Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour

by John Blumenthal

Book Overview

Once a gangly teenager in oversized clothes, Plato G. Fussell is now handsome and independently wealthy. But inside he's still a bundle of neuroses and anxieties:, including a tendency to engage in moronic word games in the presence of beautiful women. In the midst of working. on his definitive ten-volume biography of Millard Fillmore, Plato finds himself dodging his ex-wife, trying to please his demanding elderly mother by inquiring weekly about...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312323689
• ISBN13: 9780312323684
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Griffin
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A Breat Gook!!!

That's right.....a great book!!. Fun, fun....Always another surprise just jumping right up. You'll learn all about agoraphobia....I "googled" the definition and clipped it to the cover. The main character, Plato G. Fussell is unbelievable ....The first few pages may make you wonder if you need to pursue it but....just wait. You're in for a hilarious trip. Not to be missed!!!

Wonderfully Entertaining

If Woody Allen were still making funny movies, they would be a lot like John Blumenthal's books: full of hilarity, wisdom and the quirkiest characters this side of a Tom Robbins novel. In his latest, we meet Plato G. Fussell, a garden variety neurotic who happens to be writing the definitive 10 volume biography of America's most forgotten President, Millard Fillmore. Plato, who believes that romantic love is nothing but hogwash, has a slight problem meeting women: he tends to speak gibberish in their presence, an uncontrollable tick of some sort. He spouts spoonerisms and says names backwards. But when he happens to meet the delectable Emily Thorndyke, a woman afflicted with a whole other set of equally interesting neuroses, he can't help but fall in love with her, in spite of his dismissal of romantic love as "a monstrous flimflam perpetrated on the gullible masses by a cabal of soulless profiteers." The book has more than a few unexpected twists and turns and kept me guessing the whole time. And the ending is a marvelously crafted surprise. But Blumenthal is more than just a simple comedy writer - his novels tell us something profound about the human condition and "Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour" is no exception.

Couldn't Put it Down

It's not easy to make me laugh aloud when I'm all by myself reading, but John Blumenthal did with his latest hilarious book, "Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour." Between the hypochondriacal antics of Plato G. Fussell to those of his even-weirder mother, this book will keep your floor clean because you'll be rolling all over it. My friends can always use a laugh, so I bought a bunch of copies for holiday gifts.

Neurotica!

Characters that could have been eccentric stereotypes are anything BUT in this charming novel about a curmudgeonly scholar and his quest for love despite a nervous affectation that will have you rolling off the bed. Hysterical fiction with just enough historical tidbits thrown in for perfect flavor.

A surprising diversion from the predictable!

Plato Fussell isn't looking for love. He doesn't believe in the concept of finding that one true soul mate is even possible. If you were to ask, even he would reply of how the concept is nothing but "unmitigated hogwash." Yet, fate seems to enjoy playing with one's beliefs and Plato soon finds himself questioning the very truth of the thinking that has helped him for so many years. I have to admit; I wasn't quite sure what I was in for when I began reading. Not much of a history buff, the idea of mulling over pages and pages of endless ramblings on the subject of our once famous but now seemingly forgotten President, Millard Fillmore, was intimidating to say the least - but I was so very wrong in thinking this, for with an effortless grace John Blumenthal instead has created a work not even close to my initial expectations. In the first few chapters, we meet Plato Fussell, a dithering neurotic with a strong belief in the non-existence of true love. Through humorous recollection tainted with the reality of life-long repercussions, we find out about the man and the reasons behind not only his lack of belief but also the reasons of why he is as he is. Upon the prodding of his psychiatrist, the amiable Dr. Wang, he is encouraged to try to initiate contact with the member of the opposite sex. Now for many this task would be effortless, but for the poor Plato, plagued with the innate ability to reverse words at the least provocation and engage in spoonerisms to protect himself, the very idea alone is enough to cause him to experience a bevy of reactionary emotional and physical responses. However, as he attends the event where he is to complete the task put forth by Dr. Wang, Plato again falls short of the challenge and instead retreats to the safety of his notes by finding a secluded spot away from the main event. All seems as if it would remain as it is - at least until he is victimized by an errant light purple missile thrown by a woman who will in only a short time throw his life into upheaval and start a completely unexpected sequence of events that will change Plato forever. "Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour" is a surprising diversion from the predictable; a humorous romp through the mind of a neurotic as he deals with the chaotic events that both precede and instigate the ever so unexpected conclusion of this wonderful work. So very well done, John! Review by Dehanna Bailee, http://dehanna.com