A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Today I want to highlight one of the book groups that meet in branches of the Harford County Public Library. “Lite at Night – Books With a Touch of Humor” meets at the Abingdon Branch the second Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. Recently they discussed A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.
Christopher Moore is the author of the previous bestsellers Fluke and The Stupidest Angel, and current best seller, You Suck. The jacket notes call the book an, “absurdly outrageous, howlingly funny, scathingly satiric novel about a neurotic, just-widowed father of a newborn whose life takes a really weird detour.” Charlie Asher’s wife dies soon after giving birth. Charlie swears he saw an impossibly tall black man in a mint green suit standing beside Rachel as she died. After a series of spooky and terrifying things happen to him, Charlie discovers that he and the green man are Death Merchants, whose job is to gather up the souls of the newly dead before the forces of darkness get to them. A series of weirdo assistants and Underworld creatures are coopted to mind Charlie’s shop and his new baby while he goes about his task, a task leading to a final showdown with Death in Gold Rush era San Francisco.
One reviewer (Publishers Weekly 02/20/2006) wrote, “If it sounds over the top, that's because it is-but Moore's enthusiasm and skill make it convincing, and his affection for the cast of weirdos gives the book an unexpected poignancy.”
I would be interested to read the comments of any member of the Abingdon book group who attended the discussion of A Dirty Job. The “Lite at Night” group focuses their choice on books that are humorous or light-hearted. These kinds of book often disguise a more serious purpose. Does anyone have an opinion in the case of A Dirty Job? Would anyone else who has read the book care to comment?
Harford County Public Library has many book groups and each one of them has a different character. If you are interested in joining one, please look on the Book Groups page of our website for details.
Elizabeth
Christopher Moore is the author of the previous bestsellers Fluke and The Stupidest Angel, and current best seller, You Suck. The jacket notes call the book an, “absurdly outrageous, howlingly funny, scathingly satiric novel about a neurotic, just-widowed father of a newborn whose life takes a really weird detour.” Charlie Asher’s wife dies soon after giving birth. Charlie swears he saw an impossibly tall black man in a mint green suit standing beside Rachel as she died. After a series of spooky and terrifying things happen to him, Charlie discovers that he and the green man are Death Merchants, whose job is to gather up the souls of the newly dead before the forces of darkness get to them. A series of weirdo assistants and Underworld creatures are coopted to mind Charlie’s shop and his new baby while he goes about his task, a task leading to a final showdown with Death in Gold Rush era San Francisco.
One reviewer (Publishers Weekly 02/20/2006) wrote, “If it sounds over the top, that's because it is-but Moore's enthusiasm and skill make it convincing, and his affection for the cast of weirdos gives the book an unexpected poignancy.”
I would be interested to read the comments of any member of the Abingdon book group who attended the discussion of A Dirty Job. The “Lite at Night” group focuses their choice on books that are humorous or light-hearted. These kinds of book often disguise a more serious purpose. Does anyone have an opinion in the case of A Dirty Job? Would anyone else who has read the book care to comment?
Harford County Public Library has many book groups and each one of them has a different character. If you are interested in joining one, please look on the Book Groups page of our website for details.
Elizabeth
Labels: blogabook, book comment, book reviews
posted by Elizabeth @ 4:30 PM
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