Serendipity Green

By Rob Levandoski

Book Overview

Tuttwyler, Ohio is the perfect Midwestern town. Beautiful square. Gazebo dripping with gingerbread. Leafy streets lined with big white houses.Even the town's annual summer festival is perfect. Squaw... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579620426
• ISBN13: 9781579620424
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Permanent Press (NY)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book

Everyday I wake up and think that there are books like this that I don't know about. This is a great book. It rings true on small-town life, politics, and "civil engagement" with a blend of humor both subtle and broad. While insightful, the examination of life in the small town is not mean or benevolent.

Very funny, but thoughtful book

It is magical when you have a book that is both funny and thought provoking at the same time. The funny-side of the surface is easy to see: this book is a very funny story that deals with life in Middle America, particularly in small towns where everyone knows everyone. But more importantly, the little town in Ohio is just a symbol of the whole world. Levandoski parodies the way we all try to give our lives bigger meanings by giving little petty things more importance than they really deserve. You can laugh at the pettiness and weirdness of the characters in this small town, but when you look more carefully you see that you know many people like them and we also do some of the things that they do! We are really them, with their foolishness and snobbishness, etc, etc. The Persian psychiatrist is hilarious. He is caught between two irreconcilable worlds and he must have his head examined, regularly, if possible! But, he might also be right thinking that our angst is all due to the fact that America is still a very young and naive country. We have not yet developed enough history and culture of our own to cope with life's complexities. Maybe if we could possibly stop and think how unimportant many of the things that we care about really are, then we could cope a bit better with life's realities. I strongly recommend this funny, funny book. It is a funny, thought-provoking and readable book (they usually don't go together!) It can be read quickly and you cannot put it down. Enjoy it since this sort of book only comes once is a long while!I look forward to reading Levandoski's next book.

Teaches us how to write!

I attended Mr Levandoski's creative writing class yesterday at the University of Akron -- a few weeks after first reading his novel "Serendipity Green." Mr Levandoski is not only a master story-teller, he's a stellar teacher, insightful and compassionate. As for "Serendipity Green," the prose is charming, the pacing is smooth, the humor is ironic without being forced or contrived, and his characters come so alive that they leap off the page. My favorite character is the Iranian psychiatrist, who, though not the central character, gives the reader a brilliant turn. In sum, "Serendipity Green" is a joy to read and a must for any serious observer of American popular culture.

A funny tale set in the typical, abnormal American town

If you ever lived in small-town USA--heck, if you ever drove through it--you'll probably like "Serendipity Green." Levandoski captures the atomosphere of a small community, where no one is anonymous, everyone's a character in his or her own right, and seemingly minor events take on major importance. Some of the chief players at first look familiar--the sluggish town handyman, a truth-seeking librarian, the self-absorbed politician. But as the story unfolds, they are revealed to be anything but simple. And some of the author's creations--an Iranian shrink and New York "fashion color" expert, in particular--are truly unique. The story moves along rapidly, full of the kind of bizzare happenings that define a "normal" American community. This is a funny, interesting book, definitely worth your time. I recommend it.

Levandoski weaves another Heartland gothic masterpiece!

Levandoski has noisily dashed into the pantheon of great modern American novelists, manifest in his latest taking of the pulse of the Heartland. His characters are singularly striking, his dialogue is piquant and his narration drips with irreverent irony and delicious description. Levandoski is a genius!