Ehhhhh..... I finished it, so it wasn't absolutely horrible. Did not hold my attention very well, a bit hard to follow. Thank you for the opportunity to read it though!

I wanted to love this book as much as I loved the description, but instead I found it sad. The characters were unlikeable to me, not funny.

I got the chance to read this for free through Net Galley.

I have to say, I'm barely giving it a 2. I found the author to be pretty much totally unlikable throughout the book. He just goes from one idiotic move to another and only at the very end manages to sort of pull his act together. There were some funny moments, especially after he meets his future wife. But for the most part, I just went from feeling sorry for him to wanting to knock some sense into him.

I'm really not sure what to make of this book or what to say about it. I definitely didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it. There were a lot of things to like about it and equally as many to dislike. The main character was a rather pathetic human being which made a lot of the story sad and frustrating - you want to slap him upside the head. Yet he was also very introspective and understood his own motivators which was quite interesting. So I'm going to go right down the middle with this review and say it's worth a read ...but you might also regret it.

Did not enjoy this book. Tried to get into it and still wasn't grabbing me by page 40.

I think when you bill something as a "funny" memoir, you are already setting it up for failure just like with any memoir written by a comedian. There's too much expectation and then there was just too much of it in general, though I'm a big fan of the genre of failing forward or learning from my mistakes since I love the rich and authentic voice of [author:Josh Sundquist|2031113] but this one fell far, far short.

The only thing I have in common with Simon Eli Vella is introversion. Despite that fact, Vella is an incredibly relatable person and his memoir is painfully beautiful.

Recounting his awkward childhood, Vella discusses the dangers of letting the voice in your head get the better of you. As an extremely imaginative child myself, I totally understand the constant background chatter. I can also vouch for the fact that the voice is often really, really mean. Vella also teaches the reader how to be really cool in high school, though being cool comes at the price of ethics. Finally, the reader meets adult Vella who still struggles with the voice in his head and well, being an adult.

It's a story of finding oneself through the darkness that is addiction. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's more than a little graphic. There is gratuitous...everything. It's totally worth it however. Vella writes from the heart and he's good at it.

I did not finish this one,

I managed to get several chapters in but the writing felt disjointed and the overall plot came off as tacky and as an excuse to focus entirely too much on the topic of the main character's penis.

Simon Eli Vella has issues. He has debilitating insecurity, which causes him to underachieve in school. He gets picked on by older kids, until he figures out how to shoplift porn and sell it to other schoolboys. He has an extreme allergy to girls, needing alcohol to even speak to them.

But perhaps most disconcerting (although entertaining) is the hyper-critical voice in his head that sounds like a blending of Morgan Freeman and the BBC's David Attenborough and who narrates the worst of his insecurities in every situation. 

What else is there for an extremely insecure boy from Australia to do after school but to go on a global career avoidance tour to Europe and the United States? And if that includes a lot of clubbing, drinking, and illicit drugs, then Simon is there.

Although there's not much sex (hence, the title of the memoir: Limp), there are lots of adventures, anxieties, and lessons in life. Throw in a major lawsuit, blood and broken bones, the runniest nose in history, a hundred kilometer walk, and the documentary-style running narration of Morgan Attenborough, and you've got one funny, uplifting, amazing memoir!



Galleys for Limp were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

This memoir is a debut for author Simon Eli Vella, from Australia, who writes about being a misfit child and his formative years. Limp isn't about his being lame, it's about his life? His erectile dysfunction? What started off as hilarious ended up being too much of the same thing and the laughs became fewer and fewer. I did feel for Simon the child, and then he grew up and became rather pathetic, still trying to fit in. He finally found himself, after much grief and turmoil, and I applaud him for that! The book however, fell flat early on, and just didn't keep my attention and the jokes became so tiresome.

I was given this book for free from the author & publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I fully expected to laugh my a@@ off reading this book, but I guess l left my sense of humor somewhere else while reading this book. I found much of it very disturbing. I give the author a lot of credit for his honesty and the story did turn out well.

Limp is a wonderfully apt title as it encompasses everything in the narrator's life. Australian debut author, Simon Eli Vella, chronicles his life starting with his childhood in Melbourne as an extremely introvert boy with no self-confidence. Completely lacking energy or motivation, he finds remaining passive, the simplest way to be pushed through life. Growing up and wanting to fit in somehow, he discovers that "normal" interactions with people become easier under the influence of recreational drugs and plenty of booze. As a side effect, he then has to cope with his impotence, some difficult relationships, and a hilarious lawsuit. Always looking for the path of least resistance, Simon stays in education for as long as possible and then drifts from job to job before finally "growing up" in his forties.
This was a very humorous memoir with several laugh-out-loud moments and I admire the author's candor. It was very readable, but at times, I found it a little too light considering some of the rather serious topics (mental health, drug and alcohol abuse). I loved Simon's Mum and Dad with their laissez-faire parenting while always being there for him and supporting him when needed, but also happy to give their uncensored opinions on their son's choices. Overall, an engaging and entertaining memoir.

A funny and at times sad story (sometimes at the same time). I enjoyed every word of this book, even the ones that reminded me of my own sad and funny life. This book was very easy to read and flowed smoothly throughout. I highly recommend it. (Just my opinion.)

This book started out so strong I laughed out loud, numerous times. I wanted to savor this book so much I would allow myself to read only one chapter a night. I was immediately hooked. I was a little mislead by the title and description. "Limp" is stereo-typically an older persons problem so was taken off guard to learn this guy is my age. But still hilariously funny. Something happened in the middle when he starts travelling and choosing "alternative" activities he lost me. Part of it may have been the subject matter, but a lot of it was just that he wasn't that funny anymore. His one-liners were missing. His "unfortunate pathetic" just turned into "pathetic". Redemption was had in the final chapters though. The legal stuff was a riot, how he ends up as far as relationship status was also quite good. The ending is not what I expected, and clearly not really what he expected either. Overall this was a simple tale about a simple man who grows up within these pages. In the end I have huge respect for him and thank him for sharing his story.

This book was dark, funny, entertaining, and depressing all all different points. The author's sardonic sense of humor was really enjoyable! I literally laughed out loud at different points. As a woman, I was still able to empathize with many of Vella's awkward situations and health problems. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something unique and a little out of the ordinary.

Limp is Simon's story of triumph trumping tragedy... after tragedy... after tragedy through not quite-so-equal parts of hilarity and humility. Although, some of Simon's "befallments of woe" are more self-imagined than tangible or truly overly-concerning. Simon is raw and honest in his pain, transparent about his former addictions and owns his culpability is his vast array of mistakes.. I did not get past chapter 3. Maybe it is a generational thing or more likely I just didn't like this book..It is well written and I can see where people may find this funny but reading about someone's drug use and other things just aren't my thing

Good read, both funny and sad. It makes you think about peoples insecurities. While the hero seems to take it a bit to an extreme, all people seem to have some level of fear. Whether it be moving to a new town as a child, going to school, a new job or a relationship. How we overcome these concerns has a great deal in determining who we are, and how we are perceived by others.

What an excellent read! A truly deep look into ones psyche. Simon very honestly goes through his life, covering adolescence to adulthood. A place that is difficult for all off us. However, Simon has the "blessings" of everything bad that a boy caname have, he has. He lives with the perpetual handkerchief held to his nose. He is super shy around girls and even other boys. Then he gets into drugs and the crap hits the fan!
A must read for all of us who lack the confidence to face life full on.
I loved this book, We'll written, sad, scary, funny. Exceptional!
5 Stars!

So funny in places, sad in others... a well written book I completely enjoyed. It was not at all what I expectes, and a very touching book

spoiler alert ** I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Surfeit Publishing to read and review.

I found Simon Eli Vella's book to be quite brave, funny at times, outrageous at others, yet sad for him through much of it. His situation is a tough one, growing up a sickly boy in Australia with "sinus issues" that leave him an object of ridicule much of the time, while he carries around "hanky" as his shield from the world. An extreme introvert, he enjoys only times where he doesn't have to endure other people and especially having to interact with them by speaking. His best times are spent alone in his room, as he feels he has no friends, no redeeming qualities, and no reason at all to even try in the world. He goes along through life just letting the river of life wash him in whatever direction it will, with the negative consequences that come along. And through much of it, he's got the snarky voice in his head telling him in no uncertain terms what a total wanker he is. It's so ever present that he's even given it a name, Freeman Attenborough, a cross between Freeman Morgan and Richard Attenborough.

He finds that using drugs helps to drown out that voice a bit, so he dives right into drug use, becoming quite an addict and drinker through much of his life. He feels that being blitzed is the only way to get through times where he has to interact with others, to make him less of a non-entity, an unwanted and unlikable waste of air. He doesn't notice much of a downside to the addiction until eventually he's told by a doctor that it's making his impotence worse. It's written in a painfully entertaining way, relating how he goes from one bad situation to the next with little insight for many years. But it left me a bit sad for so much of his life, while inspired by the eventual turnaround.