A novel you won't put down until the final page, and one that you will surely pick up again and again.

The writing, the language, the often sarcastic and witty interactions amongst characters makes this novel one of the best I have read in years. It will keep you coming back for more.


A terrific book   January 9, 2001
Ade Mulligan (Atlanta, GA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a novel you can't read just once. I finished "The Real Alice Cooper Wants To Be Famous" on a Monday night and the next night started in on page one again. It's addictive like that.

The second time around, you can open it up anywhere and just start reading. It's so engrossing, and the language is so flowing that, right away, you'll be caught up in the story again. You might be reading about flaky "Alice" herself . . . or the straightlaced Brother Gilroy . . . or the hugely-endowed Benjamin P. Cooper, CPA . . . or poor, tubby old Dottie Rosenthal . . . or wistful little Cathy Moriarity . . . or one of the two coolest monks you've ever met, Brother Zachary and Brother Brother . . . or a group of local townies who are unintentional comedians . . . or even a pair of Dobermans who smile and never bark. Whichever character you chance upon, it's like meeting an old friend -- and hearing them talk to you in their own distinctive voices.

"The Real Alice Cooper" is a genuine trip because it pulls you in and it doesn't let you go. You get wrapped up in all the people who pop in and out of the book and you find yourself enthralled. Just as amazing, the novel doesn't insult your intelligence. The action is always logical and plausible. The same with the characters: Even when two women take up with the same lunatic man, one after the other, it's somehow so inevitable that you know this is why they say life imitates art.

It's a terrific book and a great experience. After you read it, you'll feel a little more alive and a lot more appreciative of what you have.