[.ca] The Afterlife Diet (ISBN 0738804010)

The funniest thing I've read in years:
Only one way to describe it, GREAT!!

One of the Worst Books I've Ever Read:
First let me say that I love Daniel Pinkwater in general and I've heard many of his NPR commentaries and read some of his other books. But that aside this was one of the worst books I've ever read. It wasn't funny as many of Pinkwater's pieces are. It wasn't insightful. It wasn't interesting. Only two things keep me from rating this a one and that's that Pinkwater is a good writer and the book is well written (i.e. gramatically correct, clearly worded, etc.) and that I've also read PINBALL by Jerzy Kosinski which is the worst book I ever read. So if you'd like to read something funny and thought provoking read something by Daniel Pinkwater other than THE AFTERLIFE DIET

Best Fat-Afterlife Book I've Read:
I'm a big fan of originality, and this book didn't disappoint. while it seemed to make a lot out of a little, seemed a bit 'padded' (HA) at times, and contained perhaps the worst sci-fi short story I've ever read (One word: wereakeets), I nonetheless chuckled all the way through. Hardly great literature, but it achieved its intended effect. It made me laugh.

A brilliant, laugh-out-loud, total mess of a book.:
Daniel Pinkwater's great wit and keen insight are a little constrained in his one-minute NPR commentaries, but that MAY be a good thing. In The Afterlife Diet, they're completely unfettered, with mixed results. Some parts of this book are so funny I could barely keep reading. I have rarely laughed so long or so loud with a book in my hands. However, most of the funny parts worked as stand alone sketches, about the length, say, of a typical Pinkwater NPR commentary. The plot worked for a while, but it simply could not contain the huge wit of this very funny man. Once the grove of beech trees from outer space entered from the the wings, I knew the plot had gone into the shredder and it was a free-for-all the rest of the way. No matter. The copy I read was from the library, but I want to own it just so I can re-read the "book proposal" pieces and the scenes in the deli-shrink's office. Even watching the plot go totally off the rails is a pleasure, because only a brilliant, funny author could send it off the rails into that particulary plot canyon, at that critical moment. Not for everyone, but definitely for those who would enjoy anarchic wit, pretty smart commentary on being fat in America, sharp, funny insights on the publishing biz, and a dash of Borscht Belt humor. If you're a Pinkwater fan, you may not end up with the novel of your dreams, but I don't see how The Afterlife Diet could possibly disappoint.