Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish

Such a cleverly written book! Cannot even begin to imagine how he did it.

I must admit that I mainly bought this book because I liked the cover illustration. It is unfortunately not as beautiful in real life. Content wise the amazon description is accurate of the stories told within this short verse novel. I found myself either wanting more connections between the characters or to dispense with the pretense that they were interwoven. I think that it would have been more successful billed as short stories and leave you to discover the connections yourself as a surprise. At times the stories verge on cliché, though I suppose this is often an issue for short books in trying to move a story along. The title will give you an idea of how these clichés exist. It is enjoyable and could be read in an afternoon, it's not particularly amazing writing(so I wouldn't recommend if you are poetry lover) but isn't a waste of time. It certainly won't be going straight to a charity shop.

Absolutely wonderful. Makes me miss David Rakoff even more.

Great condition, beautiful book.

This book is genius.

Good copy.

This is a beautiful book. You can hear David Rakoff's voice, which had something that always resonated with me, from every page. It is a wonderful read.

beautifully written, almost more a book of long form poetry. Rakoff is missed terribly

When I heard David Rakoff's book was written entirely in verse, I thought to myself, "Could there be anything worse? "Trying to ascertain plot from each rhyming couplet, Would it be good enough to be worth all that trouble?" It Seemed an idea that was rather pretentious, And struggling with verse can be rather contentious. But the critics they raved, hailing the book's success, Saying this was Rakoff at his very best. The glory of this triumph was somewhat diminished, By the fact that Rakoff died shortly after it was finished. But now that I've read it, and allayed my fears, I can say it amused me and moved me to tears. The writing insightful, the characters complex, And it amazed me how well their stories intersect. It was a quick read, 'though I savored each word, I can't believe I ever thought this idea was absurd. I loved the way these characters' lives unfolded in stages, A novel's worth of plot and emotion in just a few pages. So if, like me, you're skeptical about this book, I can assure you it's definitely worth more than a look. It's a book you'll want to recommend to your crowd, And it's infinitely more fun if you read it aloud (even to yourself). Don't worry if poetry's not your idea of fun, You'll feel tremendously fulfilled when you're all done. I really loved this, and I'm completely sincere, When I say it's one of the best I read this year. So thank you for enduring my attempts at a tribute, Clearly rhyming is not my strongest suit. Ahem. I couldn't resist. This is a phenomenally written, emotionally compelling book, one of the most unique I've ever read, and I loved every minute of it. David Rakoff has created a masterpiece of interconnected stories-in-verse about characters in some sort of emotional flux. Some of the connections come as an utter surprise, but the emotions they generate are truly genuine. As the title suggests, Rakoff's characters are involved with all of those verbs in some way, and I only wish he had lived, because I'd love to read more about them. Believe me, I was truly skeptical of this concept, but I am so glad I gave it a shot. And you should, too.

Ingeniously written. It is quite an enjoyable experience to get into the rhythm and lope along with the story. I found, however, most of the characters were quite harsh and not very admirable.

If I told literary types I wasn't a fan of Rakoff They'd probably swear and tell me to back off `He's truly amazing, we all agree, can't you hear us?' I'd argue that he's a little too much like Sedaris But this novel, for some reason, it grabbed me I read it all night, losing sleep gladly Rakoff crafted something unique and quite new A true work of art before the his final adieu. It's hilarious, saddening and at times quite revealing Though written in form I find unappealing `The whole thing rhymes?' I thought with some horror From cover to cover - I didn't think that I'd bother. And the premise - well, I thought that it'd tank Or at worst descend into faux-literary wank But herein lies the books true art - Its clever and witty without being smug or too smart. This bit is the worst, and it really does pain me, That I should go to greater lengths explaining In the middle it dragged and my attention, it waned Feeling a little verbose and a little bit strained. But truthfully it shouldn't detract From a wonderful read that compelled me, and that I will read again, admittedly, not the whole thing But select chapters, which are nothing short of amazing.

I have just finished listening to the audiobook version of LDMDCP, and am wiping the tears from my eyes. All I can say is, thank you, Ira Glass, for helping Mr. Rakoff complete this work in the last weeks of his life, and for making it possible for his fans and friends to hear this book the way it needs to be heard. For a particular group of us, David Rakoff became over the years,a patron saint of sorts. He provided us with the validation that yes, we could be sarcastic, ironic and at times a bit indignant, without simultaneously forsaking our humanity. He proved that these competing qualities could indeed find a comfortable home within ourselves, and that we needn't chose to be either completely bitter or 100% virtuous. We could in fact, be both, and somehow work it all out into a cohesive package. David Rakoff framed the dichotomy of the human condition better than any other writer of our time. Regarding the controversy of the delivery method of this final work, written in anapestic tetrameter (two unstressed syllables, followed by one stressed); it's a form of rhyming used by Dr. Seuss, Clement Moore, Lord Byron and Eminem, so how "inaccessable", or off-putting can it really be? As I listened, the power of the story overtook the conceit, and the analysis provided by his editor, Bill Thomas, in an interview with the New York Times was borne out: "What is so special to me about the book," Mr. Thomas said, "is that it is the purest distillation of David's belief that we live in a world that is essentially cruel and indifferent, but there are remedies for that. And the remedies are kindness and beauty. It's very clever and erudite, and it's very, very funny, as David was, but fundamentally it is a brief for kindness." David Rakoff was truly one-of-a-kind, and he was our kind. His voice, and the depth of his humanity will be forever missed.