Books like 'French Exit'
Readers who enjoyed French Exit by Patrick deWitt also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary comedy humor literary-fiction family magical-realism satire realistic urban cats
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The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRevised from the rather long original complete works of Shakespeare, this abridged version is written by three Americans, with no qualifications worth speaking of. The playtext is reproduced here with footnotes which will be of no help to anyone and a letter from the authors to the Queen... -
Die Känguru-Apokryphen by Marc-Uwe Kling
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSensation, Sensation: Archäologen haben in einem Geheimfach in Marc-Uwes Schreibtisch neue Geschichten vom Känguru und seinem Kleinkünstler gefunden! Dies ist nicht die Fortsetzung der Fortsetzung der Fortsetzung der Känguru-Chroniken. Triologie bleibt Triologie. Aber ein anständiger Kleinkünstler hat natürlich eine Zugabe vorbereitet... -
Revenge of the Lawn / The Abortion / So the Wind Won't Blow it All Away by Richard Brautigan
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThree unforgettable Brautigan masterpieces reissued in a one-volume omnibus edition. REVENGE OF THE LAWN: Originally published in 1971, these bizarre flashes of insight and humor cover everything from "A High Building in Singapore" to the "Perfect California Day." This is Brautigan's only collection of stories and includes "The Lost Chapters of TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor literary-fiction magical-realism satire 20th-century adult anthologies -
Peas, Carrots and Six More Feet by Hannah M. Lynn
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis family is about to go nuclear Following straight on from the climatic events of Peas, Carrots and a Red Feather Boa, Eric Sibley faces a completely new landscape. As he struggles to come to terms with his new situation he finds support and help in some of the most unlikely places... -
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Einstein's Beach House by Jacob M. Appel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA couple adopts a depressed hedgehog; a stranger shows up, claiming to be the father of a girl's imaginary friend; a woman kidnaps her ex-husband's turtle; a family is evicted from their home, but was it ever really theirs? Heartbreaking and hilarious, the eight stories of Einstein's Beach House examine how we deceive ourselves and others, all to arrive at something far more real... -
Love in the Time of Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe latest installment in the delightful 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents up to their usual hilarious hijinks. In the microcosm of 44 Scotland Street, all of life's richness is found in the glorious goings-on of its residents... -
The Best of Saki by Saki
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe short stories of Saki give brief but dazzling glimpses into the lives of the Edwardian rich; a class that virtually disappeared with the advent of the First World War. With delicious malice, Saki portrays the follies, eloquence, tradition and foibles of his characters...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction magical-realism satire 20th-century adult anthologies classics -
Alfie and George by Rachel Wells
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Sunday Times bestseller is back, with his biggest adventure yet. The perfect read for fans of A Street Cat Named Bob. As the residents of Edgar Road know, Alfie is no ordinary cat. Since his arrival in the street, he's made every house his home, helping this group of neighbours to become friends for life. But now there's a new cat on Alfie's turf – a tiny ball of fur called George... -
Snowball's Christmas by Kristen McKanagh
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSnowball--an aptly named bundle of feline fluff--is thankful to be spending her first Christmas in the comfort of Weber Haus, the Victorian B&B run by Miss Tilly. Emily Diemer, who cooks for the guests, dotes on Snowball, but she's not thrilled about another new arrival at the B&B: Miss Tilly's nephew, Lukas... -
You're an Animal, Viskovitz! by Alessandro Boffa
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Italy, a wildly modern riff on Ovid’s Metamorphoses—a whirlwind of ironic fables in which the central hero, Viskovitz, continually changes identities in pursuit of his one true love... -
The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about the Hard Life by Flann O'Brien
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Poor Mouth relates the story of one Bonaparte O'Coonassa, born in a cabin in a fictitious village called Corkadoragha in western Ireland equally renowned for its beauty and the abject poverty of its residents. Potatoes constitute the basis of his family's daily fare, and they share both bed and board with the sheep and pigs... -
Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt is a literary event when a genuinely new fictional voice comes along. When that voice achieves its newness not through a certain formal facility but through the freshness of its vision, there is truly something to celebrate. Matt Ruff was only twenty-two when Fool on the Hill was first published, but with his novel he gave us a story that won over readers of every persuasion... -
The Answer Is No: A Short Story by Fredrik Backman
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn a hilarious short story from New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman, the absurdities of modern life cause one man’s solitary world to spin suddenly, and comically, out of control.Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much... -
Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"Contemporary fairy tales, cushioned by goofy humor and a deep tenderness for her characters, that aren't always as dark or as sinister as they initially appear." --The New York Times Book Review Aimee Bender s Willful Creatures conjures a fantastical world in which authentic love blooms... -
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Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the author of Class Mom and You've Been Volunteered comes Yoga Pant Nation--a novel about one mom's challenges through parenting and life, keeping her on her toes and perpetually in yoga pants... -
Missing Kissinger by Etgar Keret
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA magician tries to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but takes out only its head; a guy brings a girl home with him for the first time only to find that his best friend has pissed on his doorstep; a young man graduates from Magician School but soon discovers that he can't do everything; two drunk students do battle with a pavement and win; someone has a mother and a girlfriend who hate each other's...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction magical-realism adult anthologies comedy contemporary fiction -
Descent of Man by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn seventeen slices of life that defy the expected and launch us into the absurd, T.C. Boyle offers his unique view of the world. A primate-center researcher becomes romantically involved with a chimp; a Norse poet overcomes bard-block; collectors compete to snare the ancient Aztec beer can, Quetzacoatl Lite; and Lassie abandons Timmy for a randy coyote... -
Caddy's World by Hilary McKay
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHilary McKay revisits the Casson family, but this time with a difference ... Go back in time ...Caddy is 12, grappling with school, best friends, first boyfriends, younger siblings and the unexpected arrival of one baby Permanent Rose who has arrived in the world a little sooner than expected... -
Plays Well with Others by Allan Gurganus
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith great narrative inventiveness and emotional amplitude, Allan Gurganus gives us artistic Manhattan in the wild 1980s, where young artists--refugees from the middle class--hurl themselves into playful work and serious fun. Our guide is Hartley Mims Jr., a Southerner whose native knack for happiness might thwart his literary ambitions...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic humor historical-fiction fiction lgbtq 20th-century friendship -
This Champagne Mojito Is the Last Thing I Own by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Paul Howard
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWe don't think we can improve on the author's own summary of his book: I am many things, roysh -- unbelievable babe magnet, red-hot lover, loyal kind of goy, best forward who never played for Ireland -- but there's a few things I was basically sure I'd never be, related to a jailbird for storters, or listening to the old dear getting randier than a goat in heat, or even a father, for that matter... -
The Nimrod Flipout by Etgar Keret, Institute for Translation of Hebrew Literature
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom Israel's most popular and acclaimed young writer--Stories that are short, strange, funny, deceptively casual in tone and affect, stories that sound like a joke but aren't (Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi)Already featured on This American Life and Selected Shorts and in Zoetrope: All Story and L.A...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction magical-realism 21st-century adult anthologies comedy contemporary -
Dry Hard by Nick Spalding
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Fat Chance and Checking Out comes a hilarious story about giving up… but definitely not giving in. Kate and Scott’s marriage has always been a lot of fun, with alcohol at the heart of it... -
The Teenage Dirtbag Years by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Paul Howard
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSo there I was, roysh, class legend, schools rugby legend, basically all-round legend, when someone decides you can't, like, sit the Leaving Cert four times. Well that put a focking spanner in the works.But joining the goys at college wasn't the mare I thought it would be, basically for, like, three major beer, women and more women... -
Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA delightfully offbeat story that features an opinionated tortoise and an IQ-challenged narrator who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery.Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers is living quietly in Oregon with Winnifred, her tortoise, when she finds out her dear father has been knocked into a coma back in Newfoundland... -
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The Oh My God Delusion by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Paul Howard
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThat risk assessor ex of Sorcha's turned out to be right - it really was the end of the world as we knew it ...See, I thought the porty was going to last forever. I certainly didn't believe the current economic blahdy blah was going to affect people like me... -
The Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis Wallant
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNorman Moonbloom is a loser, a drop-out who can't even make it as a deadbeat. His brother, a slumlord, hires him to collect rent in the buildings he owns in Manhattan... -
Checking Out by Nick Spalding
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat do you do when the doctor says you could die at any moment? Well…after you’ve made a cup of tea, of course. Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s also about to die—which ruins things somewhat. And now he’s staring imminent death in the face, Nathan is having to rethink some of his life choices very hard... -
After the Workshop by John McNally
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYou graduate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop with a short story published in The New Yorker and subsequently Best American Short Stories. You stay in town and work on your novel. And work on your novel. Until, finally, twelve years have passed and you are working as a media escort for author tours and your unfinished novel sits in a box under your bed. Your girlfriend has left you... -
Angels on Toast by Dawn Powell
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo dubious businessmen attempt to outwit their wives, mistresses, and... -
Wild with Happy by Colman Domingo
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGrief is a funny thing. Gil’s boyfriend has left him, his acting career isn’t exactly taking off, and his mother just passed away. He’s not taking it all very well. But luckily his boisterous Aunt Glo, a sensitive funeral director, and his outrageous best friend may be exactly what he needs... -
The Closed Circle by Jonathan Coe
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe characters of The Rotters’ Club—Jonathan Coe’s nostalgic, humorous evocation of adolescent life in the 1970s—have bartered their innocence for the vengeance of middle age in a story that is very much of the moment, charged with such issues as 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction humor literary-fiction satire 21st-century adult audiobook -
Hits and Misses by Simon Rich
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'Simon Rich is outrageously, lavishly gifted'- Caitlin Moran'Simon Rich is the funniest writer alive'- Matt Haig'How fabulously funny'- Lauren Laverne'One of my favourite authors'- B J NovakFrom a bitter tell-all by a horse who made a man famous and then got left behind to a gushing magazine profile of one of your favorite World War II dictators, these stories trawl through history to skewer our... -
The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe hilarious confessions of a ferocious felinePoor Ellie is horrified when her cat, Tuffy, drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. Before long, another apparent victim arrives though the cat-door... -
The English Experience by Julie Schumacher
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJason Fitger may be the last faculty member the dean wants for the job, but he’s the only professor available to chaperone Payne University’s annual “ Abroad” (he has long been on the record objecting to the absurd and gratuitous colon between the words) occurring during the three weeks of winter term... -
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Things that Fall from the Sky by Kevin Brockmeier
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWeaving together loss and anxiety with fantastic elements and literary sleight-of-hand, Kevin Brockmeier’s richly imagined Things That Fall from the Sky views the nagging realities of the world through a hopeful lens. In the deftly told “These Hands,” a man named Lewis recounts his time babysitting a young girl and his inconsolable sense of loss after she is wrenched away...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction magical-realism satire adult anthologies comedy coming-of-age -
What Will People Think? by Sara Hamdan
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMia’s secret comedy career, forbidden office crush, and a long-guarded family secret take center stage, threatening her newfound confidence and her one shot at fame in this hilarious, heartfelt coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld and Etaf Rum.Mia Almas has a secret...Categorized as:
literary-fiction humor historical-fiction family realistic fiction contemporary coming-of-age -
Bombardiers by Po Bronson
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller What Should I Do with My Life?, Bombardiers is Po Bronson’s first novel, a devastating satire of the business world told through the lens of a crazed and colorful group of salespeople forced to push increasingly absurd financial products... -
Limelight by Amy Poeppel, Carly Robins
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn a smart and funny new novel by the author of the critically acclaimed Small Admissions, a family's move to New York City brings surprises and humor as their lives merge with the captivating world of Broadway... -
Bucky F*cking Dent: A Novel by David Duchovny
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTed Fullilove, aka Mr. Peanut, is not like other Ivy League grads. He shares an apartment with Goldberg, his beloved battery-operated fish, sleeps on a bed littered with yellow legal pads penned with what he hopes will be the next great American novel, and spends the waning malaise-filled days of the Carter administration at Yankee Stadium, waxing poetic while slinging peanuts to pay the rent... -
Born Weird by Andrew Kaufman
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThe Weirds have always been a little off, but not one of them ever suspected that they'd been cursed by their grandmother. At the moment of the births of her five grandchildren Annie Weird gave each one a special power. Richard, the oldest, always keeps safe; Abba always has hope; Lucy is never lost and Kent can beat anyone in a fight. As for Angie, she always forgives, instantly... -
Cat Lady by Dawn O'Porter
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCAT LADY [n.]Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone...It’s safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She’s a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.But beneath the surface, there’s another woman just clawing to get out.. -
The Echo Chamber by John Boyne
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 24 ratings'His relish is infectious' Times'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin'Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian' The Observer'Sharp, funny, and beautifully written... a brilliant reflection on the landscape we now live in' Joanna Cannon_______________What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is... -
Paradise News by David Lodge
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsParadise, tourist style. It's a very long way from home. Bernard Walsh is in Hawaii on family business, escorting his querulous father to the bedside of a long-forgotten aunt. His mission transports him from quiet obscurity in Rummridge, England, to a lush tropical playground, from cloistered solitude into the unfamiliar company of package tourists: honeymooners; young women looking for Mr... -
A Fairy Tale of New York by J.P. Donleavy
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA Fairy Tale of New York is a funny, lusty, and sad novel of comic genius. Returning from study abroad, Cornelius Christian enters customs with his luggage and his dead wife. His first encounter in New York is with a funeral director, with whom he reluctantly takes employment to pay for the burial expenses... -
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A Whistling Woman by A.S. Byatt
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Booker Prize-winning author of Possession delivers a brilliant and thought-provoking novel about the 1960s and how the psychology, science, religion, ethics, and radicalism of the times affected ordinary lives. “Rich, acerbic, wise.... [Byatt] tackles nothing less than what it means to be human...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction humor satire fiction contemporary 21st-century audiobook -
Tuff by Paul Beatty
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs fast-paced and hard-edged as the Harlem streets it portrays, Tuff shows off all of the amazing skill that Paul Beatty showed off in his first novel, The White Boy Shuffle.Weighing in at 320 pounds, Winston “Tuffy” Foshay, is an East Harlem denizen who breaks jaws and shoots dogs and dreams of millions from his idea Cap’n Crunch: The Movie, starring Danny DeVito... -
You Should Smile More by Anastasia Ryan
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA fun women's fiction novel about finding meaning in the workplace, and a satire of all the bad jobs you've ever had with lots of humor and snark thrown in. When Vanessa Blair is fired because of her "resting bitch face," her friends help her launch a revenge plan that'll bring down the whole company.Telemarketer Vanessa Blair isn't in love with her job... -
Zuckerman Unbound by Philip Roth
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFollowing the wild success of his novel, Carnovsky, Nathan Zuckerman has been catapulted into the literary limelight. As he ventures out onto the streets of Manhattan he finds himself accosted on all sides, the target of admonishers, advisers, would-be literary critics, and – worst of all – fans... -
Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin by Bob Ong
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMula sa kasumpa-sumpang kahirapan at kalunos-lunos na kaignorantehan sa mundong kanyang kinagisnan, namulat si Marie sa tunay na mukha ng matamis at mapapakasakit na pag-ibig... -
The Dog who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis is the second novel in the "Corduroy Mansions" series by Alexander McCall Smith, a serial novel exclusively for Telegraph.co.uk. A new chapter appears online each weekday beginning Monday, September 21, 2009. Audio by Andrew Sachs. Illustrations by Ian McIntosh...
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