This book should be the dullest thing ever. A simple recount of a fairly mundane event (or two events, I suppose) retold 99 different ways; instead it's a fascinating, highly entertaining demonstration of the multiple possibilities of narrative. The first 20 versions or so race along and Queneau's playful inventiveness provides plenty of laughs along the way. I'll admit to skimming most of the remainder and not even beginning to understand the concepts behind several, but that's not to diminish the brilliance of the whole.

If you like this kind of thing you must also read Matt Madden's 'Exercises in Style' a cartoon version of Queneau's narrative game that makes for even better reading. ( )

Cautionary
This story contains some violence, and may be unsuitable for those with tender feet.

Lipogrammatic
A man in a bus with a cord in his hat and a coat with a button that's a bit too low. Told again and again, but not dull at all.

Situational
If you want a book to read on the bus, this is the one to go for.

Multi-media
Don't insist on watching the movie first, or you may never get to read the book.

Sartorial
It is a real pleasure to find a book that restores overcoat buttons to their rightful place (slightly higher).

Gushing
I loved, loved, loved this book!

Intriguing
So much more than a story about a man chasing a whale.

Blue-flagged
Top shelf, third from right.

Comparative
Not as funny as Zazie, but definitely worth a look.

Superlative
Queneau is the best.

Exploitative
Plz tell me what this is about: I have to write an essay about it.

Red-flagged
Amazon: "This slim volume..."

Puzzled
The narrator keeps getting on the bus, but we never find out where he is going.

Probability
Probably the best book I've read about a man on a bus.

Fantasy fan
Boring: There are no hobbits in the first five pages.

Feminist
A phallocentric representation of a male-dominated world, in which women only appear in the most peripheral role, as opposites, others, caressers of hands.

French
Chapeau!

Hypothetical
I haven't read this, but I'm sure I would dislike it if I did read it.

Hatterial
The most extensive discussion of hatbands in modern French literature, with some valuable insights into the preference for cords over ribbons.

Pedantic
The "S" bus no longer exists: Paris bus lines have route numbers instead of letters nowadays.

Pragmatic
Hetzelfde verhaal negenennegentig keer in verschillende stijlen

Tentative
Nearly finished. Excellent so far - can't wait to find out how it ends.

Blue-flagged (2)
French, public transport, hats

Impressed
This book is in French all the way through. How do they do that?

Over-informative
The first story in this book is about a man with a long neck and a funny hat on a bus. SPOILER ALERT: he has a problem with an overcoat button.
The second story in this book is about a man with a long neck and a funny hat on a bus. SPOILER ALERT: he has a problem with an overcoat button.
The third story in this book is about a man with a long neck and a funny hat on a bus. SPOILER ALERT: he has a problem with an overcoat button...
...The ninety-ninth story in this book is about a man with a long neck and a funny hat on a bus. SPOILER ALERT: he has a problem with an overcoat button.

Recursive
I was reading this book on the bus when someone accused me of treading on his toe. Then a seat became free and he sat down.

(OK, it's tempting, but I'm not going to do 99!) ( )

A great short work that I've recommended to several budding writers, encouraging them to play with language, find a voice, and challenge themselves to say the same things differently. As is the case with many works from members of OuLiPo, often the self-imposed constraints cause one to reach farther and produce a better work of literature than simple writing and re-writing. A fun piece of work for writers OR readers.

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau is a collection of the same story, written 99 different ways.

Some of the stories are fascinating retellings in various styles. Some are stereotypes (feminine , cockney, Gallacism, exclamations), some are in different perspectives (past, present, blurb, ignorance), some are different styles (noble, comedy, cross-examination, notation, sonnet, ode), and some are rather odd (dog latin, permutations by groups of letters).

Exercises in Style is short and sweet. It sets out what it was trying to do: show how style can change a story, depending on either the narrator or the particular way of writing. Some of them were a perfect example of the impact of style, while others seemed odd to me. In the end, it was a quick read that gave me ideas for developing my own writing style - and it gave me ideas for fun practice in imitating others and changing voice.

More on my blog

This is a fascinating, and as far as I know, unique book. It presents a very simple story, an encounter on a crowded tube train with a brief meeting later the same afternoon. Nothing special in that you may think. What is unique about this book is not the story, but the way in which it is presented, or ways in which it is presented to be more accurate, for the same story is presented 99 times.

Now we may at first wonder that there are nine, let alone 99 different ways of describing such a simple tale. The magic of the book is the multiplicity of styles Queneau uses. We might imagine the story told from the different perspectives of the participants. But imagine it observed passively, or described by someone hesitatingly, or with extreme precision. Imagine it told through a sonnet, or a play, or in a tactile way, as the notes in a policeman’s notebook, or focussing on sounds, through spoonerisms, or by a mathematician.

The result is that one is left thinking that there are so many more ways that even such a simple story could be told.
The effect is many-fold. Never again will I be able to see a description of anything without being aware of just how partial that description must be. It illuminates the reality of multiple perspectives from which everything can be seen.

For the writer, reader, speaker and listener it changes the way you perceive the description of everything. Opening up new opportunities and raising countless new questions.

This is a truly fascinating book, which has become a timeless classic. ( )