This was okay - and a fast read - but ultimately I found it a little implausible and somewhat disappointing.

was hooked by this little book I found at the library, The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian. The ending was good for a stand-alone novel, but open enough for a sequel. A quick Google search confirmed it is the first novel in a three book series. I need to go back to the library and get Vote for Larry! Too bad that the final book in the series, Larry and the Meaning of Life, has never been published in Italian, so I won't find it here.

Seventeen-year-old Josh Swensen is a prodigy who wants to make the world a better place. When he was two, he was solving algebric equations using coloured magnetic numbers on the kitchen fridge. He sets up a website, The Gospel According to Larry, in which his alter-ego Larry publishes sermons against consumerism, and quickly becomes a national sensation. Everyone wants to discover Larry's identity. Josh, unable to reveal the truth to the people closer to him, starts to feel trapped inside his secret. What will happen if he is exposed?

Josh thinks of himself as a loner and a philosopher. His father, an alcoholic, died when he was a baby; his mother recently passed away from cancer. Josh now lives with his step-father, who works for an ad agency, and is secretly in love with his best friend Beth. She has never expressed any romantic interest in Josh, but ironically is very taken with Larry, and urges Josh to create a fan club for him.

The media circus around Josh grows exponentially, until his identity is exposed, and it all turns into a nightmare for him. He has alienated his stepfather; Beth feels he has betrayed her trust, and won't be his friend anymore. Josh needs to find a way to break free, but, again, it might turn against him.

This is a fast-paced, well-structured book with a few twists. Some aspects were maybe a bit too convenient, plot-wise (such as Josh's stepfather's job in advertisement, which gives Larry access to unreleased ad campaigns) or slightly difficult to believe, yet heart-breaking (Josh talks to his dead mother at the cosmetics section of Bloomingdale's, and waits for her answer in the form of words muttered by passers-by). I wanted Josh and Beth to get together, even though it was pretty obvious it never would happen. Not in this book, anyway. Maybe in the next one?

A great read for teens. I need to find the next book in the series!

Cover attraction: I'm not so fond of the original cover. The black nail polish doesn't do it for me.

I took a chance on this one and was richly rewarded. A character you have to root for in life and love. On to the sequel now!

I feel like I give out a lot of “3” star ratings. Apparently I love just about everything I read, which is kind of totally awesome. I’m not going to complain. Side note: I don’t always love the books I read for the adult book club I attend though. I definitely have a soft spot for teen fiction. Anyway, The Gospel According to Larry was one of those books that I passed by literally hundreds of times in the collection, but never gave a chance. To continue my new affair with audiobooks, I thought I decided to check it out, especially because it’s read by Jesse Eisenberg and it is only 3(!) discs long.

Larry wants to change the world. On his extremely popular blog, he rants and raves against consumerism, celebrity worship, and the way his best friend is a total phony for falling in love with the school jock. Larry is Josh Swensen, a seventeen year old boy genius who is suddenly feeling trapped by his controversial alter-ego and is determined to keep his anonymity at any cost. But when a follower of his blog promises to uncover the truth about who Larry really is, Josh’s world is turned upside down and his attempts to contribute to the world come at the cost of those he loves.

In some way or another, I think everyone can relate to Josh (aka Larry). We’re all looking for some way to put our stamp on the world. While most of us don’t do it with quite the flair and controversy that Josh does, it’s the same sentiment, to make a lasting, hopefully positive, impression on those around us. The audiobook of The Gospel According to Larry is spectacular. Eisenberg does an amazing job bringing to life the socially awkward, extremely intelligent Josh, and author Janet Tashjian’s snippets of relaying the story bring the entire plot together. I would highly recommend the audiobook, or regular book, of The Gospel According to Larry, to all fans of teen fiction.

I found this book on a reading list from the library. It's about a kid who has a website where he rants anonymously about the evils of consumerism, among other things (existentialism, teen angst, etc). He comes across as very self-righteous and kind of an asshole. While the website does, in fact, exist, the notion that some random kid's rants attracted the media frenzy described in the book is completely unrealistic - and yet the book was advertised as a true story. Not buying it, sorry. The concept is kind of interesting but the book just didn't do it for me.

CAWPILE: 3,14/10 of 2/5*

gek genoeg komt school nauwelijks in het boek voor, ook al zou het over een zeventienjarige moeten gaan die midden in het schooljaar zit?

I thought that this book was brilliant. The voice of Josh was so real, I believed that it was true (especially the parts at the beginning and end... very nearly had me duped). The humor in this book is incredible, though I think that you have to be a nerd to understand (of course I have no way of verifying this).

The sermons in this book were not what I thought they were going into it, however, I liked the message anyway. Despite the title, the book really has nothing to do with the Bible, or even Christianity. Personally, though he never really talks about having a religion, he seems to be following Buddhist teachings (with the seventy-five possession thing). Speaking of which, that is such an incredible thought. Only seventy-five possessions! I would have no idea where to begin...I have at least that many books.

There was one thing, however, that he preached about, that I did disagree with (it is bound to happen). It was after he fought with Beth about going out with Todd, and he went to his Hole, and wrote about how, if a friend leaves to increase their popularity status, you shouldn't welcome them back... that one just really got to me.

Though I know it was necessary for the story to have some plot, the character of betagold drove me insane. I hate to admit this, but there were several times that I wanted them to run her over or something. I really didn't understand why she wanted Larry to show who he really was. (She never gave the reason, either)

Despite my grumblings over a fairly major character, I loved this book. (So naturally, when I finished it, I raced off to the library to get the next one)

Re-reading this, as I remember it being one of my favorites as a kid. Aged okay. Predicted the effects of the Internet and the TikToks pretty well for 2001. Surprised there's a sequel. One pretty disturbing plotline, looking back.

This was a good book however it didn't feel like a full story. You didn't get to know any of the characters besides the main one- but at least I liked him a lot. There just should have been more to it- more on his relationship with Beth and his Step Father, more about how Larry's website actually caught on, more about his daily life before and after he was outed as Larry. Other than that it was a nice quick read.