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Published: Sep. 02, 2009
Words: 70256 (approximate)
Language: English
Ebook short description
Munich, 1990: American expat slacker Gordy Ford poses as a top Hitler scholar, all to impress a girl. Stuck in his scam, Gordy soon thinks he's stumbled onto a shocking historical discovery that's made him the target of a wannabe Neo-Nazi and shady Russian mafia. There's dark and dry humor, a rowdy plot, and imposters exposed despite their best efforts.Extended description
Munich, 1990: American expat slacker Gordy Ford poses as a top Hitler scholar, all to impress a girl. Stuck in his scam, Gordy soon thinks he's stumbled onto a shocking historical discovery that's made him the target of a wannabe Neo-Nazi and shady Russian mafia.Besserwisser (German for "would-be know-it-alls") has dark and dry humor, a rowdy plot, and imposters exposed despite their best efforts.
"A nifty lesson, delivered in a rousing plot." -- IndieReader
"Confederacy of Dunces but set against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Besserwisser is a comical adventure that will keep you guessing." -- The LL Book Review
Adult-content rating:
This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.
Tags
satire, germany, berlin wall, munich, oktoberfest, confederacy of dunces, cold war, americans abroad, expatAvailable ebook reading formats
This book is free.| Format | Full Book |
|---|---|
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| Online Reading (JavaScript, experimental, buggy) | View |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Download |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Download |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Download |
| RTF (readable on most word processors) | Download |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Download |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Download |
| Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) | Download |
| Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) | View |
Reviews
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Review by:
Dan Hughes
on Nov. 06, 2011 :
An unusual read, and mind blowing entertainment.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Russell Phillips
on June 10, 2011 :
I wouldn't have bought this if I hadn't read The Losing Role by the same author. This is quite enjoyable, but not as good as The Losing Role. I think that may be partly due to this being an earlier novel, and so the author's skills have improved, but it may also be that The Losing Role is the sort of book I'd usually read, whereas this was an unusual choice for me. The story is funny and believable, with interesting characters.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Dave Conifer
on Feb. 14, 2010 :
A Hilarious Romp Through Bavaria
Besserwisser was a complete blast. Since I'm not a professional book-commenter-on guy I'd have just kept my mouth shut if I didn't like it, but I did like it. At the risk of using a cliché -- I LOLed on every page. The voice of the author worked perfectly, dropping lines like "...looking like a grinning, oversized Alfred E. Neuman look-alike (but more handsome) in Converse high tops and brown leather (okay, vinyl) bomber jacket."
When Gordy Ford's book deal collapses he finds himself alone in Germany with no means of support. Shortly thereafter as he looks for a solution he backs into a most accidental dilemma that gets more and more complicated as he tries to talk his way out of it while interacting with colorful locals. The story is laced with priceless cross-cultural jabs:
"You Americans, you have it easy, don't you?"
"What? I don't know, not all of us. You got it good too. We don't all get health insurance. Our beer sucks. And our coffee? S***."
And there was the hilarious characterization from an 'Ossi' (East German) perspective of 'Wessis' (West German) as "a smart, rich and lucky people, somewhat like Americans but not as smiley."
I don't want to pass out spoilers so I'll just say the dilemma revolves around some intrigue based on Germany's past, enhanced by some present day buffoons with whom the protagonist gets tangled up with. The plot was zany but had solid enough foundations that it didn't seem contrived. There were times when I wondered if the author could sustain the plot and humor all the way to the end but he did it (I'm still not used to the Kindle and although I understand percentages I never really get the feel for where I am in the book).
It was all wrapped up neatly in the end, with no cheating. I actually had that sad feeling that many of us get when we finish a good book and lose some new friends.
Nice job, highly recommended.
(reviewed the day of purchase)