Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The reviews for "Rules of Civility" have been so glowing, I rushed to buy a copy. A novel about the young and reckless in 1930s New York? Sign me up! The author's story is also alluring -- somewhat advanced in years to be turning out a first novel, he has a career in a field unrelated to writing, and, in interviews, seems humbled by the book's early success. Good for him! But then there is the book. Its main character and narrator, Katey Kontent, is supposed to be from Brooklyn, of a blue collar family. Her voice, on the other hand, is that of a young man from outside New York, perhaps a "good" Midwestern family -- dull but well-read. There is no Brooklyn whatsoever in Katey. It turns out to be her wild and wacky friend Eve who is from a "good" Midwestern family. Eve, for reasons unknown, ignores her parents or treats them abominably; runs away from friends and lovers; drinks too much; passes out almost dead on a regular basis; and is rude and generally unlikable. She is in a terrible car accident early on in the book, but she was rude and unlikable before that. Then there is Tinker, who appears to be a blue blood, but is not, though he might have been. Who cares? There is some sort of triangle among the three, though you never get any idea why any of them like each other. Chemistry? None. They keep running away, but always happening upon each other again. And speaking of chance encounters -- Katey Kontent never meets anyone of any significance whom she does not bump into again at a VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT. You would think New York had a population of 438. It becomes funny after a while in a way I'm sure the author did not intend. Many pages are filled with detailed descriptions of activities not essential to building plot or character, like building paper airplanes or shooting different types of guns. But lots of pages are filled. Also, everyone in the book drops Quotes From Famous Authors with alarming frequency. And everyone has a hidden talent! Singing, playing an instrument, building those very very elaborate paper airplanes. . . It must be difficult for an author to write about a time period with which he has had no real experience, and though there are some nice physical descriptions of the city in "Rules of Civility," the book overall feels forced and phony. In fact, I had to force myself to finish it. Then I went and re-read "Turn, Magic Wheel," a much more satisfying novel about mid-century New York by the great Dawn Powell.