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Title: It Takes a Village Idiot : A Memoir of Life After the City by Jim Mullen ISBN: 0-7432-1879-5 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 16 July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (13 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: GD flatlanders!!!
Comment: Jim Mullen's "It Takes A Village Idiot" recounts an entertaining and insightful journey from mid-town Manhattan to the village of "Walleye in Catskills County," a fictitious analog of some genuine place three hours north of urban civilization. Mullen is riotously out of place up in rural dairy farm country and maintains a suitably haute attitude about his rustic neighbors, for a year anyway. But then come the telling clues in his narrator's voice -- and the "weekend" travel schedule which has morphed into driving up on Thursday night to return on Tuesday night. Something is definitely happening here. How can a 'flatlander" remain so defined if he's only spending one day a week there? Short answer: He can't. The trouble is that his surroundings seem as protean as he. I was glad for this psychological movement, the growth of self from experiences, that sets this fun and funny read apart from Sedaris' flat "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Here are two NY writers, one feebly snide and sniggering about anything that isn't "Big Apple," the other maturely confident enough to acknowledge the good and the bad in all arenas. You will laugh out loud many, many times -- particularly if you have much time and energy invested in NYC. And, last, don't you just love that title!
Rating: 5
Summary: A great satire of "both" New Yorks
Comment: As most people living in New York State will tell you, there are actually "two" New Yorks--the one everyone knows about (the city and its surrounding metro area) and that vast chunk of land east of the Hudson River known as Upstate New York. I grew up in the latter, and found Jim Mullen's memoir an extremely enjoyable satire of life in both rural Upstate New York and urban Manhattan. He pokes fun at both rural dwellers and closed-minded Manhattanites who are so sheltered they've never even been to Brooklyn. NYC and Upstate have always had a strange, if somewhat strained, relationship, and Mullen illustrates this perfectly through his humorous tale of the difficult transition between city life and country life.
And besides the humor, I was touched by the book's ode to simple country life. Underneath all the sarcasm lays a touching tribute to rural life, and a great appreciation for the farmers who work the land. I've always taken that sort of thing for granted, and now I have a renewed appreciation for my homeland. The book is both an entertaining and rewarding read.
Rating: 4
Summary: A must read - especially for Upstate New Yorkers.
Comment: Jim Mullen has written a truly wonderful book. Being a native of the Catskill Mountain area in which he writes, I felt he not only showed the humor of his experiences but did so in a way as not to downgrade those of us who have lived here our whole lives.
I love that he not only uses humor but also shows an appreciation for the beauty and quaintness of the area. I especially liked that it is written so anyone...no matter where they live can visualize the settings.
Thank you Mr. Mullen for an enjoyable read about the area in which I live.
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Title: Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm by Jeanne Marie Laskas ISBN: 055338015X Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Baby's First Tattoo: A Memory Book for Modern Parents by Jim Mullen, Barry Blitt ISBN: 0743224450 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 03 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: A Place in the Country by Laura Shaine Cunningham ISBN: 1573228788 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 12 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Exact Same Moon: Fifty Acres and a Family by Jeanne Marie Laskas ISBN: 0553802631 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: My First Wedding: A Planner for Modern Couples by Jim Mullen, Barry Blitt ISBN: 0743254198 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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