What's Wrong with Dorfman?

by John Blumenthal

Book Overview

Both a medical mystery and a family saga, "What's Wrong With Dorfman" is the story of Martin Dorfman, cynic, hypochondriac, and burned-out screenwriter. In the midst of navigating his latest film... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967944406
• ISBN13: 9780967944401
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Griffin
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

In today's troubled times, Dorfman is an escape!

John Blumenthal's "What's Wrong with Dorfman" offered me something I sorely needed--an escape from the troubles that life has to offer. It's entertaining, provocative, laugh-out-loud funny, and never boring. The author has a great gift with written words, and he takes us into the life of a troubled man with a dysfunctional past, something so many people can relate to, with surprising ease.As I closed the book at the last page, I realized that life is a journey we all take. How successful that journey is, I suppose, depends upon how capable we are of laughing at ourselves."What's Wrong with Dorfman?" Read the book and find out. You won't be sorry.

Immensely Entertaining

Funny, poignant, intelligent and intensely entertaining, author Blumenthal writes with the instincts of an accomplished screenwriter and master comedian. In the style of Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld, he sifts moments of brilliant humor from both ordinary and extraordinary everyday events. As his main character, Dorfman, begins to peel back the layers of experiences and events that have shaped who he is, we alternately laugh out loud, marvel at, and identify with the wonderful mix of drama and comedy that comprises his life. Watching Dorfman triumph is a hoot--- universally appealing and uplifting...so ANYONE (with a working sense of humor) will enjoy this book! It's well-written, thought-provoking and funny as hell. What's Wrong with Dorfman is a great read---immensely satisfying and memorable. I highly recommend it.

Laugh -- it is the best medicine!

Martin Dorfman is sick and no one knows what is wrong. John Blumenthal turns this story of illness into a very human and funny look at life. Dorfman is the son of a physician, and he knows all about illnesses. He spends thousands of dollars on tests, owns a personal medical library, but won't to talk to his father about his health. Through flashbacks we learn the family history. Blumenthal masterfully maintains the shifting timelines throughout his story and easily avoids the confusion of when, where and who is speaking. During the lively, distinct conversations I never wondered "Who is talking?" He avoided the overuse of "he said/ she said" by clearly defining people by their words -- I felt as if I were listening to conversations rather than reading them in a book. The story is also about the difficulties in Dorfman's screen writing career, and what it takes to turn a script into a movie. In the end, Dorfman's writing career is back on-track and he has found an answer for his health.I recommend this book with five stars or 10/10 points; it brought me laughter even through my own difficult personal trials.

Middle aged angst for the aging baby boomer

What's Wrong With Dorfman is a funny, yet incisive look at the middle years when you deal with getting older and finding that you may not reach the top of your profession. Coming from a truly twisted family (didn't we all?), Dorfman has to deal with finding himself seperate from his career and looking at his eventual mortality. Dogged with self doubts and a non-fatal but otherwise truly uncomfortable set of symptoms, Dorfman has to struggle his way through the Hollywood thicket of politics and petty theives to get his manuscript purchased and produced. Truly a delightful book. A great read.

A book for our times...

"What's Wrong With Dorfman?" may just turn out to be L.A. writer John Blumenthal's "breakthrough" book, bringing him the national audience he really deserves. And the title of his novel, What's Wrong With Dorfman?" (WWWD) may turn out to be the battle cry of the first decade of this new millennium, bringing to mind other questions such as "What's wrong with America?" and "What's wrong with everyone?" Martin Dorfman may go down in literary history as John Blumenthal's liveliest creation. What's wrong with Martin Dorfman? Plenty. The book is great! The novel is a thoughtful, hilarious read, from beginning to end. If any US satirist deserves to be "discovered" at this point in time, it's Blumenthal, a veteran Hollywood screenwriter who knows the ins and outs of Tinseltown, and has honed his craft in the belly of the beast. The book is a witty, LOL study of Americana, and brings to mind the works of Nathaniel West. If you are looking for a summer pick-me-up, Blumenthal's latest book is perfect for the beach, the airplane or your air-conditioned living room.