Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff: A Novel

I've seen this book critiqued for plot deficits and stereotypes. I don't think Penn would be surprised at these critiques, as the criticisms concerned with political correctness are probably what prompted him to write this book to begin with. I'm under the impression that he authored this book from a point of frustration. It is heavily metaphorical and many character outcomes are implied, rather than made explicitly clear. If you want a book that spoon feeds you plot points and crams the thoughts of what every character is thinking at every minute of the story, this is probably not for you. If you want to be guided along the whimsical journey of Bob Honey, and see where your thoughts take you, try this book out. For whatever reason, I just got what Penn was doing, and I think you either get it or you don't. Yes you will have to pull out a dictionary, that doesn't have to "trigger" you. Learn a new word. Penn takes language and use of alliteration for a ride, and he is clearly not taking himself too seriously here. Neither should you.

This is truly one of the most ridiculous books I have ever read, and I don't mean that in a good way. I had to read this for reasons related to my job and I wish I could get those hours spent reading and writing about Bob Honey back. My obvious qualms with Sean Penn as a person rear to an ugly head in this book. He has a white savior complex in real life, and it is definitely apparent in this. Each interaction with a character who isn't white reeks of racism. He attempts to pass it off as satire, but it is impossible to read it that way because of how he acts in real life. There's no separating the art from the artist. I think what is the worst about this is his satire is an "attempt" at criticizing men like him without taking any responsibility for his own actions. Sorry, Sean -- it doesn't work that way. You, too, are a rich, cis, white male contributing to the oppressive atmosphere of America. Then... oh my... there's his OUTRIGHT critique of the #metoo movement and his objectification of women within the book. It's disgusting. Don't trust anyone who glorifies Louis CK over traumatized victims of sexual assault (a literal line in a half-assed attempt at a poem at the end of the book). Don't read this misogynist piece of junk. Save your money. I beg of you. Don't even read it for gags. It's truly not worth it.

I wish the message were cloaked a little better as good literature so often does. Perhaps it was an intentional show of First Amendment rights still (for the moment) solidly in place. Maybe the material is still too relevant but I felt like a neighbor over for a distracting evening of dinner and drinks when the host starts arguing at the top of his lungs with the wife. It's a clear frustration of the author and despite sharing almost every single one of his views, I feel Master Penn could have done a more clever manuscript that would have had a greater impact and upped the pure entertainment value. I salute the man and hope he keeps writing and develops these new set of skills to match his other-vocational talents. On a final note Penn's constant use of alliteration might provide a relatively relaxing rhythm (see what I did there) for some but I found it distracting and a little annoying. I hope it was the voice of the narrator and not that of the author.

Entertaining & artistic, an impressionistic wild ride that confuses, inspires, and lays out a whole new style of writing & philosophy.

I am surprised at the negative reviews. I suppose if you are looking for another banal story written in SWE void of witty and poetic prose, one would be terribly disappointed. If you enjoy literary fiction, the kind of David Foster Wallace's Broom of the System, or John Barth's Sot-weed Factor, or any fiction deeper than a dime-store novel then Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff will satisfy your deepest yearnings. If you want to read the 57th book by King, or the hundredth by Cussler, or Grisham, or any prolific writer of wasting time then don't buy this book just to leave a negative review.

I normally don't take the time to write reviews of books I've read. In this case, I feel it's a public service to others. This was the worst piece of literature I've read in a long time. It was hard to read and the storyline was difficult to follow. I was left with the impression that the author of this trash was more concerned with impressing the reader with his knowledge of the English language as opposed to making this accessible to the audience. I felt alienated throughout the entire read. Stick to your day job. No more books please.

Sorry, I really like Sean Penn as an actor; but I really had a hard time reading through this book. Sean used words throughout this book that I never in my entire life heard of. I constantly had to reach for my iPhone to use my Webster Dictionary app. I know that growing up in Chicago and going through the Chicago schooling system doesn't leave one with the best education; (yes, I'm even a college grad) however, I truly believe that even the most educated person would also have issues with Sean's writing style and his choice of words. Think I'll stick with movies that Sean appears in instead.

I rarely read a book in one sitting, but I was enjoying this book so much that I chose to put off my day's plans to finish it. What I loved the most was Penn's use of language, style of writing. I read parts of the book out loud to myself, just to hear and experience the alliterations rolling off my tongue. I will definitely read this book again. Loved the dry humor.

BOB HONEY WHO JUST DO STUFF. Man, what a book. I understand the hostility, the anger, the confusion. From those who have read it, gave it a good going over- and not those who've lynched it, to fit in and be part of a mindless swarm of insecure threatened ignorant individuals. This is pure literature. Not your usual SELL THE NAME TO INDUCE THE FAME GAME GUISE TO CONTINUE SELLING AN IDENTITY BORN FOR AUDIENCES TO BLAME. This is an artist, vocalising himself greater than the media he works in can offer, being a quagmire of image and selling tickets- what with being entrenched in the Industry. Artistic individuality lost. Now, restored. Sean Penn is experimenting with prose, linear, topics in a fashion you'd both expect and then not so expect. Aside from your own political opinion or greater still on the author in question you'll go in biased and come out still biased. This book transcends the norm of the type of media and attention these forms of cultish, underground styled, aesthetic and transgressive novels ever get- its garnering as such by his name and status, yes, but beautifully and in a play of using the medium he so has become disenchanted with and at loose ends with, its to his and specifically to the books (intent/meaning/physical representation's) advantage. Pushing the norm. Breaking the social status quo and the rules put by, breaking out, ushering in criticism and ignorance and making his point supple and primed. Utterly ambitious, ambiguous, hilarious. A uniquely perverse satirical transgressive novel of multiple facets of intrigue and commentary. The prose is lyrical, unpredictable, hyperbolically attuned to its style and cadence; a raw all consuming Ballardian fusion of rhetoric, and Burroughsian wordsmithery. Penn has written a book of the ages, targeting anything and everything we all face in a digital age- BS movements, empty apathetic drollery of a mass mind brewed and fermented in false agenda and hypocrisy and sycophantic ideologies. Its layered, its really hysterical. Its bold. Bleakly brutal. Its a delightful inspirational read on how to convey politics, social retardation at its zenith of ignorance. I adored this book. Cannot wait to read more from Penn.

Premier ouvrage de Sean Penn.

Worst novel in the history of serious cognitive deficits. Sean Penn masters writing the way a hamster masters algebra. Avoid it like the plague or like your mother. Better still, avoid it like it's the plague's mother.

Fan de Sean Penn j’ai trouvé ce livre inintéressant au possible

FANTASTIC, skilfully crafted piece of literature, with intellectual amusement, if you enjoy fiction reading and are intellectually inclined then I would definitely read this book of unique structure and content, the word play is cryptic and could be difficult for a mainstream audience but if dubbed down would detract from the novels structure and rhythm. I would encourage Sean Penn to start work on another : )