i am shock that no one has started a thread on this book! how could none of us here, not relate to Ignatius J. Reilly and, all the "weirdos" he meets, along the way of the beat and hippie haven that, is the french quarter of new orleans? one hell of a damn good read!:cheers2:
After living in New Orleans in the early 70s I really enjoyed the book. It really capture real NO. So, much of that is now gone, it was washed away. The city is coming back but the world of Ignasus is pretty much gone. The French Quarter has become a clean and safe place to be but back when I lived there it was very edgy with strip joints and jazz clubs lining Bourbon. Head bars and crash pads where around the back side. It was great. When I go down now I get the hebbie jebbies from this sterile place with its Hard Rock atmosphere. I usually now go around the Frenchmen St area right out of the Quarter. I still love the city and she is in the process of change since the failure of the levees.
Excellent book, everyone should read it at least once. I have little to add except I'm sad that Toole offed himself and we will never get a sequel.
