Can't Buy Me Love

by Chris Kenry

Book Overview

In his bawdy and uproarious debut novel, Chris Kenry takes readers on a rollicking ride with an irreverent, resilient jack of all trades--and master of the naughtiest one. . .Buffed, Bereaved. . .And... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1575668467
• ISBN13: 9781575668468
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Delightful, Delovely, Delicious

Ah, what a great business prostitution is! You've got it. You sell it. You've still got it. Chris Kenry has it, too. What an incredible first novel. The clever plot, the memorable characters, and the witty tone would seem to be the work of an established professional writer. Poor Jack, our narrator who has always depended on others take care of him, suddenly finds himself with no visable means of support and an enormous credit card debt. Not only does he find the solution to his financial problems in the world's oldest profession, but he finds love along the way. More importantly, Jack grows into an admirable character. This is a book that will have you laughing one minute and worrying about characters that you have come to love the next. When one hates to have a book end and wonders about the future of the characters, one has found a really good book. Chris Kearny has vaulted onto my list of favorite living writers.

A great little number, well worth reading.

I'll be honest. My 'better-half' as he likes to call himself told me that I'd only bought this book to stare at and lust over the extremely gorgeous blond boy on the cover. How shallow does he think I am? After all, I carefully studied the dark-haired guy as well, before I dismissed him in favour of the dishy blond. Two kinds of people are going to be very disappointed by this novel; those who expect it to be a tale of true raunch featuring those oh-so-pretty cover guys; and those who ere expecting a gut-rippingly funny story. In truth, this book is neither, although it is very witty, employing a sardonic tone and it is about a rent-boy agency. What the author, Kenry, does do is to give the reader a half-plausible plotline to explain how a spoiled brat, whose sugar-daddy dies, ends up starting his own business as a "Escort Agency". There is an extremely well-made moral in the first chapter which transcends humour (and nationality) and does make it clear that in jurisdictions based on English Common Law, you MUST make a Will in favour of your partner to avoid the poor chap having to sell his body! I read this book just after I'd read Aaron Lawrence's book about how to become a cyberhustler, and I thought that great chunks had been lifted right out. So, Kenry got his research right , and I hope he got tested after doing it! This really is a very amusing book that makes a few serious points along the way and will, I'm sure, make many guys very happy.

What a great read

I found this book while wandering through one of the local book stores. The cover caught my eye & although this is a different genre for me, I bought it & it quickly became one of my favorite books. Jack, the lead character, certainly charges through life by the hour getting into one mess after another. Just like the supporting characters, you can do nothing but sit back and hold on for the ride. While you will laugh and shake your head at his "messes" you will also enjoy the introspective moments as well. It is well written, but doesn't get bogged down in too many details. I could easily picture each situation as they happened as well as feel each reaction of Jack and the other characters as they happened. I have recommended this book to several friends & hope to see more from this author. Great job!

Chris Kenry's Can't Buy Me Love

Fiction appealing primarily to a certain kind of reader must broaden its context in order to transcend its subject or theme in order to become good literature. A solid story, a well-written tale of human conflict or passion, a setting populated by a wide variety of characters -- these infuse Chris Kenry's new novel Can't Buy Me Love. The author accomplishes his task with talent and wit. Kenry's protagonist (alter-ego?) Jack Thompson finds himself transformed from callow youth into maturity as the story unfolds. We are so moved by this deeply introspective bildungsroman technique that the banality of Jack's profession and the infuriating shallowness of his character at the onset become secondary. At the same time, Can't Buy Me Love parades a host of city-dwellers from every corner of Denver's underground society -- a setting previously exposed by such writers as Gene Fowler, Damon Runyon, and Willard Motley. Never depressing, yet avoiding the whimsy of so many novels in its genre, Kenry's tale is a serio-comic masterpiece. The worst this reader can say is that it needs a bit of editing at times, and we are also left with a few loose ends in a very broad spectrum of parallel characters and sub-plots. In summary, think Petronius meets Balzac meets Mary Lasswell meets Noel Coward.