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What a Piece of Work I Am

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234:. We follow as she tries to escape her demeaning job at a clam shack and bad-girl reputation, going through several phases of personal examination and reinvention. Ariane is an energetic storyteller, and she relates her story to Leroy and the reader through a series of funny and poignant episodes that explore the power of personal fantasy. In one sequence, Leroy's grandfather, with Ariane's help, comforts his dying wife by pretending their home is a ship making the journey to the tropical destination of 274: 246:
Kraft has created a disjointed narrative, interrupted by descriptions of films based loosely on Ariane's life and various asides (many concerning Leroy's lust for Ariane); we are even told at one point that she had died in a fire, only to be resurrected by Leroy to continue her story. The author's
27: 209:. It is part of his ongoing project of interconnected fiction "The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences and Observations of Peter Leroy." The novel is narrated by Leroy, but mainly concerns his boyhood crush and sultry muse, Ariane Lodkcochnikov. 217:
We are told at the beginning of the novel that Ariane is a figment of his imagination, yet we learn her life story in intimate detail and the lines between reality and imagination are blurred throughout the story. Named for
238:. Later, we learn that much of Ariane's life has been a public exhibition in a very literal way. As Ariane weaves her story, Leroy acts as a foil and guide, often finishing her sentences and filling in details. 325: 58: 354: 318: 127: 247:
skill as a storyteller and keen sense of humor overcome what could be the frustrating aspects of this very "meta" narrative style.
311: 295: 349: 299: 344: 150: 364: 359: 190: 177: 91: 256: 135: 122: 78: 161: 26: 285: 338: 281: 68: 231: 230:, Ariane begins as the promiscuous beauty of the fictional town of Babbington, 59:
The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy
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Index


Eric Kraft
The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy
Comedy
Crown
1994
ISBN
0-517-59612-1
OCLC
28418858
Dewey Decimal
LC Class
Where Do You Stop?
At Home with the Glynns
Eric Kraft
Ariadne
Theseus
Minotaur
Long Island
Rarotonga
Info and reviews of What a Piece of Work I Am
Stub icon
comedy novel
stub
expanding it
See guidelines for writing about novels
talk page
v
t
e

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