I really enjoyed the social commentary and satire of this book, and the right-on-target portrayal of New Orleans. After the first half though, I did tire of Ignatius' antics and really, his self-desctructive anger. He ceased to be funny and started to be sad and pathetic. I did not take this book to be as humourous as some; this brand of satire is too sadly true to be funny and I couldn't tell if Toole intended it as humor or not. I also did not find the end satisfying at all. Toole was clearly a skilled and insightful writer. His own story is so hearbreaking and I wish the world had a chance to sample more of his work. ( )

The main character is Ignatius J Reilly – a unique comic creation – the ultimate anti hero. I can’t think of any book even vaguely similar. Laughed so much the tears were running down my cheeks.

Ignatius is a hideous, repulsive social misfit, yet he is so confident of his genius and he has such wild dreams and delusions that he’s engaging. He reminds me of Don Quixote – living in a fantasy world, out of touch with reality. But Ignatius is not the only weirdo – all the other characters are extreme types – his mother, Burma Jones the Negro, Mancuso the policeman, Mr & Mrs Levy who own the clothing factory, the other staff at the factory. They’re all deliciously nuts, and the dialogues are stunning. ( )

Finally picked this one up after many, many recommendations. The person who recommended it to me last and loudest reckoned that Ignatius J Reilly *is* the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. (Fat, overly enamoured of his own literate opinions, a Masters degree in something arty, etc.) So he was a big simply-drawn yellow slob in my mind as I read it. :)

And A Confederacy of Dunces took me an age and a half to finish! I kept on putting it down and picking up other books in between (never a good sign). I could *see* the humour in Confederacy but it wasn't tickling my funny bone much.

It's not that it's not a good book (Ignatius J Reilly is an amazing comic creation), it's just that if a nuclear bomb were to be dropped on New Orleans in the book at about the halfway point, I might have just breathed a sigh of relief that all these irredeemable characters were blown to kingdom come. There's not a single character that I could identify with, let alone *like*. I tagged it "grotesque" at one stage, and I'm sticking with that as the one-word-summing-up.

Can't say I enjoyed it - all the characters were most unlikeable, and there didn't seem to be any point in the plot (they're all still revolting at the end, and I like a bit of character development). It's been highly recommended by a number of people (most of whom are men, if that makes a difference), and is on the 1001 You Must Read Before You Die list, but I think it's a personal thing - they probably got the humour.

It's not a dreadful book, it's just not for me. ( )

After reading one lackluster book after another, I was getting worried. Maybe they aren’t bad. Maybe I just don’t like books anymore. Maybe my tastes just don’t match the real world. Maybe I just set the bar too high. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe…

But then, after wandering the wilderness of mediocrity, I found my way back into the Promised Land. This is a great book. This is a wonderful book. This is an entertaining book. This is a funny book. This is a weird book. This is a book that tells a fantastical story in a warped real world with characters you meet every day (if you always take a wrong turn.) This is a book that defies being put down. This is a book that is an award-winner which deserves every award it gets. This book is…indescribable.

I won’t even bother with the plot. (And, no, I’m not afraid of spoilers. I don’t think there’s any way to spoil this book.) First, you’ve probably already heard that this is about the impossible character Ignatius Reilly and his improbable life in New Orleans. Second, I just don’t think you can describe Ignatius’ life with his mother and the characters of the street in any way that even begins to help. Let’s just say Ignatius is a genius (just ask him) who spends his time navigating a world full of dunces (just ask him again). And those characters/dunces are as strange a conglomeration as you will ever see. There is nary a loveable character in there, yet you will still find yourself caring about what happens to each and every one of them.

And, if this tale serves no other purpose, it makes a great palate cleanser for when you’ve had all the Ayn Rand you can stand. (Take that all you self-proclaimed geniuses.) ( )

The narrative started off well, humorous and descriptive, but fell off halfway through. I never understood what all the fuss was about. Pulitzer Prize? Can't imagine why... ( )

When I first started to read this novel, I found Ignatius Reilly utterly appalling, but I eventually came to adore his antics and hope that he would conquer his world. He is one of the best literary heroes (or anti-heroes) that I have every encountered. ( )

One of my all-time favorites - the hilarious misadventures of Ignatius Reilly, New Orleans misfit and slacker extraordinaire, and his peculiar circle of acquaintances. In my experience, people either adore the book or it simply does not speak to them. After reading this book on my recommendation, one of my very dear friends said that it changed his life. I think he meant that after reading this book, one does not look at the world in quite the same way again. ( )

I didn't think I'd like this, but it won me over. I've always wondered how much Walker Percy contributed to this book, if anything. Probably doesn't matter. ( )

Ingenious. Funny in a sort of 18th century way. ( )

simply the funniest book ever written. am i retired yet? ( )

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I loved the fluidity of the writing which was so engaging but I think I loved the character of Ignatius J. Reilly the most. His unwarranted self-flattery and strong opinions had me laughing out loud in public. Brilliantly written! ( )

This novel was entirely engaging and well worth the read. Toole's rare gift to create a character as utterly repulsive as Ignatius J. Reilly is matched perhaps only by his gift to still make him lovable. The dialogue throughout the novel was top-notch and every character was portrayed with a depth and frank honesty difficult to find in novels today.

The tragedy of John Kennedy Toole taking his own life before his book was realized as a classic (eventually winning the Pulitzer Prize) only leaves me wondering what great literature we may be missing.

Nonetheless, this book is a fantastic read; it had me in fits of laughter, fits of rage, bouts of sadness, but ultimately left me feeling satisfied, even if I personally found the ending vaguely enigmatic. ( )

The story behind this book, as detailed in the forward, is very sad. The author failed to get the book published and subsequently committed suicide. It is only due to the persistence of his mother that the novel was eventually appreciated.
I found the book absolutely hilarious. I didn't know what was going to happen next. Every seemingly inconsequential character is given his/her own storyline, interweaving with that of the main protagonist. Incredibly, it all ties together in the end.
The main character, Ignatius Reilly, is a self-important, pompous, lazy, despicable man in his thirties, who still lives with his mother. Despite all this, we come to love him, and hope that he will somehow find his way out of the many predicaments that have befallen him, all of which are completely his own fault. As we follow his non-adventures, while he tries half-heartedly to gain an employment that suits his "valve", we meet many other characters, none of whom are the least bit likeable. The result is an immensely funny adventure, which has the most satisfying ending you could hope for. ( )

It's a funny book, plenty of dry and stupid humor. I'm glad I read it!

I began this book with trepidation, having meant to read it for years and terrified by others' revulsion of the main character, Ignatius. Thankfully, I found the novel hilarious and Ignatius, though disgusting, completely engaging. The voices, in particular of Jones, are so vivid - the entire time I was reading I heard the words aloud in my head. The novel was posthumously published and might have benefited from tighter editing - it's hard for me to believe the amount of "screaming" that goes on - but over all I am so glad I finally made time for this classic of gonzo Southern literature. ( )

This was an interesting read for me. It deals with the life of a very well educated curmudgeon with delusions of grandeur. Reading this was a strange experience since he, Ignatius Reilly, was simultaneously pathetic and hilarious. I laughed out loud several times throughout but my relatively low rating is due to the fact that I generally need to like protagonists (or at least one of the characters) in a book in order to like it. If you don't have that hang-up, you will probably enjoy more than I did. There are certainly a lot of funny and strange characters populating these pages. The fact that the author committed suicide also had me thinking of Clifford and Professor Levy in the movie _Crimes and Misdemeanors_. I guess the sadness of it made me want to find something deeper in the book and I didn't. But, if I haven't totally dissuaded you by know, it was a funny read. ( )

Blech. I could *see* where others might find this funny, but I felt it went on and on and on, and that every single character was a broad stereotype. It felt too mean-spirited for my tastes. But at least I've finally finished it, eh?

Later: Ok, it took an evening discussing the book, and darn it, but we were giggling over passages! The problems I had with stereotypes and mean-spirits were pointed out as satire and we talked about soooo much - sanity, mothers and sons, New Orleans, sexual ambiguity, nature vs nurture... It was a GREAT discussion, and I'd recommend this to any group that craves a deep discussion and is willing to tackle a somewhat difficult yet rewarding book... ( )

I liked it, but I didn't love it like I was supposed to. Maybe I don't dig on the anti-hero enough, but I found it to be sad--especially in light of Toole's and this book's story--more than funny. Dark humor or no, I'm glad I read it, but probably won't return to it. ( )

the funniest book ever. lol, when reading the preface (the biography of the author) the whole experience of reading the book (and i read it more than 10 times) becomes a profound affair for the reader because he has to balance between the comic in the book and the tragic outside of it

Ignatious is the most repugnant character ever created. I didn't beleive people like him could exist . . . then I moved to NOLA. ( )

There's probably little new to say about this astounding book. So, I'll just say it is one of the few books I own that I would never consider recycling, donating, parting with in any way. It is pure hilarious genius. ( )

What a comedic force. None of the characters can contain Ignatius J. Reilly, nor can the book itself for that matter. It is hard to keep from laughing out loud while reading, but it doesn't mean it is a joke either. A question that I'm left with is wondering how much Ignatius himself understands what is going on in his mind. There are sad undertones to this novel and I think those undertones may be what make understanding Ignatius so difficult. A very enjoyable novel. ( )

Hmmm. Well. Hmmm. From the hyperbole on the cover, I expected to be clutching my sides and rolling with laughter. Didn't happen. Oh, the story is amusing enough, and the writing is well done. But protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly is a disagreeable character. I was nearly a third of the way through the book before I warmed up to him enough to make the rest of the book worth reading.

Ignatius is a 30-year-old man who lives at home in New Orleans with his aging and alcoholic mother. He graduated from college with a Master's degree in some unspecified field, although I suspect it was literature or history. He believes he is brilliant (and might actually be right) and the rest of the world consists of idiots, morons, and other subhumans. He is unemployed and spends most of his time in his room where he writes, sleeps, eats and masturbates. An automobile accident causes a monetary crisis and he is forced to seek employment. Oh, the inhumanity of it all, he must consort with inferior beings, and therein lie the conflict and humor of the story.

Once he got out of his room and into the world at large, he became an interesting person. His literary asides (letters, journal entries, etc.) are entertaining and elicited a chuckle or two, and his frequent rants against injustice and malice are inspired, not to mention more than a little delusional and paranoid.

Worth reading. Once. ( )

I can feel my pyloric valve closing up as I think about how to start my review of this brilliant book. ( )