found the book easy to dip in and out of while on holiday last week, and found myself giggling aloud at some points, somewhat putting my roommates off their sleep at points! Hopefully, you have enjoyed this nook as much as i have.

[Grammath]

I read this last week and sadly, no, I didn't. It didn't live up to the hype for me, especially as it sounded like something I'd absolutely love in terms of themes and style. Instead of the sharp satire I was expecting, I found it a slapstick, crude and unfunny attack on a lot of obvious targets.

Vernon really irritated early on which meant that, as his situation worsened over the course of the book, I didn't feel terribly sympathetic towards him.

I also didn't like Pierre's writing - Vernon veered erratically and unconvincingly from dumb hick to erudite wit and, IMHO, any book where I find myself reading a lot of sentences twice is fundamentally flawed.

Thumbs down, a real disappointment.

[Top Cat]

Have to agree with you there, Grammath. Admittedly I haven't encountered many trailer trash teens, but the voice didn't ring true for me. I thought it came across as a cash-in on the Columbine killings and didn't strike me as coming from the heart at all. The rubbish characterisation would have mattered less if the story was gripping, but it wasn't.

Now, Daniel Woodrell - he seems real deal when it comes to voicing disaffected, broke America. I think of his Tomato Red and The Death Of Sweet Mister as being what Vernon GL wanted to be.

[Claire]

I've just finished this - and my overwhelming emotion is disappointment :(

It felt like a book with a fair bit of potential and some interesting ideas - but it never lived up to what it promised. (Sounds like a school report, doesn't it!)

I rather liked Vernon and some of his "learnings" as he tried to make sense of what was happening to him, but the most of the rest of the characters were flat which meant that despite the traumatic things that Vernon went through, I didn't really care that much about him. I just didn't believe in what I was reading.

The idea of Big Brother style "evictions" from Death Row is fantastic - but wasn't fleshed out well in the book - and just didn't fit, when the rest of the book had been fairly "realistic" in tone, rather than fantasy. It felt like it would fit better in a Steven King novel.

Plus, the ending annoyed me - the way everything suddenly fitted into place so easily at the last minute, so that Vernon was finally pardonned.

DBC Pierre - C- Could do better.

Who else has read this?

[Jen]

I read it a while back and the details are a little hazy. What I do remember is getting about 75% of the way through and losing interest so completely that I gave up. I shared your feelings of disappointment having had high hopes.

[Krey20]

restored posts

***************************************************************
7th February 2006, 11:56 AM
Beerqueen
Member

I've just finished this as my Reading Group book for this month. I didn't like it to start with, the tone reminded me of Catcher in the Rye which I hated but the last third or so - from his trial onwards - really picked up for me. I'm not sure whether I'd have persevered from about halfway if I had been reading it for my own sake but I'm glad I did and I was really 'into it' by the end. I wouldn't describe it as a comedy though, maybe more of a satire but even that I think is overegging it. But then, I often find that books described as funny or witty are not, so maybe it's me?

***************************************************************
7th February 2006, 11:57 AM
Beerqueen
Member

Mungus - just reread your post and realised it seems like you gave up just when I thought it started to get better!

***************************************************************
8th February 2006, 04:33 PM
lizzie_odd
Founder Member

Thinking back on it, I did lose the plot a bit at the end of the book, i think it did just ahve too much to say, in a dissatisfying manner. a bit marmitey was this one.

****************************************************************
8th February 2006, 05:07 PM
Mungus
Subscriber

I can't remember much about it so can't be sure when I gave up. I have made a mental note not to read anything else that he publishes though, so it must have displeased me greatly!

****************************************************************
13th August 2006, 11:15 PM
crayon
Member

This is one of the very few books I have never finished - it wasn't exactly a concious decision, I put it down one day and never quite worked up to picking it up again - but I don't feel any regret that I didn't. The style bored me and I couldn't identify with Vernon at all. I have heard that Pierre's new book (Ludmila's Broken English) has an entirely different style to Vernon God Little, but that doesn't entice me into going near it in the slightest!

*****************************************************************
23rd November 2006, 10:36 PM
Slowreader
Founder Member

I read this last year and found it raced along in grand style. I loathed all of the characters but the plot made it worthwhile...until the end.

Why couldn't he just have let Vernon fry in the chair rather than invent that ludicrous finale?

***************************************************************
3rd January 2007, 09:52 AM
mjple
Member

I found the first 75% of the story poor and the main characters unrealistic, the next 25% was more interesting but now the plot as well as the main characters were unrealistic.

[robert]

Well, I read this book on a long plane ride to America and it was a good job I did. I really struggled to get into it to begin with and, if not for the flight, I may have given up but, begorrah, it won me over. I though Pierre showed great empathy and respect for his central characters and, after my sticky start, was really pleased to get all the way through.

[megustaleer]

Welcome to BGO, Robert. I've enjoyed reading all your comments in this forum. Is modern literary fiction your favourite type of reading? It would be good if you could go to the introductions thread (http://www.bookgrouponline.com/forum/showthread.html?t=727) in the Central Library, and tell us a little about yourself, so that we can welcome you properly.

[iff]

i really enjoyed the book. i feel that pierre did a great job in the characther of vernon, a loveable brat

it was a good book