Review from a Transgressive Fiction Fan
Factotum. I must confess I wasn’t familiar with the word until I read this book a few years back, but once I knew the meaning, I had to read the book. This may be one of the most honest portrayals of living life under the radar I’ve ever read. Having worked a variety of jobs myself, often stultifying, never fulfilling, Bukowski’s book was a constant reminder of the degree of dignity that must be surrendered in order to survive on a daily basis. If you ever find yourself in a job where you have to wear a hairnet and smile at the same time, you will know what I mean. 5 stars…
“Insightful” Review from a Mainstream Reader
What a piece of shit. Chuck Buck prides himself as a worthless human filled with anger and bitterness towards all his fellow men. He has no respect for women or anyone else for that matter, and drinks himself into a state of absolute despair just so he can write about his depressive life in order to persuade the rest of the public to feel better about themselves (I assume). Bile. Waste. A foul excuse for contemporary literature- it’s more like contemptuous literature. I’m embarrassed his writing is considered “hip”. It just made me sad. Granted, this was the first Bukowski novel I’ve read. It should be a while before I pick up another one. Anyone out there disagree? – I’d like to hear about it.