This was a great read! Shteyngart's take on society and what happened leading up to the current administration is nothing less than brilliant. The main character, Barry Cohen, in all his "master of the universe" awfulness, is still sympathetic and even redeemable in the end. Because that's the message, things will eventually be ok,, we will figure this out and get back to ourselves as individuals and as a country. Can't wait for my patrons to read this!

o Gary Shteyngart is hilarious and talented. There were moments in this book that felt inspired. But ultimately, I didn't care. The novel knows that the protagonist's values are ruining the country and the world but seems to ultimately sympathize with him. I pity Barry. And his story is sad I guess, but I don't really feel sorry for him. I thought his bus trip was ridiculous rather than funny and the watch obsession possibly realistic but ultimately boring and I didn't know why Layla or her parents indulged him. There were some really enjoyable parts, really, but I just don't want to read books about people who are neither likable nor interesting.

I didn't finish this. It was just too "on the nose" for the current political moment to be believable.

The flawed and self-absorbed characters are uncomfortably realistic. These wealthy New Yorkers may be typical, or just a satire, of the city’s elite; however, they are unlike anyone I know. They would certainly not be my choices for dinner companions. The novel is well written and carries the reader along, but it is difficult to enjoy a book when I feel so little connection with the characters. It was a very interesting look at the life of the very wealthy who are as unhappy as poor people.

This novel should win a Pulitzer. It’s astonishing in both its prose and humanity. It’s achingly funny and emotional at the same time. The characters are so well portrayed, the novel is sheer perfection, and I will tell EVERYONE. What a glorious achievement.

Lake  success was interesting...... I haven't read much of Shteyngartian before just bits and piece here and there. This book was different in style of what I have read before. I feel that maybe the humor that was in this novel was more political based and there were small pointers to the Trump era race. There was beautiful structure to how this novel was written. It did flow smoothly and the author is a highly intelligent person. While I normally don't read these type (political) novels, I was still intrigued. You can tell the author blended his sense of writing in with small hidden clues within this novel to mask or hide his views on the current race while leaving it simple enough to pick up on. Overall, I would give this novel 4 stars for its diverse structure. I received this e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Gary shteyngart's work, I was utterly disappointed with his most recent novel. It was unreadable. The main characters were un-engaging, bland, and shallowly conceived. the storyline failed. I wonder why Shteyngart's editor decided to publish this novel, given its shortcomings and shteyngart's obvious talent for writing better.

The funny, satirical pace of this novel starts fast and flags at points, but Barry Cohen's attempt at riding a Greyhound to redemption, or something like it, is worth the ride.