Peter Leroy, by Eric Kraft

Reviews of the Work as a Whole

	“Charming but never sappy, DROLL but never cynical, Peter Leroy’s adventures constitute one of our wittiest and most acute portraits of America at mid-century. In the bargain, they are the literary equivalent of Fred Astaire dancing: GREAT ART that looks like FUN.” Malcolm Jones, Jr., Newsweek
“The Peter Leroy stories and novels of Eric Kraft are among the most INGENIOUS works of recent fiction. They are this fine writer’s way of using fiction to deal with that age-old dilemma of art, the links between illusion and reality.” Roger Harris The Newark Star Ledger		“An ever-evolving COMIC MASTERPIECE. Beneath the DAZZLING comic antics, Kraft has a SERIOUS purpose: to investigate the nature and interaction of memory, reality, and invention.” Michael Upchurch The Seattle Times
“Anyone who has mourned, or yearned for, his or her younger self will find Kraft AN ENCHANTMENT.” Publishers Weekly	“Mr. Kraft’s work is A WEIRD WONDER, successfully mating tales from the kind of small-town life that hardly exists anymore with a never-ending examination of what it’s like to create such a world. His preoccupation with the homely lives of the citizens of Babbington is adroitly offset by his PASSION for the story of telling the story . . . . In an age when computer technology is on the verge of unleashing the all-singing, all-dancing novel, Eric Kraft’s true theme, the awesome power of the low-tech human imagination, has never seemed so TIMELY or so WISE.” Karen Karbo The New York Times Book Review
	“Is there a more BEGUILING writer today than Eric Kraft?” Publishers Weekly	“One of the cleverest and most CHARMING literary enterprises in recent American fiction.” Mahinder Kingra The City Paper (Baltimore)
Eric Kraft’s The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy is one of the BIGGEST, FUNNIEST, SWEETEST and LOONIEST undertakings in contemporary American fiction. John Strausbaugh New York Press March 21-27, 2001		“Eric Kraft’s essential subject is suburban boyhood—in particular, that moment when it loses its innocence. . . . Like Lawrence Sterne, Kraft is unashamedly SENTIMENTAL, digressive, and EXTREMELY FUNNY; like Proust, profoundly nostalgic and obsessed with loss. The typical Kraft novel is a laugh-out-loud read with undertones of grief and ruefulness. Almost all of his books revolve around a single individual, Peter Leroy, who is now . . . as fully realized as any character in current American literature. . . . Under the surface humor, Kraft’s take on the national experience is THOUGHTFUL, DISTURBING, and unlike that of any other American writer.” Anthony Brandt Men’s Journal
“This series is SMART, FUNNY, WARMLY INVITING and DELIGHTFULLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFINE.” Kate Bernheimer The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon September 1, 2002	“Reading the Peter Leroy saga is akin to watching a champion juggler deftly keep dozens of balls in the air while executing an intricate double-time dance routine—all without breathing hard. . . . Sentimental, loving, RAUCOUS, WISE, AND GREAT FUN, this is simply not to be missed.” Booklist June 2002	THIRTY SECONDS OF FRED ASTAIRE DANCING
	“The cumulative effect of Kraft’s work is of a SOBER HUMOR that refuses easy answers. . . . This is crafty work indeed and CERTAIN TO ENDURE when more pretentious and more touted writers are forgotten.” Bob Williams The Compulsive Reader January 2003 MORE, OFF-SITE	“The eight volumes of Kraft’s fictional memoirs, known as The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy, constitute perhaps THE MOST AMBITIOUS AND REWARDING LITERARY ENTERPRISE OF OUR TIME. . . . Even when you find yourself laughing aloud, it would be a mistake to take Eric Kraft lightly.” Andrew Ervin The San Francisco Chronicle August 18, 2002
“Because Kraft expresses an abiding faith in steadfast love and impossible dreams, because he uses humor to shape a humanistic ethos, and because he takes profound pleasure in the resonance of language and the magic of storytelling, reading Kraft’s inventive and effervescent tales is A RARE AND SUSTAINING JOY.” Donna Seaman Newsday July 16, 2006	“Eric Kraft has spent his writing career creating a series of COMIC MASTERPIECES . . . and am I ever glad he did. . . . The books can be read in any order, but be warned: Once you start the series, YOU WON'T WANT TO READ ANYTHING ELSE until you finish them all.” Nancy Pearl “Eric Kraft: Too Good to Miss” in Book Lust September 2003 [PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY]

	Copyright © 2003 by Eric Kraft The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, dialogues, settings, and businesses portrayed in it are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.	ABOUT THE WORK COMPONENTS OF THE WORK REVIEWS OF THE ENTIRE WORK AUTHOR’S STATEMENT COMPLETE SITE CONTENTS WHAT'S NEW? LITTLE FOLLIES HERB ’N’ LORNA RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED WHERE DO YOU STOP? WHAT A PIECE OF WORK I AM AT HOME WITH THE GLYNNS LEAVING SMALL’S HOTEL INFLATING A DOG PASSIONATE SPECTATOR MAKING MY SELF A TOPICAL GUIDE ADVERTISEMENTS