A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole’s hero, one Ignatius J. Reilly, is “huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans’ lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures” (Henry … (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times).
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This is my favorite book of all time. Have read it every few years.
I cannot understand why this book received positive reviews. None of the characters were likable or even sympathetic.
Amazing satire. Ignatius P. Reilly is unforgettable — we all know one!
If only there could be more!
One of the best characters in literature!
One of the best novels of the 20th century
A Confederacy of Dunces might not be for everyone, but I loved it. There’s a certain poetry to the destruction the MC leaves in his wake while he tries his hand at various ways of supporting himself and his mother. The underlying tone of tragedy is what makes this comedy a masterpiece.
Highly recommended!
Considering it was a pulitzer prize winner I was not impressed.
Walker Percy’s introduction best summarizes what is great about this book: both its comedy, which is straightforward and brilliantly absurd, and also its tragedy, which is more subtle, but which seems apparent even without taking into consideration the author’s life.
I have never been able to get thru this book and don’t understand why it is so popular.
Hated it. Very annoying caracters. I am not entertained by stupidity.
Never have laughed so hard while reading in my life. Just read it. Ignatious is a character like none other you’ve ever met.
The back story on the author is more interesting than the story itself.
A truly great book that everyone should read. You wont be sorry.
One of the strangest books I have ever read, yet I couldn’t put it down.
Great read! A sad, crazy, tragic, hilarious story. There’s no way to describe this story! Just dive in and get hooked!!!
Worth reading this classic when you are in your teens and early twenties. The real story behind this book is how many times it was rejected by major publishers! Funny, original and worth reading.
Our main character’s name is Ignatius Reilly who is a 30 year old who lives at home with his mother in New Orleans. He doesn’t work, but after a run in with the law, his mother forces him to leave the house and look for a job. Ignatius is self centered and delusional, and gives his mother a million excuses on why he cannot get a job, or even why …
This is a cult classic for good reason. I often recommend this book to everyone I know.
Tragicomic