List Out Of Books Hell
| Title | : | Hell |
| Author | : | Robert Olen Butler |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 232 pages |
| Published | : | September 8th 2009 by Grove Press |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Fantasy. Humor. Comedy |
Robert Olen Butler
Hardcover | Pages: 232 pages Rating: 3.4 | 1463 Users | 256 Reviews
Narration In Pursuance Of Books Hell
The new novel from one of American literature's brightest stars, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, Robert Olen Butler's uproarious new novel is set in the underworld. Its main character, Hatcher McCord, is an evening news presenter who has found himself in Hell and is struggling to explain his bad fortune. He's not the only one to suffer this fate--in fact, he's surrounded by an outrageous cast of characters, including Humphrey Bogart, William Shakespeare, and almost all of the popes and most of the U.S. presidents. The question may be not who is in Hell but who isn't. McCord is living with Anne Boleyn in the afterlife but their happiness is, of course, constantly derailed by her obsession with Henry VIII (and the removal of her head at rather inopportune moments). Butler's Hell isn't as much a boiling lake of fire--although there is that--as it is a Sisyphean trial tailored to each inhabitant, whether it's the average Joes who die and are reconstituted many times a day to do it all again, or the legendary newspaperman William Randolph Hearst, doomed to obscurity as a blogger mocked by his fellows because he can't figure out Caps Lock. One day McCord meets Dante's Beatrice, who believes there is a way out of Hell, and the next morning, during an exclusive on-camera interview with Satan, McCord realizes that Satan's omniscience, which he has always credited for the perfection of Hell's torments, may be a mirage--and Butler is off on a madcap romp about good, evil, free will, and the possibility of escape. Butler's depiction of Hell is original, intelligent, and fiercely comic, a book Dante might have celebrated.
Itemize Books Concering Hell
| ISBN: | 0802119018 (ISBN13: 9780802119018) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Hatcher McCord |
| Setting: | Hell |
Rating Out Of Books Hell
Ratings: 3.4 From 1463 Users | 256 ReviewsCriticize Out Of Books Hell
New Yorker capsule review got my attention. The premise alone is great - a newscaster in hell does a series of celebrity interviews - just one question: "Why Do You Think You're Here?"Perversely profound, though we are lured into the novel at the prospect of being a voyeur of someone else's eternal damnation, Butler leads the reader quickly to contemplate the source of all suffering.In the opening scene Hatcher McCord, the narrator and anchorman of the Evening News from Hell, describes aDon't be turned off by the number of lower reviews of this book. Most people don't like it cause its "depressing." I have to say that most literature is depressing and if you don't want to read about reality stick to reading Romance novels are the stuff that scruffs by these days as "bestsellers." This novel is inventive and fascinating. A quick read and definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time. This is number 75 for the year so that should say something.
I absolutely loved Butler's collection of short stories "A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain," but nothing in "Hell" led me to believe it was written by a man of the same capabilities. The main character was dull, which seemed appropriate for a TV anchor in Hell, but I didn't find any other reason to care about the book. Some parts were mildly funny. There didn't seem to be any point to the book, other than creating a lengthy list of Hellians, ranging Judas Iscariot to Mother Teresa. The lack
Butler is funny as Hell while asking the Big Serious Questions. The more familiar you are with Dante, the better this novel. I knew right away, on page 2, I was going to like the book when one of the first denizens introduced was "George Clemens, inventor of the electric hand dryer for public restrooms." Actually, everyone seems to be there, all the best people. The protagonist, Hatcher McCord, died a big-shot TV news anchor and now headlines "The Evening News from Hell." He lives with Anne
Hatcher McCord was a world-famous broadcast journalist, known for his sharply discerning eye for the news and his interviews with the dirtiest dictators and celebrities alike, while dealing with asshole producers and a bevy of bitchy ex-wives. And then he died and went to Hell, where his eternal punishment turned out to be exactly the same as his life on earth, only with even worse traffic and bouts of acid rain. And his producer isn't just an asshole, he's Beelzebub. You see, Hatcher isn't just
I'm only giving it 2 stars for the idea and themes. Really, it deserves 1 for being written so poorly. This guy won a Pulitzer Prize? I'm surprised he has even made as a writer. Let me give you a tip, Mr. Butler: never write in the passive voice! "He is thinking" should never be written. Every other page had something written in the passive voice and it drove me nuts. It was hard to concentrate. I also get what he's trying to do with the thought process being run-on sentences, but when it goes
Almost 5 stars. Great book, creatively set in a vivid underworld, with a great list of famous (infamous?) cameos. Read with a search engine nearby, looking up unfamiliar names is almost a must.
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