Mr. Monk Is Miserable by Lee Goldberg

Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg


My Review

rating: 2 of 5 stars

The overall story of this book was good and I liked how it all came together at the end. I did not like that this book was from Natalie's point of view. I prefer seeing Monk from a more objective 3rd person point of view, because Natalie's view is necessarily biased. That could still have worked, but I felt the author got Natalie's voice all wrong. She came across as much harder and more harsh than on the show. She was quite unlikable, really. I also felt the book was more about Natalie than about Monk, often sending Monk off on his own while Natalie went out and had adventures. I also don't think Natalie would be that manipulative or uncompromising or just "I just don't care" all the time, no matter how tired she was.

I also felt the characterization of Monk was off. He also came across as more harsh and even quite snotty. On the show he is often quite selfish and self-absorbed, but I don't think even Monk would be as nasty or intrusive as he sometimes was in this book.

Much of the book read like a travelogue, and I'm not sure quite so much detail was necessary. While it was interesting to me, I would have preferred a story that focused more on the characters and the plot.

I wouldn't recommend this book to fans of the show. It was an enjoyable and quick read otherwise, though, so I'd recommend it to anyone who might be interested in in a whodunit type of mystery with quirky characters.

Introducing...

Allow me to introduce myself: I am Key of E Minor, and I shall be a contributing writer here. I expect to greatly enjoy skewering--I mean reviewing various albums, movies, and books here. I will also rant about pop culture and stuff.

The end. Goodbye.

Until we meet again...

~ Key

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Third Test Post

This is the third test post. I want to have a few posts in place while I'm adjusting the colors and other aspects of the blog.

I have a lot of CDs sitting on top of my desk.

I'm typing some random stuff here to add more text. I don't really know what to talk about. Some of the stuff on my desk: my digital camera, my iPod, Post-It notes of various sizes, a squishy ball that looks like an orange soccer ball, pens, Sharpie markers, Tivo remote, CDs, package of dental floss, two notebooks, tape measure.

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Now playing: Temple of The Dog - Say Hello 2 Heaven
via FoxyTunes

Second Test Post

This is the second test post so that I can see how things look around here. I should try to add more text to this one. I got a new digital camera for Christmas and I really love it.

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Now playing: Temple of The Dog - Reach Down
via FoxyTunes

First Test Post

This is a post so that I can see what the blog looks like while I adjust the settings.

I'm not sure I like the title of this blog. It's a reference to a David Cook song.

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Now playing: Temple of The Dog - Reach Down
via FoxyTunes