Celebrity Chekhov by Ben Greenman

Book Description from Harper Collins

Q: What do Tiger, Paris, Lindsay, Alec, and Oprah have in common with the enduring characters of Anton Chekhov?
A: Love, loss, pride, yearning, heartbreak, renewal, transcendence: the very stuff of life.

The immortal stories of Anton Chekhov have long entranced readers with their insights into the universal truths of human behavior . . . but you've never read them quite like this.

• Former friends Nicole and Paris exchange prickly pleasantries in "Tall and Short."
• Talk-show host Dave narrowly averts another potential domestic crisis in "A Transgression."
• Reality star Kim shares her newfound notoriety with Khloe and Kourtney in "Joy."

In a witty, graceful, and revelatory feat of literary reinvention, acclaimed novelist and humorist Ben Greenman takes nineteen of Chekhov's greatest stories and recasts them with some of the best-known luminaries of our time—with eye-opening, and oddly ennobling, results.

My thoughts:  I'll admit it, it was the celebrity aspect of this book that I was drawn to.  Once upon a time I enjoyed a bit of celebrity gossip.  Picking up People magazine was always a treat while traveling by air.  Now, I have to admit that I don't even know what the Kardashian's are famous for other than for being famous. 

I felt like reading this book was like reading a celebrity Mad Libs.  I loved mad libs as a child.  If you are unfamiliar with mad libs, I've got a treat for you. Take a look at the column to the right.  When looking for an example to link to I found a widget.  Have fun playing with it, its only there for a limited time.

As I was saying, reading this book was like reading a mad libs story, celebrity style.  I wasn't familiar with the original versions of the story, but I definitely found these humorous.  It is a super easy read, and probably best read in short stints.  This is an excellent book to just keep around and read a snippet if you are having an especially bad day.  I think anyone with a sense of humor would enjoy these stories whether you are a celebrity junkie or not.

I wasn't familiar with Ben Greenman as an author so I checked out his website at www.bengreenman.com.  It seems that he's got a few things out there.  One title I was familiar with as I wanted to read it when I saw it around the blogosphere this summer.

I would like to thank the kind folks at Harper Collins for providing me with this humorous book to review.