An Underachiever's Diary
by Benjamin Anastas
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Description
Meet William, a devout underachiever. He enters life as the firstborn of identical twin boys. It is the last time he will beat his overachieving brother Clive, or anyone else for that matter, at anything. This is William’s manifesto for the underachiever. It is the chronicle of a lifetime of failure–part diary and part handbook for self-defeat. At once corrosively funny and surprisingly tender, An Underachiever’s Diary is a classic tale of perverse perseverance.Tags
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Member Reviews
This is a deft, ironic, and darkly comic "diary." Mr. Anastas has created a very "authentic" underachiever - a character with "potential" who is content with whatever happens.
I laughed a lot, and recommended this book to a few people who may appreciate it. People who tend to see the ordinary activities of life as very serious business will probably despise this book.
I laughed a lot, and recommended this book to a few people who may appreciate it. People who tend to see the ordinary activities of life as very serious business will probably despise this book.
A pleasant diversion during a trip to the laundromat. What, you expected more from a book with "underachiever" in the title?
OK. So I didn't finish this book. I think fear got the better of me...fear that reading about underachievement would exacerbate my own predilection for stunning underachievement.
With that said, Anastas' writing style was a little quirky to me -- it didn't flow so much as stubmle, and the funnies would sneak up on me, quiet enough that I didn't realize something was funny until a few sentences later.
I think if I had read this book 7 or 10 years ago I would have LOVED it...but now I'm a little too old for young adult apathy.
With that said, Anastas' writing style was a little quirky to me -- it didn't flow so much as stubmle, and the funnies would sneak up on me, quiet enough that I didn't realize something was funny until a few sentences later.
I think if I had read this book 7 or 10 years ago I would have LOVED it...but now I'm a little too old for young adult apathy.
A pleasant diversion during a trip to the laundromat. What, you expected more from a book with "underachiever" in the title?
...I'm not sure how I feel about it. The author/character is an ass...do I concentrate on his words, or do I let my mind wander to the similiar people like him I have known in my life...?
...I'm not sure how I feel about it. The author/character is an ass...do I concentrate on his words, or do I let my mind wander to the similiar people like him I have known in my life...?
Darkly funny, almost sour.
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ThingScore 75
Über zu wenige Verlierer kann sich die Literatur, zumal die moderne, sicherlich nicht beklagen; die Zahl der tragisch Gescheiterten ist Legion. Selten aber war das Verlieren so unterhaltsam wie im "Tagebuch eines Versagers" von Benjamin Anastas. Wo so mancher deutsche Autor wohl im eigenen Nabel pulen und schnell langweilig werden würde, dort inszeniert der dreißigjährige Amerikaner in show more seinem Debütroman ein Feuerwerk grotesker Situationskomik. show less
added by Indy133
Author Information
3 Works 353 Members
Benjamin Anastas is the author of "An Underachiever's Diary". He lives in Brooklyn & is an editor at "Grand Street". (Bowker Author Biography)
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- An Underachiever's Diary
- Original publication date
- 1998
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 237
- Popularity
- 136,812
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.20)
- Languages
- English, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 3
