Product Description

JONATHAN AMES'S LATEST BOOK, his eighth, is a hilarious, erotically charged, and insightful collection of articles, essays, cartoons, and short stories. With an HBO series based on this collection's centerpiece, "Bored to Death"; a beloved novel, The Extra Man, soon to be released as a movie; a critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Alcoholic; and an ongoing series of strange literary and not-so-literary performance events, Ames has proven himself to be a writer of diverse and unusual talents.

In The Double Life Is Twice as Good, Ames's odd, Zelig-like life as a writer is on full display, as he covers the U.S. Open and a Goth music festival, profiles Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz, gives a speech at an annual gathering of passionate corduroy lovers, and attends a class on how to better pleasure women. On the fiction side, the short stories feature plenty of eros, heartbreak, and sexualities of all stripes and inclinations.

Ames's unique style and humor shines throughout this new volume, reminding us yet again why The Portland Oregonian dubbed him "an edgier David Sedaris."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182218 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .65" h x 5.50" w x 8.50" l, .49 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781439102336
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
The double life of the writer—the doggedly functional outer persona surrounding the neurotic inner core—comes through in this sparkling if scattershot collection from New York's gonzo scribe. In his forays into lifestyle journalism, Ames (Wake Up, Sir) is perennially out of place whether among scary teens at a suburban gothic fest or vapid club hoppers in Manhattan's glitzy meatpacking district. He's ill at ease just being himself in memoiristic essays, from a European travelogue to an account of recent boxing stunts. His fictional alter egos are similarly out of their comfort zones; in the sly anti-noir Bored to Death, an Amesian writer poses as a PI and flounders when the lark becomes too real. As always, Ames's own bodily functions, baldness and angst take center stage—Am I darker than Marilyn Manson? he broods in a profile of the goth pied piper—along with his graphic sex scenes, which play out as detached procedurals in which he self-consciously monitors his partners for signs of orgasm This miscellany contains some weak items—college diary entries?—dredged out of a bottom drawer. But at his best, Ames still beguiles with his offbeat, defiantly hangdog sensibility. Photos. (July)
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Review
"Bizarrely disparate: The topics range from prostitution to goth to tennis, but in Ames's capable hands the disparity works."-- Penthouse

"This hilarious, often harrowing compendium of articles and essays find [Ames] immersed in demented endeavors...certain to make his many fans snicker and squirm."-- Booklist

"Filled with its share of Ames classics."-- Kirkus Reviews

About the Author
JONATHAN AMES is the author of I Pass Like Night; The Extra Man; What's Not to Love?; My Less Than Secret Life; Wake Up, Sir!; I Love You More Than You Know; and The Alcoholic. He's the creator of the HBO® Original Series Bored to Death and has had two amateur boxing matches, fighting as ?The Herring Wonder.?

Customer Reviews

The Double Life is...Half as Good
Jonathan Ames is definitely an entertaining writer, and some of his stories really drew me in and kept me captivated. However the rest of the stories- about 40-50% of the book just felt like filler. I wish that the book had been edited down to a shorter read or that more exciting takes had been added to make it an overall strong read. I would recommend this book, but also suggest that you pass over the stories that seem to be dull.

Basis for the HBO Series "Bored to Death"
Jonathan Ames's eighth book is another collection of essays and fiction. The centerpiece is "Bored to Death," a novella about an amateur detective (also named Jonathan Ames). It's an amusing piece of fiction that originally appeared in "McSweeney's"; it's also the basis for an HBO series, executive produced by Ames and starring Jason Schwartzman, that will debut this fall. "Bored to Death" is also the strongest entry in this book.

Compared to past collections, "The Double Life" isn't twice as good; it's somewhat below average for Ames. It won't bore you to death, by any means, but several of his journalism pieces wear out their welcome here. Do we really need a 27-page adventure into New York's meatpacking district? How long does Ames need to hang out with Lenny Kravitz and Marilyn Manson to draw interesting portraits of the rockers? His fiction is more successful, and much more fun, than his non-fiction: He often uses his own life and experience as a basis. "Book Tour Diary", a fictionalized book tour diary (what else?) is a work of genius.

The cover copy calls Ames "an edgier David Sedaris". A "weirder David Sedaris" might have been more appropriate. The level of self-deprecation can be off-putting at times. If you're new to Ames, you'll probably want to pick up one of his novels to see how the humor works for you. The Extra Man and Wake Up, Sir! are good places to start.