Less
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- Create Date：2021-07-05 06:53:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Andrew Sean Greer
- ISBN：0349143595
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Summary
Who says you can't run away from your problems？
You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty。 A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else。 You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat。 On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world。
QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town？
ANSWER: You accept them all。
What would possibly go wrong？ Arthur Less will almost fall in love in Paris， almost fall to his death in Berlin， barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Saharan sandstorm， accidentally book himself as the （only） writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India， and encounter， on a desert island in the Arabian Sea， the last person on Earth he wants to face。 Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty。 Through it all， there is his first love。 And there is his last。
Because， despite all these mishaps， missteps， misunderstandings and mistakes， LESS is， above all， a love story。
A scintillating satire of the American abroad， a rumination on time and the human heart， a bittersweet romance of chances lost， by an author The New York Times has hailed as "inspired， lyrical，" "elegiac，" "ingenious，" as well as "too sappy by half，" LESS shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy。
You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty。 A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else。 You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat。 On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world。
QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town？
ANSWER: You accept them all。
What would possibly go wrong？ Arthur Less will almost fall in love in Paris， almost fall to his death in Berlin， barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Saharan sandstorm， accidentally book himself as the （only） writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India， and encounter， on a desert island in the Arabian Sea， the last person on Earth he wants to face。 Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty。 Through it all， there is his first love。 And there is his last。
Because， despite all these mishaps， missteps， misunderstandings and mistakes， LESS is， above all， a love story。
A scintillating satire of the American abroad， a rumination on time and the human heart， a bittersweet romance of chances lost， by an author The New York Times has hailed as "inspired， lyrical，" "elegiac，" "ingenious，" as well as "too sappy by half，" LESS shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy。
Reviews
Jen
，
3/3。5
Molly Turner
，
Less is at once a satire of the literary community from the queer perspective， a midlife crisis travel novel， and a surprisingly lovely romance。 Was very surprised by the narrative。
Treyton
，
I found myself confused by the writing style of this book。 It took me a while to realize what the intention was behind the alternating third-person and first-person POVs。The character of Arthur Less is fairly relatable。 He is not error-free nor is he is total klutz。Some sections provided a great deal of reflection。 This most often occurred when Less was engaged in conversation with one other person: Robert， Mohammed， Javier， etc。。。Maybe if I were to read it again I would be more satisfied， havin I found myself confused by the writing style of this book。 It took me a while to realize what the intention was behind the alternating third-person and first-person POVs。The character of Arthur Less is fairly relatable。 He is not error-free nor is he is total klutz。Some sections provided a great deal of reflection。 This most often occurred when Less was engaged in conversation with one other person: Robert， Mohammed， Javier， etc。。。Maybe if I were to read it again I would be more satisfied， having picked up on the author's purpose with the format and plotline。 。。。more
Alanna Inserra
，
Right after finishing this I did a cheeky google to see why this won the Pulitzer and what people loved about it。 Supposedly it’s laugh out loud funny， satirical， and a scathing take on the literary establishment。 I got none of that so maybe I missed the point， because to me this read as an upper middle class white dude having a mid-life crisis because his astonishing good fortune feels like mediocrity and he doesn’t know what he wants。 This was like eat， pray， love for overly intellectual gay m Right after finishing this I did a cheeky google to see why this won the Pulitzer and what people loved about it。 Supposedly it’s laugh out loud funny， satirical， and a scathing take on the literary establishment。 I got none of that so maybe I missed the point， because to me this read as an upper middle class white dude having a mid-life crisis because his astonishing good fortune feels like mediocrity and he doesn’t know what he wants。 This was like eat， pray， love for overly intellectual gay men who are obsessed with their image。 。。。more
ishika
，
this book is great。 the writing is beautiful， the subject is interesting， the main character is wonderfully flawed。 BUT i just couldn't get into it。 i did read all of it though because i know it is a "good" book objectively this book is great。 the writing is beautiful， the subject is interesting， the main character is wonderfully flawed。 BUT i just couldn't get into it。 i did read all of it though because i know it is a "good" book objectively 。。。more
Roza
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 stars。I don't usually like romcoms or contemporary fiction but this is such a sweet， soft book about love and ageing and life that it's hard /not/ to like it。 It's funny and wistful and overall， it was just an easy and enjoyable read。 ---SPOILERS----Also， I love happy endings！ I'm glad Arthur got his。 3。5 stars。I don't usually like romcoms or contemporary fiction but this is such a sweet， soft book about love and ageing and life that it's hard /not/ to like it。 It's funny and wistful and overall， it was just an easy and enjoyable read。 ---SPOILERS----Also， I love happy endings！ I'm glad Arthur got his。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I wasn’t blown away but was sufficiently entertained throughout the novel。 I just finished reading David Sedaris’s Calypso， and I found Arthur Less’s adventures to be oddly reminiscent of Sedaris’s stories， and not just because the protagonist wrote his own novel called Kalipso。 There was potentially room for greater， more profound character development， but overall I enjoyed this quick comedy of errors。
Joshua Dowling
，
This book was a treat。 The first couple of times I tried to read it， I could not get beyond the tone of the first chapter。 Yet as I read， the book， the protagonist and myself all grew together: more introspective， more aware， more confident。 Especially enjoyed Less’s novel mirroring Less’s story & “Less” itself。 Truly a great book。
Ashley Cummins
，
I can’t even give cw/tw because I was so bored I’m already forgetting everything。
Anusha Jayaram
，
After ploughing through nearly two-fifths of this book， I've realised that， no matter what it says on the cover， this book is not going to get any better。 It will continue to be a colossal waste of time， being an irritating read all the while。 This is one book I'm bound to put on the DNF shelf， despite my inherent dislike for abandoning books without finishing them。 This book's central character， Arthur Less is labelled a "failed writer"。 This is not entirely accurate。 He seems to be quite a goo After ploughing through nearly two-fifths of this book， I've realised that， no matter what it says on the cover， this book is not going to get any better。 It will continue to be a colossal waste of time， being an irritating read all the while。 This is one book I'm bound to put on the DNF shelf， despite my inherent dislike for abandoning books without finishing them。 This book's central character， Arthur Less is labelled a "failed writer"。 This is not entirely accurate。 He seems to be quite a good writer， if the description of his first book is to be believed。 He just suffers from severe imposter syndrome。Now， that， in itself might have been a good enough premise for a book， but - enter the irritants！ Less is extremely aggravating。 If he were an actual person， I'd be tempted to slap him across the face。 I cannot muster up any sympathy for this whining， useless character。 He constantly spaces out of any occasion， going back into his memories， remembering his two long term relationships。 He used to be with a genius poet， Robert， and then later， with a young writer， Freddy。 He cannot stop thinking about them， and nothing else。 It is as if his own identity doesn't exist。 Another thing - the number of times we see Arthur being described the same way - thin， pale bond hair - is exasperating。 We get it， enough with the repetition！Oh， and the writing style。 It aims for drily sarcastic。 But it actually ends up failing spectacularly， trying too hard， containing too many descriptions with big words that don't quite fit， all in an attempt to sound witty。 I can't stand Less， and I cannot make myself read any more of this book。 How it accumulated so many accolades is beyond me。 Goodness。 。。。more
Eva Da Rosa
，
One of those books where the protagonist isn’t rooting for himself， but you’re rooting for him。 I genuinely laughed at some parts， felt my heart aching at others， and I had to bite my tongue to keep from grinning like an idiot at the end- I finished this treasure at work。 Every queer person， young and old， should read this because there are things inside that both groups can benefit from。
Laura
，
I’m a sucker for protagonists who are writers—not to mention the ensuing layers of metacognition—and I found this one particularly charming。 And after the past 1。5 years of pandemic-caused travel paralysis， this novel made me seriously envious。 On top of exotic settings and poignant characterization， Greer’s writing is very， very good。 There’s something unassuming （and perhaps tonally askew） about this book’s cover， but don’t be fooled: It won the Pulitzer for a reason。
marilena
，
Most wholesome book I’ve ever read。 I just finished it and I’m about to cry。
Aldo Aguirre
，
I was so ready to give it a solid 3， but those final pages are a true work of art。
Karen
，
This won the Pulitzer Prize？
Ida Wickström
，
Det här är en bra bok för personer som mig， som läser för språk å känsla å karaktärer snarare än handling<3 Den här boken är sådär intellektuellt smart skriven som jag älskar - å den ställer frågor om åldrande och själv-uppfattning， samtidigt som den är rolig。 Karaktärerna är super， och på sina ställen är den också väldigt poetisk vilket jag faller för som ett äpple till marken （speciellt när den romantiserar poetens liv och lidande som geni… mums）。 Underbar bok， men snarare jordgubbar med grädd Det här är en bra bok för personer som mig， som läser för språk å känsla å karaktärer snarare än handling<3 Den här boken är sådär intellektuellt smart skriven som jag älskar - å den ställer frågor om åldrande och själv-uppfattning， samtidigt som den är rolig。 Karaktärerna är super， och på sina ställen är den också väldigt poetisk vilket jag faller för som ett äpple till marken （speciellt när den romantiserar poetens liv och lidande som geni… mums）。 Underbar bok， men snarare jordgubbar med grädde （alltid asgott） än nåt speciellt jag kommer bära med mig hela livet。 。。。more
Elly
，
A Pulitzer Prize winner story of Arthur Less， a writer， not very successful， and a handsome gay man approaching his 50s， trying to escape attending his ex by lover wedding by accepting several invitations in different countries to give talks about his books。The story takes us to a journey through different times of Arthur life as well as his current adventures in each country he visits。 The writing is funny at times but not hilarious。 There is not too may events that happens in the book， and no A Pulitzer Prize winner story of Arthur Less， a writer， not very successful， and a handsome gay man approaching his 50s， trying to escape attending his ex by lover wedding by accepting several invitations in different countries to give talks about his books。The story takes us to a journey through different times of Arthur life as well as his current adventures in each country he visits。 The writing is funny at times but not hilarious。 There is not too may events that happens in the book， and no traditional story line。 Good meaningful writing， but easily to get bored of。This book was not for me。 。。。more
Pleiades
，
Felt like I had a 40-year old gay friend and he’s telling his colorful life。 Writing was witty and characters were funny！ One of the most interesting contemporary books I’ve read。 💙
Angela
，
Beautiful prose
Karen
，
It took awhile for me to get into this one because it jumps around so much-- but because I loved the premise of the story I wanted to keep reading。 I'm glad I did because I really was cheering for Less and so badly wanting things to work out for him。 After finishing this， I learned it had won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction。 That surprised me at first， but the truth is， I really don't know what the criteria is to win a Pulitzer-- I'll have to look it up。On another note， Less is a gay man， but this It took awhile for me to get into this one because it jumps around so much-- but because I loved the premise of the story I wanted to keep reading。 I'm glad I did because I really was cheering for Less and so badly wanting things to work out for him。 After finishing this， I learned it had won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction。 That surprised me at first， but the truth is， I really don't know what the criteria is to win a Pulitzer-- I'll have to look it up。On another note， Less is a gay man， but this story is NOT about his struggle， his coming out etc。。。。 it is just about his life-- which is so nice-- gay people are just regular people with so many other things about them than that just their homosexuality， it's rare to find a storyline about them just living their lives。 Schitt's Creek did it nicely with David & Patrick as well。 。。。more
Mary Christensen
，
At the end， I loved this book。 In the beginning I loved it。。。then after a little bit， not so much， with too many stops in different places I felt it was beginning to repeat - however， keep going to the end。。。the last 1/3 of the book pulls it all together。Greer creates many little sequences which are very funny and create meaning。。。long enough to keep you going until you see that he does have a point in all this travel。-- because he is trying to avoid the bare knuckle fear that deep relationships At the end， I loved this book。 In the beginning I loved it。。。then after a little bit， not so much， with too many stops in different places I felt it was beginning to repeat - however， keep going to the end。。。the last 1/3 of the book pulls it all together。Greer creates many little sequences which are very funny and create meaning。。。long enough to keep you going until you see that he does have a point in all this travel。-- because he is trying to avoid the bare knuckle fear that deep relationships present。 This book is about feeling inadequate。。。about doubt， fear， and looking for connections in a very fraught world。 I think I am going to read it again。 。。。more
Angela Pineda
，
Eh。 Not my cup of tea apparently。 I can’t remember where I saw this book recommended （I thought it was BOTM but it wasn’t）， and I knew it was going to be quirky - but I didn’t find the story strong or really care about what happened。 I thought maybe audio was the wrong format， so I downloaded the e-book from my library to switch versions… but I found myself not really caring enough to try and read it vs listening to it。 By the last third， I just wanted to finish it。。 hoping maybe the end would r Eh。 Not my cup of tea apparently。 I can’t remember where I saw this book recommended （I thought it was BOTM but it wasn’t）， and I knew it was going to be quirky - but I didn’t find the story strong or really care about what happened。 I thought maybe audio was the wrong format， so I downloaded the e-book from my library to switch versions… but I found myself not really caring enough to try and read it vs listening to it。 By the last third， I just wanted to finish it。。 hoping maybe the end would redeem the rest of the all-over-the-place-story （meh）。 Perhaps I’m just not the target audience。 If I was a 50-year old gay man avoiding my ex’s wedding， maybe I would see the merit here （and why it won a Pulitzer Prize？）， but ultimately it didn’t work for me。 。。。more
Samantha Maloney
，
This book is a 3 star book that has brief， passing 5 star moments。 I think Greer is an incredibly talented writer， but this book doesn't necessarily showcase that to the best of its ability。 There are some serious gems in here， but they're hidden among a lot of subpar text。 I will say though， that the final chapter definitely makes the book for me。 Greer can be a bit heavy handed with plot devices at times， but in the last chapter， he flips them on their heads in a really interesting read。 Overa This book is a 3 star book that has brief， passing 5 star moments。 I think Greer is an incredibly talented writer， but this book doesn't necessarily showcase that to the best of its ability。 There are some serious gems in here， but they're hidden among a lot of subpar text。 I will say though， that the final chapter definitely makes the book for me。 Greer can be a bit heavy handed with plot devices at times， but in the last chapter， he flips them on their heads in a really interesting read。 Overall， it's not my favorite book I've read， but I did enjoy the process and can see why so many people love it。 。。。more
Julie Crouse
，
Just a beautiful book。 My only critique （the fact that I found it difficult to see the narrator as distinct from the main character） quickly became my favorite part of the book as I neared and then came to the end。 The love story of Arthur Less was also the narrator's love story。 Made me cry， which is no small thing for a book to do。 Highly recommend this lovely little story with big big heart。 Just a beautiful book。 My only critique （the fact that I found it difficult to see the narrator as distinct from the main character） quickly became my favorite part of the book as I neared and then came to the end。 The love story of Arthur Less was also the narrator's love story。 Made me cry， which is no small thing for a book to do。 Highly recommend this lovely little story with big big heart。 。。。more
Megan
，
I'm so happy that I loved this book as much as I did。I think I was in the perfect headspace for it。 Or， perhaps， after you get introduced to Arthur Less， you can't help feeling a bit dopey。 A bit sentimental。 A bit happy。 A bit terribly sad， as well。 This is the sort of book I'd love to write essays on。 The sort of book I'd love to dissect with friends。 （view spoiler）[ What did we all think when the narrator inserted himself more and more into the story？ Did it change our perspective on Less whe I'm so happy that I loved this book as much as I did。I think I was in the perfect headspace for it。 Or， perhaps， after you get introduced to Arthur Less， you can't help feeling a bit dopey。 A bit sentimental。 A bit happy。 A bit terribly sad， as well。 This is the sort of book I'd love to write essays on。 The sort of book I'd love to dissect with friends。 （view spoiler）[ What did we all think when the narrator inserted himself more and more into the story？ Did it change our perspective on Less when it came through that it was actually Freddy telling the story？ Not for me。 The fondness - the love！ - that our narrator had for Less brought a tear to my eye。 To describe someone so boldly， so truthfully， and yet so fondly。 I think， in the end， the book was saying that to know someone， truly know them， and to love them， is the same thing。 The achieving of one first might create the other， but neither can exist in isolation。 What a beautiful idea。 I have always felt most loved when I have been properly known。 （hide spoiler）]Arthur Less was a glorious protagonist。 His relationships were distinct， real and endearing。 His insistence that he could speak German， and then the chapter in Berlin， was one of my absolute favourites of all time。 I don't think I've ever laughed as much at a book as I did at the phone calls book ending that chapter。 4。5 stars。 Rounded down just because of the slight drag in pacing near the beginning of the novel。edit: I just saw that there will be a sequel to this。 I'll read it， but I'm a bit nervous。 I don't think Less needed a sequel。 Maybe he could come to the Melbourne Writer's Festival。 That would be a bit of fun。 。。。more
Jen
，
I know this is a major award winning work and it is probably me who is missing something。 I just didn't like any of the characters so found it really hard to finish。 Less was told it is hard to feel sorry for a middle-aged， middle class white man whether he is Gay or not。 Less needed to get off his butt， grow a pair and try to get the life he wanted not wait about for it to just happen or run off and avoid problems。 I gave 1 star for it being well written and the other for the 1 time it made me I know this is a major award winning work and it is probably me who is missing something。 I just didn't like any of the characters so found it really hard to finish。 Less was told it is hard to feel sorry for a middle-aged， middle class white man whether he is Gay or not。 Less needed to get off his butt， grow a pair and try to get the life he wanted not wait about for it to just happen or run off and avoid problems。 I gave 1 star for it being well written and the other for the 1 time it made me laugh。 。。。more
G。 Byron Williams
，
My advice:Don't read this book when on the precipice of a break-up/life upheaval and it's given to you by a handsome man with a great deal of charisma。Or do， it's going rather well so far。 Arthur Less is the friend who asks for advice and immediately glazes over when you give him some。 He's a wonderful flirt over a glass of wine at a busy party。 He's dropped his coffee whilst stepping off of the tram。 He probably missed his stop too。I love this book， none of those things I mentioned happened in My advice:Don't read this book when on the precipice of a break-up/life upheaval and it's given to you by a handsome man with a great deal of charisma。Or do， it's going rather well so far。 Arthur Less is the friend who asks for advice and immediately glazes over when you give him some。 He's a wonderful flirt over a glass of wine at a busy party。 He's dropped his coffee whilst stepping off of the tram。 He probably missed his stop too。I love this book， none of those things I mentioned happened in the book。 However， Arthur is a fantastic protagonist and I felt like a dismayed/overjoyed/bemused onlooker throughout the story。 It's funny， warming， and heartache-ingly good。 I got a digital copy of the book to underline and score and notate it。 I plan to force the physical copy on many people。I'm in a relationship the guy that gave me the book now。 （Probably） not just because he and Arthur Less have dashing blue jackets。 。。。more
Darci Day
，
2。5 StarsRounded down because the ending literally made me throw the book across the room。
Roy Rojas
，
3。5 Anecdótico y divertido， predecible， muy rosa， nada deep， es la vision de un personaje patético con una moraleja （personal）。 Es bueno para despejar la mente pero no creo que un Pulitzer sea garantía。
Thea
，
I know that this is a Pulitzer Prize winner but I don't see it。 It was interesting and unusual but I only gave it a 3。 I know that this is a Pulitzer Prize winner but I don't see it。 It was interesting and unusual but I only gave it a 3。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Less
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Less&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Less&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0