Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the ARC of this book.

I’m a bit sad about this one. I had heard so much positive buzz about this book, how funny and original and outstanding it is, so I was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, however, that was not my experience.

Less follows protagonist Arthur Less as he travels the world in order to avoid having to attend his former lover’s wedding. I found it meandering and melancholic and simply lacking in anything to really capture my attention. The sudden happy ending, in contrast to the rambling story, felt rushed and unearned. The main character should have had to work for it and we should have seen it happen.

The writing style was overly flowery and off-putting, and sometimes quite irritating. There were moments of humour, but not enough to warrant the high levels of praise this book has received. It took me about 6 weeks to plough through it.

I was very intrigued when I stumbled upon this book. The cover of a man’s free-fall, the title that could be interpreted in so many ways and, let’s be honest, the Pulitzer Prize Award sticker, I just couldn’t resist.

I was not sure what to make of the title of this novel when I first saw it, but I certainly did not expect Less to be our protagonist’s name. Well, his last name, to be exact. This novel is about Arthur Less, a “minor novelist”, as we read in the book, and his latest escapades, where he finds himself travelling around the world, possibly to attend an array of literary events and most definitely so as to be far away from his ex’s wedding. Whilst taking us around the world, Arthur Less is also giving us glimpses of his past, mainly his relationships with the two men that marked his life, Robert, the much older Pulitzer-winning poet, and Freddie, the admittedly much younger former partner and aforementioned groom-to-be.

Before you read the book, note this: Less is gay. Less is afraid. Less is American. Those are the three qualities that are indispensible to forming Less’s character building and whole existence. While the narrator is in third person and appears as an individual himself that has met our protagonist at some point, the book feels very much like reading a biography. Not an autobiography mind you, that’s an important distinction in this case, but more of an unauthorized biography where the writer talks about the main character. I switched between reading the e-book and the audiobook and I would definitely recommend both but more so the latter, which immensely added to my reading experience. The voice actor’s range with accents and his ability to portray every emotion while narrating was astounding, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Having said that, I am pretty sure I’m not the biggest fan of Arthur Less. Sure I liked reading about who he has met, what he has witnessed having lived with the accomplished people he has and been involved in social circles I can’t imagine being a part of, yet his insecurities are laced so convincingly with the descriptions that I was not particularly interested in learning about every minor detail of his life after all. When it comes to his personality, he is dramatic and desperate, and in the end spoilers the narrator makes a point of saying that Less’s life is not so bad after all. How are you trying to deconstruct the negative image that you have been building for the past 300 pages or so?

Furthermore, this book has its moments of describing everyday activities in a way that were sometimes a hit and others a miss for me. The humour made me smile and laugh quite numerous times, that was when snarky comments and sarcasm was involved, and then there were times when I thought I could see what the author was trying to do but it didn’t have the desired effect on me, particularly when we were introduced to narcissistic pretentious know-it-alls (remember, this book has quite the cast of fictitious yet acclaimed personas in the literary world, so I don’t think calling them pretentious is that big a stretch). Even the way the humor was employed was confusing for me. To illustrate my point, Less spent some time in Germany and while the author made a point of how Germans have no sense of humour, he created a German character that has a clearer and more poignant perception of humour than almost any other character in the book (in my humble opinion). In other words the author was toying with me! I was also a bit put off when the narrator’s identity was revealed, minor spoiler because it turns out it was a character frequently mentioned in the book and referred to by their name, which just doesn’t make sense. Is the narrator talking to us or are we in Less’s head, for the life of me I just couldn’t tell ( I think the fact that our narrator refers to our protagonist as Less more often than not has rubbed off on me).

The writing was a pleasant change at first, but the innumerable strings of epithets attached to every other sentence and the use of words made it seem a bit flourishing at times, maybe even flaunting. I believe that this might be the reason why the book got such inconsistent reactions from me, since there were times I wanted to hear (or read) about every single detail and other times I was bored out of my mind. There was also a lot of repetition of events that have taken place, and while I understand that this is both to keep the reader vigilant and to create the whole self-doubt extravaganza of Arthur Less, I couldn’t help but find it frustrating.

All in all, I can’t say I regret reading this book, but I would recommend it to a reader with caution: Be prepared to suspend your disbelief and possibly figure out the ending by the time you reach the halfway mark. However, bear in mind that this is not the kind of book you read for the plot-twist in the end. You get the chance to travel around the world, after all. It’s not about the destination; it’s all about the journey to get there.

Here is my review system* in short:
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3.25/5
Originality: 3.5/5
Sense: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5
Writing style: 3/5
Enjoyment level: 2.75/5
Overall reading experience: A vey even yet unplanned 3/5 stars.

*ARC provided from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Less was a delight from start to (slightly tearful) finish, a book brimming with emotion, meaning and beautiful sentences. The author just got everything so exquisitely right and, as a result, Less is not only thoroughly enjoyable but is a book that will stay with me a long time and I'm sure to recommend it far and wide.
As fan of neither romance nor comedy, the romantic comedy of Less has converted me, though I'm pretty sure I won't come across as fine an example of the genre for a while. The romance was so real - no slush, no unbelievable fantasy indulgence - that it could only elicit real empathy and emotion. The comedy timing was divine as was the moments of pathos - the author used both with such control and intelligence that it was stunningly effective. The humour is tack sharp but warm and without malice, the moments of poignancy piercing but wistful and both aspects beautifully balanced. The writing is wonderful, just a joy to wallow in - witty, light of touch, and having that quality of being so simple and easy yet capable of packing devastating punches with so little effort. Less is a fabulous character. Despite laughing at his exploits and feeling pity for his mistakes, I was never not completely on his side and when his happy ever after came I was whoopin' and hollerin' in a most unBritish manner. And the masterstroke of it all - the narrator and the dawning realisation and ultimate revelation of their identity! The whole thing just got more deep and meaningful! Less is so sweet, moving, funny, gently heart breaking, fearless and ultimately uplifting that I'm actually impatient to turn 50! Loved it, every word, emotional connection and empathic epiphany of it. Very highly recommended.

Fascinating - funny and interesting. I requested this on a whim after hearing about it but ended up really enjoying this and would recommend.

An exploration of identity (presentation and self-knowledge), personality, aging and sexuality, sexual conquest vs love, wrapped in a tale of relationships, travel and self depreciating humour. Light treatment of deep issues, well written whilst still widely accessible. Pleased to see a novel portraying gay characters and relationships winning a major literary prize. Well deserving of this year's Pulitzer, this novel is a deceptively simple story yet has multiple meaningful layers to give it hidden depth.

I requested this book because a friend had remarked that it was an unexpected win for the Pulitzer. Once I had started reading I was surprised and pleased to discover that here is an author confident enough in the quality of his writing that he does not feel the need to ostentatiously display his literary abilities. It turns out Less really is more.

Arthur Less is turning 50 and is setting out to travel round the world in order to avoid the awkwardness of an invitation to the wedding to his ex-lover.
This trip has not been planned or curated, instead in a mad-dash to escape Less has accepted invitations to an eclectic selection of literary events.
These invitations lead Less into a random series of encounters. At first Less seems to be the character from his latest book; a middle-aged, white, gay man recounting melancholy reflections on his life but our protagonist’s self-deprecating sense of humour and innocently amiable demeanor prevent this from becoming a self-indulgent introspection.
It’s also surprising funny, in Mexico he takes part in a conference although unable to understand a word of the language, in Italy he competes in a literary contest judged by high school students while in Germany the hectic tone borders on farce. Yet while Less often seems to be on the brink of disaster somehow things always sort themselves out

The prose is deceptively simple but it draws youe in. Wry comments on those surrounding him amuse without ever resorting to unkindness.
And we are soon in love with Less although he seems to have no idea why others take so much pleasure in his company.

Just for the record: happiness is not bullshit

This book is gentle, and humorous and l0ving – a joy to read.

Arthur Less is one of the most exasperating and at the same time one of the most lovable protagonists I've ever met. This book is charming, hopeful and heartwarming; it made me laugh and root for the lovers in a way that barely any lovestory has managed to before.

What a wonderful touching novel. Started it on a 4 hour train ride and finished it on the return journey! Unreservedly recommend.

Less is certainly more. Beautifully written, funny, moving, wise, thought provoking and perceptive.

What more can you ask for from a novel?

Wonderful and highly recommended.

I loved the blurb of this book, but sadly it just didn't work for me. Instead of finding Arthur Less as a troubled soul, I couldn't engage with him and found him a little bit dull. (sorry)

Others have enjoyed it, but it fell a little flat for me and I gave up

Less is more.

This had the 'worthy but dull' sound of the usual highbrow award winner. A Pulitzer winner isn't always the most readable, but the synopsis sounded approachable and intriguing. I try these if they appeal, and Less did.

And it kept hooking me further in as I read on, without me really noticing... It's a fairly simple story. In the current timeline, an ageing gay writer, Arthur Less, says 'yes' to various international bookings and travels around the globe to book events, food tastings and writing retreats. All to distract himself from his recent break-up's forthcoming wedding. Interspersed are segments of a young, somewhat vigorous promising young thing as he experiences first loves, the beginning of a writing career, and 'youth' in general without appreciating it as his older self no longer can.

The narrator amusingly chronicles the often ludicrous misadventures of Less, which plenty of times raised smiles as he seems to be struck by more bad luck at the whim of a spiteful deity.

As someone caught between young and middle-age (30-something, nearing the tail end), I could empathise with someone whose youth is no longer a natural state, with someone looking back and wondering what could have been, what more could have been achieved. I did laugh AT Arthur Less, as we are meant to, but I still sympathised with the man.

The narrator him/herself interjects and has you considering their identity more than once, they have their own character that adds to the enjoyment of the whole. This narrator is also one with an excellent grasp of language...
(Arthur)"sits down to lash his protagonist a few more times with his authorial whip."

It is quite 'meta' as well - a book within a book, and there's talk of an old lover of Arthur, a Pulitzer prize winner, inside a Pulitzer prize winner.

I just loved Arthur's adventures, tragically funny, comically tragic, whip-smart and not at all out of the reach of the layperson reader. It's actually a rather moving treatise on ageing, love and writing, with some memorable minor characters as well as the slightly hapless Arthur.

Do give this one a go, I think you'll find something rather beautiful in here.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy, provided for review purposes.

Meet hopeless, hapless Arthur Less, a not-so-successful novelist and ‘our brave protagonist’. Rapidly approaching his fiftieth birthday, his new novel rejected by the publisher with whom he has been for almost twenty years, his ex-partner about to be married to someone else…. Less decides to escape his life, avoid the wedding, and accept all the literary invitations he would normally reject. Thus begins his peripatetic trip across the world in this 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Andrew Sean Greer.

This is a genuinely laugh-out-loud book – be warned in case you are reading it on the train or bus, you might get some odd looks from your fellow-passengers! But it is also touching, warm and poignant and Greer is an excellent writer, able to switch from the humour to sentences that are so perfectly crafted that you can only marvel at his skill. The book reminded me of the campus novels of David Lodge mixed with great literary stylists like Alan Hollinghurst or Philip Roth.

The comic exploits of poor Arthur Less travel to New York, then to Mexico to attend a conference on his ex-lover Robert Brownburn (a conference entirely in Spanish, a language Less does not speak, of course). His trip continues in ever-increasing disasters through an award ceremony in Italy, and to Germany where he is, however, moderately successful teaching a course on ‘literature’ to students – although his ability to speak German is not quite what he thinks it is. Then via Paris to Morocco, where a trip to the desert finds him trapped in a sandstorm…. You get the picture, right? Everything he does, everywhere he goes, Arthur Less bumbles through life in ever-increasing absurdity. In India, trying to find peace in a writers’ retreat to re-draft his novel, he fractures his ankle. On to Japan to review cuisine for a men’s magazine (his suitcase having gone missing in transit, of course). Eventually he finds himself trapped in a tiny Japanese room and summons the courage to break down the paper-thin walls….

The metaphor is apt – Less’s journey is not just a physical one, it is a psychological one as well. Along the way he keeps meeting people from his past who help him to understand that he is not such a failure, that he has in fact, as one puts it, ‘won’. But don’t get me wrong – it’s not that trite and the message does not in any way feel contrived. The style and structure of the book allows Greer to use his narrator – who is revealed at the end in a nice twist (I won’t spoil it here) – to show us a man lost, helpless, aimless. In the end is he redeemed? Has he changed? Has this middle-aged gay writer found his way at last? (At one point he is told his writing career is failing because he is ‘a bad gay’.) Maybe, maybe not. But we have travelled with him and, despite his (many) faults, we care about him.

I admit to never having heard of Andrew Sean Greer before I read this – now I want to read more of his work and perhaps the best comment I can make is that as soon as I finished the book I wanted to go back to the start and re-read it. Great book, 5 stars – and well worth the Pulitzer Prize.

Arthur Less is going on fifty and navigating through a (lateish) mid-life crisis. Freddy, his lover of nine years, has left him to marry another man. Arthur has always insisted he wants no attachments, but receiving an invitation to Freddy's wedding is unexpectedly painful. To make matters worse, Arthur's latest novel – “Swift” – is turned down by his publishing house. It seems that its homosexual protagonist, who is suspiciously similar to Arthur himself, is not interesting, appealing or “gay” enough. In a bid to escape from it all, Arthur takes up a number of invitations for literary events around the world, a marathon trip which starts with a surreal interview with a science fiction author in New York and ends with a culinary review in Tokyo, via Mexico, Turin, Berlin, Paris, Morocco and India.

One of the characters tells Arthur that all he does is “write gay ‘Ulysses.’” In a playful metafictional twist, "Less" is himself a "gay Ulysses" – a traveller whose journeys will make him older and wiser. As we accompany him in his globetrotting tour, we laugh at him, then with him, as he ruminates on love and life.

So, can a lighthearted comedy about a washed-out gay author win the Pulitzer? Well, it did and I can understand why. Reading this novel as an ebook, I found myself repeatedly highlighting and bookmarking pages, struck by an arresting turn of phrase, a lyrical description or metaphor, a laugh-out-load moment. There’s much fun and variety in the wry humour – situation comedy (lapsed Unitarian Less finding himself in a Christian Retreat Centre), slapstick (Less dangling from a Berlin windowsill) and absurdities which might not be out of place in early Waugh or Jerome K. Jerome (the literal German/English translations are not far removed from the famous shoe shop scene in Three Men on the Bummel. Not terribly original perhaps, but it still drew chuckles from this reader.

Beneath the hilarity, however, there are more serious undercurrents. Consider this bittersweet extract in which Less and his friends, atop camels in the Moroccan desert (“with their hand-puppet heads and their hay-bale bodies, their scrawny little legs”) spot two camel boys watching the sunset.

The dunes are turning the same shades of adobe and aqua as the buildings of Marrakech. Two boys, arms around each other. To Less, it seems so foreign. It makes him sad. In his world, he never sees straight men doing this. Just as a gay couple cannot walk hand in hand down the streets of Marrakech, he thinks, two men, best friends, cannot walk hand in hand down the streets of Chicago. They cannot sit on a dune like these teenagers and watch a sunset in each other’s embrace. This Tom Sawyer love for Huck Finn.

The humour drives the book along, but to me, it is these poetic, insightful passages which make the novel stand out.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Little Brown through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

One word review: Delightful

Rambling review: Satirical and escapsim, what a delightful surprise! This was exactly the read I needed.

Greer builds a flawed but likeable character in Less effortlessly. As the novel centres on a failed writer, there's a dark humour teased throughout which makes it a very meta and tongue-in-cheek choice for this year's Pulitzer.

I use a number of sources for book recommendations, principally and in order: bookstagram, What Page Are You On podcast and London Book Club. But I hadn't seen Less on any of these platforms - I think until the Pulitzer announcement, it was relatively obscure outside of the US. That is certainly not me saying Greer was an unknown (he isn't) or that Less was (it wasn't - although it was facing some heavy competition for the prize, such as my favourite Sing, Unburied, Sing). But it is a reminder to read widely and harder - although the irony of saying this about a white male author is not lost on me.

The only niggle I had with the novel was that of the narrator - I don't think their individual voice was clear and consistent enough. Occasionally you dipped into their perspective, which was a hint as to what was to come, but it felt like a third person novel rather than a narrated novel.

P.S. Am I the only one who thought Less deserved more than Freddy?

Star rating: 4.5

A not very succesful novelist, about to experience a milestone birthday, runs away from his life and around the world.

This is a beautifully written, lyrical, comic, often profound and moving Pulitzer winning novel, to me it often feels like a gay version of Eat, Pray, Love. A little known, gay and inconsequential writer, Arthur Less, is approaching 50 with fear, his body is displaying all the physical symptoms of getting older. In his mind, he is the first gay man to face the quandry of the aging process, he has known hardly any gay men who have lived to this age. His problems are intensified because his current amour has dropped him and he has received a wedding invitation from the love of his life, a famous celebrity poet, Robert, a man with whom he had a relationship for nine years. What to do? He just can't attend the wedding, so to distract himself he chooses to accept invites to literary events around the world in search of himself and who he is.

On his meandering travels that include India, Germany, France, Mexico, Italy, Morocco, and Japan, through which Less's colourful, exciting and jam packed personal past life is revealed and reflected upon. Less shifts from one chaotic, difficult and challenging scenario to another, jumping into adventure after adventure, encountering mishaps in his efforts to find love, fulfillment and happiness. Less is a flawed man, charming, self obsessed, so body conscious, and a fascinating central character. This is a short, brilliant and entertaining novel about identity, and although often uneven, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I particularly appreciated the wonderful and enchanting prose. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

Arthur and Freddy have spent so many years together, but now, Freddy is going to marry somebody else. This already would be enough, but Arthur’s situation is even worse: he is about to turn fifty, thus, officially old. How to avoid the dreadful wedding and his birthday? The solution is close at hand: he accepts several invitations bringing him first to New York, then Mexico, afterwards across the ocean to Italy, Germany and Morocco before returning home via India and Japan. However, leaving behind your everyday life does not mean that your worries also stay at home. They follow Less around the word as constant companions at his side.

Andrew Sean Greer had been quite successful with his short stories before he started writing novels. His sixth, “Less”, was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer prize for Fiction, after he had already received the California Book Award and the O. Henry Award among others for his works.

It is hard to find words to adequately describe the novel. I simply adored it every minute. First of all, there is this extraordinary protagonist Arthur Less who is, in his own view, so plain, ordinary, normal and uninteresting and yet seems to fascinate everybody he meets, makes them fall in love with him instantly and puts a kind of spell on them they cannot escape. The reader also falls for him at once – albeit I cannot explain why this is exactly the case. It is surely not because he is outstandingly good-looking or especially witty, he seems to have some kind of charisma that attracts people.

Second, the narrator. He seems to be acquainted with Less, even though he merely hints at when and how they met and what their relationship is like. Often he recedes and just tells the story, but now and again, he talks to the reader, comments and readjusts the reader’s perspective. Even though a lot of disasters happen to Less on his journey and despite the fact that the two major loves of his life are lost, his life isn’t too bad.

Watching Less stumble through his journey, his anxiety about aging – his is 49, not 50! – his being mainly known for having spent years at the side of a successful writer while his own work did only find small recognition – all his little flaws make him even more likeable. His modesty, his shyness – he is not less, but much more. A wonderfully written novel, full of love and compassion.

Our hapless protagonist, name of Arthur Less, is having the seemingly obligatory mid-life crisis for a gay man, as his 50th birthday approaches. As he says, at times like these, it feels like he is “the first homosexual ever to grow old …too old to be fresh and too young to be rediscovered.” On top of which, his latest novel has just been rejected by the publisher and he has also been dumped by his long-term partner. Broken-hearted, he decides to leave the country and his woes behind, accepting every invitation offered to attend author events around the world.
Less presents a disarmingly congenial figure (somewhat reminiscent of the Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp) - poignantly candid about his foibles, as he careers from one disaster-prone situation to another.
Very few ‘comic novels’ live up to their designation, in my opinion, but this one is funny and smart – apart from that irritating eponymous title.

Arthur Less is an author, a gay man approaching his fiftieth birthday. He receives an invitation to the wedding of an ex-lover which he feels it is impossible for him to either accept or decline. His solution to this dilemma is to accept all the invitations he can find to attend literary award ceremonies, literary festivals and writers’ retreats: he accepts enough of them to take him round the world and ensure he can be out of the country on the day of the wedding he wants to avoid. So begins Arthur's journey of discovery.

I guess some books are victims of prior book reading and some are victims of expectations. This book was a victim of both for me. Just prior to reading this, I read/re-read Rachel Cusk's Outline trilogy which just happens to also be about an author (albeit a heterosexual female rather than a gay male) making a trip to other countries to attend literary events. For my personal tastes, Cusk is playing in the Premier League whilst Greer, err, isn’t. Secondly, I requested a copy of this book via NetGalley because it won the Pulitzer Prize. And this set a level of expectation for me. I’ve read books like The Underground Railroad, The Sympathizer, The Goldfinch and A Visit from the Goon Squad (to name just a few), so I thought I knew a little of what the Pulitzer is about. It seems I was wrong if this is also considered worthy of that award.

I am quite prepared to be shown that I have missed the point, but Less appears to me to be a light-hearted comedy that tells us a life-affirming love story. The protagonist has a slightly annoying name that can cause confusion whilst reading and seems only to have that name to set up the final line of the book. It attempts to be humorous. But its humour relies on us finding badly spoken German translated back into English amusing ("There is a fence in my book"). Not once, but twice in different parts of the story. Or on us being amused by someone’s tears of emotion turning out to be something in their eye. That kind of thing.

What I failed to see, but am happy for someone to show me, was the "scintillating satire of the American abroad" that was advertised.

Perhaps, as I say, this book is a victim of my expectations, or perhaps I have mis-read it, but the only book I have read to which I can compare this is The Rosie Project and neither that nor this seem to me to be books that should win major literary prizes. If, on the other hand, you loved The Rosie Project, then this may well be for you.

My thanks to Little Brown Book group for a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Arthur Less has hit rock bottom. His fiftieth birthday approaches menacingly, his last novel has been rejected by his publishers, and, worst of all, his former lover of nine years has just sent him an invitation to his wedding. What can a person do when they feel at their lowest? Why, get away from their problems, of course!

In a desperate attempt to be far , far away from California when Freddy gets married, Arthur decides to accept all symposium and event invitations he has received around the world, thus embarking on a mini Odyssey of his own. From New York to Europe and then Africa, Less will find himself in situations that are funny, awkward, exciting, and overall unique. He will meet old friends, reminisce about the best years of his youth, and meet new lovers and friends. But, all the while, will he be able to get the troubling feelings out of his mind?

Less is a moving, heartbreaking and incredibly funny story of a man in mourning; of his youth, his work, and , most of all, his lost love life. Each part of this book is another chapter of our hero's peculiar adventures. Through minor triggers - anything from a question to a phrase or a country itself- the hero, and thus the reader, too, is transported back to specific events of Arthur's past ; minor flashbacks that give us, however, important glimpses into Less's life, all the way back to his childhood. It is not a boring kind of fictional memoir, however. The author makes sure that the parts of Arthur's life we meet, are the parts we need in order to understand him. And understand him we do. In fact, you will find it is very easy both to empathize and to adore this man and his sorrows.

Less is a story written in such an excellent style, that it grasps the reader's attention from page one, and it doesn't let go. Easy going and full of caustic humor and heartbreaking moments, the adventure of Arthur Less will make time fly for you. An absolute must-read for fans of fiction, this is a book that should be on your 2018 reading list.