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Title: The Ceo of the Sofa by P. J. O'Rourke, Dick Hill ISBN: 1-58788-935-8 Publisher: Brilliance Audio Pub. Date: August, 2002 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 3 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.2 (35 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: OK for O'Rourke fans, not for novices.
Comment: CEO of the Sofa is an uneven book. It's basically a collection of some of P.J.'s writings on everything from Hillary Clinton to driving to being a new father. It is linked together in an homage to Holmes' "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" as a series of diatribes P.J. unleashes on the Democrats next door, his assistant, his wife, his daughter, his godson and the baby sitter (usually as his alter ego, the Political Nut).
I can't, in good faith, recommend this book to non-P.J. fans. The wit is there but the book lacks the coherence, factual analysis and dogged persistence on a subject that characterize his best books - Eat the Rich, Parliament of Whores and All the Trouble in the World. Even his previous collections - Vacations in Hell, Give War a Chance and Age and Guile - had related articles sandwiched together in sections. This just sounds like someone rambling on and on from topic to topic with no rhyme or reason. If you're not familiar with O'Rouke, I recommend the above-mentioned books, which are excellent.
Some of the stuff in the book is very good. Some of it isn't. His open letter to Democrats, his discussion of how being a parent changed his outlook, his (well-deserved) lambasting of Hillary and his analysis of the impeachement scandal in which no side is spared his sharp tongue, are top notch. But the CEO linkages annoyed me. Moreover, he took his old articles and pasted in asides to his (fictional) audience. The pasting is obvious and the asides are unnecessary and distracting. If he'd just done this as a coherent collection of his writings, it would probably be a 3.5-4 star book. As it is, it's 3-3.5 stars for PJ fans, probably less for novices.
Rating: 4
Summary: Better Satirical Commentary Than Most ...
Comment: P.J. O'Rourke spares no one, especially not himself, in his sharp and funny observations on life, politics, culture, more politics, and family. I like his writing. Humor is a risky and delicate thing because it depends so much on knowing the reality behind the joke. For example, I am sure that there are many hysterical jokes that, oh, glass blowers tell among themselves that would elude me completely.
O'Rourke has the knack of being able to find the universal in some rather arcane scenery - like the bureaucrats in India, and has a lot of fun with wine tasting and altering the senses in general. He also likes to tee off on both of our political parties, though, being a Republican there seems to be more glee in his hammering on the Democrats (or maybe my being conservative and Republican, I get more glee from his pounding on the other guys. But I must admit to relishing his exposing the hypocrisy on the right as well.).
This book is a collection of his published articles (at least one unpublished before) that are woven (pasted - pastiched?) together as if they came out of events in O'Rourke's life rather being set up as separate articles. This device works OK and offers the P.J. the opportunity the opportunity of setting up a few more laughs.
I am sure you will enjoy some articles more than others, as I did. Again, humor is a difficult thing and sometimes you find yourself outside the point of the joke. But there are plenty enough delicious barbs that you will find yourself laughing out loud more than few times. It ends in August of 2001 so it comes from the pre-9/11 world and that shows a bit. But, hey, it is still very good stuff.
Four stars: while it is very good writing, it isn't the best O'Rourke - but it is still far better than most other satirical commentary.
Rating: 1
Summary: A big boring read!
Comment: An friend recommended I read anything by P.J. O'Rourke, so I purchased CEO of the Sofa, since it sounded like a fun title.
Boy was I wrong!
This guy O'Rourke is just plain boring, whiny, and unfunny! Save your money and rent Caddy Shack instead.
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Title: Holidays in Hell by P. J. O'Rourke ISBN: 0802137016 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: July, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Eat the Rich by P. J. O'Rourke ISBN: 0871137607 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: September, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: All the Trouble in the World: The Lighter Side of Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred, Plague, and Poverty by P. J. O'Rourke ISBN: 0871136112 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig by P. J. O'Rourke, Alan Rose ISBN: 0871136864 Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: April, 1997 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: Modern Manners: An Etiquette Book for Rude People by P. J. O'Rourke ISBN: 087113375X Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press Pub. Date: June, 1990 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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