Elliot Allagash, Simon Rich
Elliot Allagash, Simon Rich
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Elliot Allagash

Author: Simon Rich

Narrator: Paul Michael Garcia

Unabridged: 6 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/12/2011

Categories: Fiction


Synopsis

Simon Rich dazzled readers with his absurdist sense of humor in his hilarious collections Ant Farm and FreeRange Chickens. Now comes Richs rollicking debut novel, which explores the strangest, most twisted, and comically fraught terrain of them all: high school. Seymour Herson is the least popular student at Glendale, a private school in Manhattan. Hes painfully shy, physically inept, and his new nickname, ChunkStyle, is in danger of entering common usage. But Seymours solitary existence comes to a swift end when he meets the new transfer student: Elliot Allagash, evil heir of Americas largest fortune. Elliots rampant delinquency has already gotten him expelled from dozens of prep schools around the country. But despite his best efforts, he cant get himself thrown out of Glendale; his father has simply donated too much money. Bitter and bored, Elliot decides to amuse himself by taking up a challenging and expensive new hobby: transforming Seymour into the most popular student in the school. An unlikely friendship develops between the two loners as Elliot introduces Seymour to new concepts, like power, sabotage, and vengeance. With Elliot as his diabolical strategist and investor, Seymour scores a spot on the basketball team, becomes class president, and ruthlessly destroys his enemies. Yet despitethe glow of newfound popularity, Seymour feels increasingly uneasy with Elliots wily designs, for an Allagash victory is dishonorable at its best, and ruinous at its worst. Cunningly playful and wickedly funny, Elliot Allagash is a tale about all of the incredible things that money can buy, and the one or two things that it cant.

About Simon Rich

Simon Rich has written for "Saturday Night Live," Pixar, and "The Simpsons." He is the creator and showrunner of "Man Seeking Woman" (FXX) and "Miracle Workers," (TBS), which he based on his books. His other collections include Hits and Misses, Spoiled Brats, and Ant Farm. He is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alecia on June 26, 2010

This is another book I would like to give a 2.5/5 star rating to. Not quite a 3, but extra cred for it's very funny conceit...a brilliant, disturbed, uber rich kid (Elliot Allagash) is manipulationg the protagonist, Seymour, as a kind of sport. Elliot's goal...to make Seymour, a fellow 8th grader wh......more

Goodreads review by Mark on August 06, 2023

It was an interesting book, a little funny. Nothing to rave about.......more

Goodreads review by Jason on January 18, 2018

This book seems a bit divisive on GoodReads, but I found it to be a worthwhile and fun read. Criticisms appear to fall largely into 2 categories. The first is expectation. His earlier books are composed of brief, 2-3 page unconnected humorous scenarios which are frequently laugh out loud funny. This......more

Goodreads review by Andrews on July 14, 2010

SNL writer (and almost impossibly young-looking) Rich displays flashes of real comic invention, but ultimately the book's milquetoast protagonist keeps the book from biting. The details of how the obscenely wealthy Allagashes flaunt and perpetuate their wealth are delightful, but the rest can be fou......more

Goodreads review by Paul on May 17, 2016

3.5 Stars. This was a quick, easy, amusing and enjoyable read. Got me thinking about my own time in high school. It was interesting to see how the main characters interacted with each other right through to the end.......more