Wakefield: A Novel, by Andrei Codrescu
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Wakefield: A Novel, by Andrei Codrescu
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A modern-day Faust embarks on a wild romp through the peculiar and preposterous American landscape When the Devil shows up in Wakefield’s living room to announce that his time is up, the bookish “de-motivational” speaker tries to strike a deal. The Devil agrees to prolong Wakefield’s life—for now—on the condition that within the next year he finds a more authentic existence. For Wakefield, who is estranged from his family, nearly friendless, and excellent at his job of lowering expectations in a positivity-crazed world, living “authentically” is a tall order. But he will try: an extra 12 months might be worth it. Wakefield’s bargain sets in motion a cross-country quest to find his life’s purpose. Along the way, he encounters an array of all-American weirdness from plastic surgeons and sadomasochistic strippers to phony New Age yoga gurus and billion-dollar tech start-ups. Codrescu’s astute observations and quick wit illuminate the comedy found in our national culture of narcissism and self-improvement.
Wakefield: A Novel, by Andrei Codrescu- Amazon Sales Rank: #2325963 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-09-08
- Released on: 2015-09-08
- Format: Kindle eBook
From Publishers Weekly Like many modern heroes, the titular protagonist of Codrescu's latest novel knows neither what he wants nor where he's going. So when the devil appears, Wakefield, a well-read motivational speaker, does what any good literary character would do: he makes a deal to extend his life, and then tries to find himself. On a cross-country lecture circuit through Clintonian America, Wakefield observes ethnic wars, new Internet money and shiny coffeehouse chains, while conversing with day-trading slackers, doom-spouting art collectors and lesbian supermodels. But the "authentic life" Wakefield is seeking eludes him. The road trip becomes increasingly surreal, an Epcot Center display of clashing cultures and globalism gone awry. The devil has spared his life, but Wakefield may as well already be a ghost-like the devil, he stands apart, gamely philosophizing on subjects like the size of airplane seats: "The simultaneous machinery of gluttony and greed works to sacrifice the individual to corporate ego, imprisoning the body in a cell of fat, and every inch stolen from the body's ease ends up in corporate space." He initiates intimate affairs with women who demand nothing from him and continues to roam with no accountability or impact. Meanwhile, the novel grows slack as its humorous scenes and colorful characters become convenient springboards for Wakefield's speechifying. While Codrescu raises big questions and presents interesting and often deeply comic modern insights, this scattered novel feels more like an excuse for the author's NPR-like essays on contemporary existence than a cohesive narrative. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal Adult/High School–Wakefield, a travel writer and motivational speaker, is having a regular day when the Devil, horns and all, knocks at his door and tells him his time is up. After he pleads to avoid the afterlife, the two strike a Faustian deal. He has one year to find the true meaning of life. And so the story continues with a grand tour of the United States as Wakefield moves from speaking job to speaking job, pondering life's purpose. This late-1990s U.S. is populated by angry artists, a voodoo priestess who reads fortunes, travel agents who specialize in paranormal vacations, and a lumber tycoon preparing for the next war against the country. Wakefield's relationship with his daughter and major events like the bombing of Sarajevo challenge his sense of humanity with a dark, wry humor, reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's. But the Devil really makes the book. Amid taunting his target and his unique perspective on humanity, this Devil–the original one–faces a mid-life crisis. With younger devils holding corporate-style seminars for maximizing the production of souls, he feels a little out of date and even lacks confidence in some of his dealings with Wakefield. Despite the offhand humor, or perhaps because of it, this is a novel about life's challenges and ways to overcome them. As both characters struggle for the right path, it's obvious how truly human they are.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review "One of our most prodigiously talented and magical writers, [Crodescu] manages to be brilliant and insightful, tough and seductive about American culture." —New York Times Book Review (New York Times Book Review )
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Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A Sardonic Essay on Contemporary America By Gregory Bascom This review is for the Algonquin Books first edition published in 2004, 288 pages. Andrei Codrescu is a poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter; columnist on National Public Radio; and editor of Exquisite Corpse, an on line literary journal. WAKEFIELD is the most recent of his five published novels. As of October 2005, WAKEFIELD had not entered the USA Today top 150-bestseller list.The protagonist Wakefield is a middle-aged, ex travel writer now a successful lecturer who jaunts around the States giving ad hoc speeches for lucrative fees. He lives in the Old Quarter, which is definitely the New Orleans French Quarter, although the author studiously avoids using real names for places, brands, companies or organizations.Wakefield has little contact with his ex, Marianna, even less with his daughter Margot, and has only two friends: Ivan Zamyatin, a Russian émigré cab driver and Zelda, his best ex-girlfriend and travel agent. Wakefield is comfortable with his minimal relationships. He is uninvolved. "I have no interest in people....I just want to be left alone," Wakefield says on page one. Indeed, as a youth, he specialized in finding forgotten spaces where he could hide and spy on the world.The prologue opens the story in the late twentieth century when Satin visits Wakefield's apartment and tells him it's time to go. Wakefield resists. Fortunately, this particular Devil is old, one of the originals, and his lower back hurts. So, Wakefield invites him in and over a couple of drinks, Wakefield cuts a deal. Ole Satinik agrees to give Wakefield one year more to find his true self, but he must travel and bring something that he thinks the Devil would like from each place he visits; he's not interested Wakefield's soul. "Give me a break," the Devil says. "I'm drowning in souls. It's a buyer's market."Wakefield goes to the city Typical where he speaks on Money and Poetry (with a detour in Art) and makes love, to Wintry City where his lecture to immigrants at war is a long poem, to the West where he wanders the back roads and talks with the grizzled geezer at the Dead Mule roadhouse, amongst others, and makes love to the olive oil lady, and then to the city of rain where he declines Mr. Redbone's quirkiness. And then he goes Home. It seems Wakefield does have an interest in people, but he does want to be left alone, his true self.As the dustcover attests, WAKEFIELD is hilarious, comic, a journey in laughter, a tour de force comedy, a trip. I snickered, smirked and laughed out loud. But WAKEFIELD is more than a joke. It is a sardonic essay on contemporary America.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful. On the Road. Off the Road. With A Codrescu By Jim Breithaupt, Portland, Oregon Anyone who catches Codrescu's social commentary on NPR, for which he is famously and justifiably known, will recognize the voice and extended social satire in this. Novel? Living in the Kingdom of Mordor in a time of foreign policy black magic and evil sorcery, full of dark suits like capes barely concealing insatiable greed and lust, I found Wakefield a sane and sardonic respite from the bleak and interminable bad news on same public radio station that reminds me of the mad and relentless hammering at the end of Codrescu's. Novel? Wakefield is my anti-hero. He doesn't have to work a nine-to-five job, has no problems attracting libidinous women, and drinks whiskey with a Bolshevik cab driver at his neighborhood bar. What more could one ask for?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Up and Down By Shane Jaworski The book Wakefield is very hard for me to review. One second I would love one of main characters (Wakefield) many rambles but then the next I would be looking to skim the entire next rambling. The entire book really not having a plot would bug me one second and then make totally sense the next. Overall, the book was entertaining and actually learned a little but just be prepared to get annoyed a couple times with sections going way too long and not making a ton of sense.
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