The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters (P.S.)

The Cheese Monkeys is a rare kind of novel--completely off the wall, yet completely accessible, completely readable. It's the story of a freshman at a huge state college who decides to major in art because he knows it will be mishandled in some mediocre way and for his first semester, it is. He takes drawing from a woman whose artistic expertise and tastes even this 18 year old disdains. The class, however, still has its merits. He manages to befriend two diametrically opposed women who take his second semester art class--commercial (or maybe its graphic) arts. The professor is borderline insane, as are many of the assignments. Kidd does an excellent job of evoking the weirdness and the fun of college. The ending of the novel is a little bizarre, and Kidd does manage to fill the book with much of what appears to be his own philosophy of art (its not forced, which is refreshing). The novel is funny and clever and I really enjoyed it. Well done.

I got sucked right in from the beginning. Fantastic characters, a lot of great insight into what makes graphic design. I read it twice. The very end was a bit of a letdown I thought.

I feel like a party crasher. I don't know why it took me so long to read "The Cheese Monkeys," I'd been aware of it for a number of years. Finally, in the dullest of doldrums, where every book I'd pick up ultimately failed to engage my imagination, I read this roaringly funny coming of age novel. Written by graphic designer Chip Kidd, "The Cheese Monkeys" is a novel of art school academia, which I thought would bore me. However, the book is wholly original and thought provoking. It's smart, has style to spare, and is unique in execution. The characters all seem true to life - even the broadest of them are free of exaggeration and conjure memories of people I've actually known. I'm not going to bore you with quotes and details from this gem; just know this: "The Cheese Monkeys" is a GREAT American novel and you'd be a damned fool not to read it.

Funny and well written

Fantastic. Ne,w original, creative, keeps you going yet at the same time is a light enough read that you can enjoy it while camping/in the car/on the bus to and from wherever you're going. Kidd's writing is beautiful. It flows in such a natural current, a hypnotic joining of letters and punctuation that just saying the sentences out loud turns novel to poetry. Great characters, interesting plot, and something excitingly new and inventive in a world that is leaning towards rehashing the same plot over and over and over.