Anansi Boys

mass market paperback, 400 pages

English language

Published Oct. 29, 2006 by Harper Torch.

ISBN:
978-0-06-051519-5
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
965133586

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (254 reviews)

God is dead. Meet the kids.

When Fat Charlie's dad named something, it stuck. Like calling Fat Charlie "Fat Charlie." Even now, twenty years later, Charlie Nancy can't shake that name, one of the many embarrassing "gifts" his father bestowed — before he dropped dead on a karaoke stage and ruined Fat Charlie's life.

Mr. Nancy left Fat Charlie things. Things like the tall, good-looking stranger who appears on Charlie's doorstep, who appears to be the brother he never knew. A brother as different from Charlie as night is from day, a brother who's going to show Charlie how to lighten up and have a little fun ... just like Dear Old Dad. And all of a sudden, life starts getting very interesting for Fat Charlie.

Because, you see, Charlie's dad wasn't just any dad. He was Anansi, a trickster god, the spider-god. Anansi is the spirit of rebellion, able …

22 editions

A fabulous story

5 stars

Anansi Boys was chosen as the second of three group reads for January by the Proud Readers Of Great Stories group on Goodreads to which I belong. I had already loved hearing the audiobook edition, superbly narrated by Lenny Henry, a few years ago so decided to borrow my OH's ebook edition this time around. I couldn't actually remember much of the story at all which I was glad about because I couldn't spoil any surprises for myself!

Gaiman's tale, at heart, is a coming of age story of sibling rivalry where our inept hero must overcome not only his brother's suave sophistication, but also his own crises of confidence. I could empathise with Fat Charlie on so many occasions! However, this being Gaiman, he also encounters no end of fantastical and supernatural beings which are vividly described so I could easily imagine them all. These beings are inspired by …

Almost stopped reading at pg 126, but decided to finish the chapter at least... and boy I just kept going!

4 stars

Content warning some minor plot points

Fat Charlie is more funny than expected

5 stars

Fat Charlie has a comfortable life in London and a lovely fiancée whose mother is hell on Earth. Fat Charlie cannot say his life is everything he has ever dreamt of, but when his father dies and he learns he is the son of a god and that he has a brother, the life he knows and Rosie are gone and Fat Charlie wants it back.

This book was a brilliant surprise. Whether you like or do not like American Gods, give this a try because there is nothing in common between the two except that there are gods in it. Fat Charlie, Spider, Rosie, Rosie's mother and Daisy are characters that we easily care about but I wasn't expecting the humour. This book is way funnier than it should be because it is beautifuly written, the characters and story evolve in a very satisfying way and it even has …

Review of 'Anansi boys' on 'GoodReads'

5 stars

Much lighter (both physically and mentally) than American Gods, this was a fun and relaxing read. I love Gaiman's playfulness with words, concepts and references throughout the book.

The only downside being the multiple times I laughed out loud and had to tell the kids that no, in order to explain the joke, I would have to retell much of the story so far.

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Many people seem to know about Anansi the spider. For me he was completely new, so there were plenty of surprises in this book by Mr Gaiman.
A book that I enjoyed, be it not as much as Neverwhere which is still top of the top list.

A clever book however, with quirks and smiles and thoughts.
Definitely glad I read it.

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A spin-off book from [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226] featuring Anansi's offspring, Fat Charlie and Spider. I enjoyed this story much more than American Gods, I found that book to be bloated with plots, sub plots, flashbacks and many many characters. Anansi boys works well, nice plot with a few twists and turns, some brilliant characters and good amount of humour. Fat Charlie and Spider's evolution makes this fun to read. Makes me wish that American Gods was a series of books, one book per character and then have the main story of American Gods. Would probably make the book more fun for taking sides. :-)

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Why have I never read this before? Ah, probably because I didn't really like American Gods on the first read (but loved it on the second).
Well, what can I say. I liked this book. It was funny. Not outrageously funny, not cleverly funny, just, you know, funny. There were even soms LOL moments. I mean... "mixed herbs"... Everyone who has read the book knows why I LOLed. And if you haven't read the book, you really should. Because it's fun.

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

It is fun and musical and a bit magical. Neil Gaiman has definitely got a talent for creating these worlds and filling them with light hearted characters and humor, all while saying some profound things beneath.
Thoroughly enjoyed it! And really hope to get some Anansi spirit in my life!

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Masterful. Being aware that this was tangentially linked to American Gods, I wasn't expecting the much lighter and even comedic tone that this novel has, but Neil Gaiman makes it work incredibly well. The story is a brilliant mix between comedic misadventures and the kind of reflections on the nature of Gods and beliefs and stories and songs that only Gaiman could pull off, with plenty of memorable quotes to go around. I think it's also, thanks to its length, a much tighter read than American Gods. I didn't expect any different from one of my favorite authors.

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