≡ PDF Free SWELL Corwin Ericson 9780984428847 Books

SWELL Corwin Ericson 9780984428847 Books

Download As PDF : SWELL Corwin Ericson 9780984428847 Books

SWELL Corwin Ericson 9780984428847 Books

This novel twists a fairly routine plot line with a surreal to outrageous set of details that provide great entertainment. These twists make it a fun read and keep things going such that I was always wondering what the next weird thing was going to be. What were the Koreans going to do? What's with the Whale Council? What does Angie really want?

It's a novel I could put down, but always wanted to pick up again. I am very stingy with my stars, and four is a really high score for me to give. I enjoyed it more than any book I've read in several years, but be warned, if you are put off by some pretty ridiculous stuff, you may just think it's stupid. I like ridiculous stuff as it often provides satire that I appreciate. Swell does that in spaces.


Tags : SWELL [Corwin Ericson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div> A raucous roller-coaster ride . . . the writer deconstructs all things New England to hilarious effect. Ericson's tale reveals strong flavors of Tom Robbins,Corwin Ericson,SWELL,Dark Coast Press,0984428844,Lost articles;Fiction.,Whales;Fiction.,Whaling;Fiction.,FICTION Fantasy General,FICTION General,Fantasy,Fantasy - General,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Literary,Literary,Lost articles,Sagas,Science Fiction And Fantasy,Whales,Whaling

SWELL Corwin Ericson 9780984428847 Books Reviews

What an inventive, rollicking, laugh-out-loud novel! Though Ericson is being compared to any number of successful novelists, he's his own writer with his own unique style. The language is fantastic without being over-the-top; this is a smart writer with a giant imagination, and he treats both his characters and his readers with respect. Prepare to be immersed in the believable yet fantastical world of Bismuth. It's the best novel I've read in quite some time - the characters of Orange, Snorri, and Moira are my new heroes!
What a strange book. I picked it up as a Deal of the Day; it was compared to Neil Gaiman. It has a protagonist named Orange Whippey; kind of thirsty now. Strange for about 2/3 of the book, then pontificated for the last 1/3. Am not quite sure about what. The author has a superb vocabulary. He makes interesting characters, but inexplicably just drops them. An interesting read, but...
You know how Raising Arizona is so funny because it mixes almost Shakespearian monologues with modern folksy wistfulness? This novel definitely does something similar, the main character is a quasi functional underachiever who views the world with a sophisticated belied by his station. Makes for some really funny prose.
"I have come to realize that merely remaining alive is more of an achievement than I expected."

A lot of Orange Whippey's acquaintances do their best to prove his point, in Corwin Ericson's debut novel, SWELL.

Whippey is a latter-day Candide being chased around the worst of all possible islands. He is stranded among lampreys; tossed off a rusting naval vessel; seen "courting deep vein thrombosis"; suspected of kidnapping; abducted, himself; and more than capable of getting and losing the girl. Over and over.

He both deplores and deploys his gullibility in the dodgy breezes of a fictional island called Bismuth. For all Ericson's Thor-thumping references to Scandinavian lore and "whale roads," Whippey's stark awareness of his own faults fans a pertinent line of faith but for the grace of God, we could all end up, as Whippey does, without coffee or pants.

This is a bro's bard, one women will feel they know all too well. The most seminal accomplishment here is an unerring ear for guy talk, a pal's patois of such secure consistency that Whippey can appreciate and describe the most exquisite, garden-party menu without losing his grip on the correct libation.

"Is there more wine? Different wine?"

"Do you mean beer?"

"Yes, please."

The good news is that Ericson's is a fine, singular voice. When not tearing his passions to tatters, Ericson can serenade you with long, spiraling chorales of nerve-jangling ingenuity. This man can write to Greenland and back.

Read it for that voice, and for Ericson's slick ability to nab a six-pack of authentically male eloquence.

My rating of four stars shouldn't be taken as a reason to stay away. Just the opposite. I hope you'll read SWELL for yourself, make up your own mind about it. See if you don't agree that we're hearing from a talent whose first body-surfing exercise may scrape the bottom at times, but who's likable and likely to find his legs in coming projects.

**A much more thorough, longer version of this review was originally posted at the web site Reader Unboxed and can be read in its entirety there.
I laughed my way through Swell. Its characters were likable and its plot was wonderfully unpredictable.

I love fiction that uses as its central characters the indolent yet thoughtful type of people I have often known. Like the stranded Ishmael clinging to his trunk at the end of Moby Dick, Orange Whippey is at the mercy of the sea of silliness that surrounds him on the imaginary island of Bismuth.

Not the ocean but a scheming, mysterious, diverse cluster of friends, lovers and employers buffet our hero from one hilarious scene to the next, imposing their will upon his indolent person with Ahab-ish intensity. This is an unconventional read in the tastiest sense of the word. Swell has that magical combination of seeming to come from a familiar place in our literary tradition while bursting with a freshness that current fiction generally lacks.

In this age of mean-spirited humor, Ericson makes every character funny and somewhat likable, while avoiding silly stereotypes or cultural shortcuts to fill out the cast of characters.

Melville would have loved it.
Read this book. What a great story; what a great voice. If the right word makes you laugh, read this book. When I described it to a coworker she said "oh! Moby Dick for laffs!" One of MANY wonderful things you could say about this piece, which is simultaneously literate and accessible; hilarious and mystical; a radiant downer without the hangover. This is easily one of the top 3 books I've read in the last year. Maybe even longer. One of those rare books that, when you finish it, you go back to the first page to start over. I was wholly pulled into Orange Whippey's (banal and awful) world and I loved it there. Frankly, I think this should replace Catcher In The Rye as the standard high school "anti-hero" read. Spoke to my inner disaffected youth and made it feel like part of the world!
This novel twists a fairly routine plot line with a surreal to outrageous set of details that provide great entertainment. These twists make it a fun read and keep things going such that I was always wondering what the next weird thing was going to be. What were the Koreans going to do? What's with the Whale Council? What does Angie really want?

It's a novel I could put down, but always wanted to pick up again. I am very stingy with my stars, and four is a really high score for me to give. I enjoyed it more than any book I've read in several years, but be warned, if you are put off by some pretty ridiculous stuff, you may just think it's stupid. I like ridiculous stuff as it often provides satire that I appreciate. Swell does that in spaces.