Really solid novel from Fante. I like how repulsive Arturo is in this book and made sure to deliver with his interactions with other people. I am very curious as to what happens to Arturo from here! ( )

Excellent. ( )

This was John Fante’s first book (written in 1933 / rewritten in ‘36 / finally published in ‘85), and I was disappointed with it. The book is focused on a single character, and painfully for the reader, that character is too self-focused, angry, and violent, there’s not much positive or interesting about him other than he wants to be a writer. This man’s mind is highly overactive, firing off in all directions that he then fleshes out with a seemingly endless and tiring number of details. After adoring Ask the Dust (often held to be his best) and loving his short stories in The Wine of Youth, my love affair for everything Fante went cold with this book. Even though it’s a very short book, the single dimension of its character just wore me down. It wasn’t until the story’s end that this character started writing, and both his mother and sister told him that it stunk. Our sweet character, then punches out his sister and leaves for Los Angeles to write. The stories of how he quickly got fired from a number of jobs—all rather boring stories—made me think of the people who just don’t fit in anywhere and was overwhelmingly depressing. All of this may be entirely appropriate, as this was all during the Depression. I will definitely return to Fante, but never to this book, because when he’s good, he’s golden, but when he isn’t, he’s …. ( )

I agree whole-heartedly with scottcholstad's review (below) - what a patchwork stream of adolescent and sociopathic nonsense - thank god the book was short because it took grit to get through to the end - the little boy who is portrayed in the book has no, absolutely no, redeeming qualities and simply needs a good ass kicking (for starters) - although written back in the 1930s the book accurately portrays the thinking and attitude of today's (2021) "the world owes me a living" children, meaning most everyone under the age of 30. I did not like Fante's other books either - despite the frequent comparisons he is not in a league with Charles Bukowski or Eric Hoffer. ( )

If you have read all the other Fante books, you might as well read this one too. Otherwise just leave it be. ( )