Turn of the Century

Kurt Andersen's got one heck of an imagination. Some of the scenarios he comes up with for the not-so-distant future are just downright neat!I also enjoyed the almost soap-operatic feel of watching George and Lizzie's day to day lives progress, both at the office and in their home. It was interesting to watch how different they were to each other in the world of business and the world of matrimony/family. (Brings to mind the... Read Full Review

When this book first came out in 1999, I thought about reading it, but was too daunted. When it came out in paperback, I bought it and decided to give it a try. I literally could not put it down. The 659 pages was almost too short. I could have read about George and Lizzie and LuLu and Sir (max) and Ben and Featherstone for another 1000. These characters, while satirical are magical. To inhabit their world is a gift... Read Full Review

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. I can't think of any other writer who could have pulled this off. It's the best reading I've had in the past year or so.

This is one of those books that buzzes in your head for weeks after you've read it. "Turn of the Century" is loaded with dazzling riffs and observations about contemporary life, of course, but the people in it are equally memorable and sharply drawn. You really start to see folks you know in light of characters from Andersen's novel. ("Oh, he's a sort of Timothy Featherstone type," I found myself saying of an acquaintance.)... Read Full Review

For my money neither the book nor its main characters are shallow in the least. I don't think I've read a book this funny with this much depth in years. These are excruciatingly real-seeming folks in a book that captures the flux of this crazed moment pitch-perfectly. Maybe some people just can't bear to read about financially successful people who aren't monsters. (And to the unfortunate person below who stopped reading... Read Full Review