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Comments (21)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 21 of 21 items
Nov 10, 2023treade rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
My first encounter with DeWitt, and not my last. In this story of Lucien "Lucy" Minor--the undermajordomo of the title--he mixes the fairy tale, the gothic yarn, and the bildungsroman, plus several other subgenres, and filters the…
Jan 20, 2023manoletters rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
After using the 50-page rule, I gave up. This guy's writing is stilted at best, and I'm just being nice. Meh. Award winner's aren't always the best story tellers. One star for the cover art.
Jul 30, 2022bogwolf rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
DeWitt says he was inspired by many when creating this quirky fable of a young liar who come to live in the Baron's castle and falls in love with the daughter of the local thief. He lists Shirley Jackson, Roald Dahl, and Werner Herzog…
Mar 30, 2021AndreaG_KCMO rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Set in a purposefully vague time and place (The Past, rural mountain region), the story often felt fairy-tale inspired minus the magical elements plus some dark, twisted humor. I was certainly entertained but never felt settled with the…
Jun 10, 2020pozrob rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Irreverent quirky love story told in fable/folktale format. deWitt fans will enjoy this offering but it misses the mark imo. If you’ve never read any of his works I would recommend starting with either French Exit or The Sisters Brothers.…
Aug 30, 2019Tigard_DeidraM rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I am now a die hard Patrick DeWitt fan. I loved The Sisters Brothers, and this one, although not quite as good, was very enjoyable and I read it quickly. I was excited to get back to it each time I had to put it down (one of the ways I can…
Jan 28, 2017Fontaine1 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I wanted to enjoy this book so much as I had really enjoyed DeWitt's previous novel, The Sisters Brothers. Although both books do share the feel of an adult fairy tale, Undermajordomo is written in a much more fantasy style and therefore…
Aug 02, 2016jalee_0 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable fast read. Unique style, similar in tone to his other book The Sisters Brothers. Lots of dry humor. Highly recommend.
Apr 06, 2016
Try as I might, I could not get into it.
Jan 25, 2016PennPal rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Enjoyed almost as much as Sisters Brothers; but oddly enough through several sections I kept getting the feeling/sense that I had read similar, if not the same material before.
Jan 05, 2016CMLibrary_gjd rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
While not as good as The Sisters Brothers, this author has a unique and engaging style. If you like books that are out of the ordinary, pick this one up today.
Dec 13, 2015JimLoter rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is Patrick deWitt's follow up to his great and enjoyable pseudo-western The Sisters Brothers. This time around, he takes on the Gothic fairy tale genre with a tale of a young man, Lucy Minor, and his new position as assistant to the…
Nov 29, 2015lbarkema rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
There wasn't any depth to the story. It was silly and very Monty Python-esque, which is ok, but not the kind of story I'm going to read over and over. Pretty sure I will promptly forget this whole "plot" in a month's time. At least it was…
Nov 26, 2015
While DeWitt lists several plausible inspirations, I could swear this was written by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame, with more than a few touches of "Fractured Fairy Tales" thrown in for good measure. This is my first DeWitt, but I'm…
Oct 27, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Canadian-born, Portland-based novelist Patrick DeWitt received much acclaim for his peculiar, darkly comic take on the western, "The Sisters Brothers," which was short-listed for the Booker. His new book is also something of an…
Oct 08, 2015Qwfwq rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Like a lot of people, I was completely won over by the The Sisters Brothers and was anxious to see how deWitt could follow it up. And my verdict? I'm not entirely sure. There were three plot points that I felt violated the "rules" which…
Oct 05, 2015
well - I just couldn't get into this book. I found it dull, not humorous nor engaging. Easy enough to read, but not really worth it. I kept at it because I took it on a weekend away, and had nothing else to read. Very disappointing…
Oct 03, 2015becker rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I loved the writing and the slight fairy tale feeling this book has. This author offers something new and creative every time he writes.
Sep 28, 2015ownedbydoxies rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
So very, very weird. Unique. Odd. Whimsical and yet pragmatic. Parts of the book are probably unforgettable, which is possibly not a good thing. ;) Also very, very funny.
Sep 22, 2015KateHillier rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book was like reading a Wes Andersen film. The setting feels sort of familiar but also feels like something you've seen in a fairy tale instead of something you've actually seen or read about before. The dialogue can be dismissed as…
Jun 19, 2015multcolib_alisonk rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book started out like a fairy tale, veered into Castle of Otranto territory, went a little Douglas Adams, picked up a touch of Hunger games, then popped back up again into fairytale picaresque. Say what? But yeah, I liked it. I…