Love this guy ( )

I do not see why I should give a gnat's fart about anyone of the characters in this novel except possibly Lynn. I certainly don't see why I should give a gnat's fart about the protagonist.

Orloff Trenchant is petty, jealous, obsessive, violent, possibly talented, and not someone I would ever care to interact with. Lynn is focused, ambitious, and self-aware. Exactly why is Or the hero?

The story which emerges in the last, oh, twenty pages, the one about Rita's terminal illness and her belief that heroin extended her life, that is an interesting story. That could be an interesting novel about self-delusion and family and illness, but no, we got the story about a straight white able-bodied man and the pain he goes through when women do not appreciate him as he deserves.

:( ( )

I’m beginning to learn that the books my husband really likes and really wants me to read are usually books I really dislike. Here’s another example. A screwed-up artist, wandering without purpose in New York City, falls for a heroin addict who takes what little money he has for drugs and then ODs. My husband likes the books about the helpless women and the men who fruitlessly try to to take care of them. This author makes some particularly egregious (to me) writing mistakes, and his detailed rendition of his narrator’s every move, from dim sum to selling books to painting pictures, gets a little tiring. ( )

Although an MTV book, Arthur Nersesian has a knack for capturing artistic angst. This book is well-written and has a flare that is characteristic of our age. Thanks Arthur! ( )

Not bad...mind you, editing is dead. It's dead! He spelled author Henry Green's name with an 'e' like Graham Greene and said 'lockets of hair'. No see, a locket is a pendant.

Word.net confirms this:
The noun locket has one meaning:
Meaning #1: a small ornamental case; usually contains a picture or a lock of hair and is worn on a necklace

Ed Iting is dead. Mr. Ed is dead. Mrs. Iting is a widder.

Back to Nersesian. The book concerns an Armenian artist named Orloff Trenchant (changed from Tanzarian), who lives with his fiancee, June, also an artist. He suspects she's having an affair with a rich art dealer, so he destroys some of her paintings and winds up living in his van. He then becomes obsessed with a junkie named Rita. The story is mainly concerned with how hard it is to succeed in the New York art scene, how poor he is, and what makes or inspires good art/ good artists. He makes a meager living selling used books he buys in thrift stores and at library sales at a table on W. 4th St. The character of the junkie, Rita, is very well done. She's a rich debutante and art history student fallen to prostitution to get her fixes. The ending seemed like it ought to be trite. I knew exactly where he was going and I was saying, no, please, do something surprising, and he did exactly what I thought he would do, but it didn't seem trite when he did it. I didn't feel cheated in the end, so, not great, but a good read, especially if you're interested in art, New York, drugs, prostitution or swimming. ( )