Review of Biff Goes to Walmart

[Annelore Trujillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Biff Goes to Walmart" by Scott Scheibner.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Biff Goes to Walmart by Scott Scheibner would be best described as a satire about a socially inept man on his trip to Walmart. Biff doesn’t pick up on the social cues of others, which leads to some comical situations throughout his shopping experience. For example, imagine his reaction when he sees another patron consuming cat food in one of the aisles. Without any qualms, Biff jumps in and starts talking to the man about this experience. This conversation isn’t his only unsolicited one-sided monologue. You will have to read this book to see the ridiculous things that Biff says and thinks.

The book was unique. The synopsis promised ridiculousness, and the book did not disappoint. It has been a while since I read anything that could qualify as satire. With this kind of book, the more ridiculous it is, the better. I enjoyed each of the anecdotes. I chuckled at Biff’s little monologues. The witty quips throughout the book were great; the sarcasm was on point. A few times, I started to believe a portion of the book was serious, then Biff would do something, and I’d find myself rolling my eyes and laughing again. On that note, I would advise readers to take everything in the book with a grain of salt. Due to the satirical nature of the book, it is easy to be offended by portions of the book if one takes things seriously.

The biggest downfall was that a significant chunk of the book contained books that Biff was perusing in the store. While this added another unique element to the book, this section should be condensed. After a while, I didn’t want to keep reading those books. They didn’t add to the story. Some parts of the excerpts were comical, which I enjoyed. Others were not. Slightly shorter sections would have provided the same result.

The breakdown of chapters could also use some work. For the most part, each chapter was a short anecdote about Biff’s experience. Some chapters were excerpts from books (as mentioned above). However, occasionally the chapter contained just the title and dedication from one of those books, which was a little confusing. This breakdown could be more consistent.

The editing of the book also needed improvement. Unfortunately, I noticed several errors throughout the book. These ranged from minor misspellings to formatting and punctuation errors that made certain parts difficult to read. Due to the editing and the other issues I mentioned above, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. These issues aren’t severe enough to detract a second star, but they stopped me from being able to give a perfect rating. I would recommend this book to anyone who won’t be offended by the ridiculousness of the book. It has copious amounts of foul language and some vulgar sexual scenes, so I would not recommend this book to younger readers.

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Biff Goes to Walmart
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[Amy Luman]

I really like this premise. A trip to Wal-Mart can be daunting for even the most socially adept among us. It’s too bad that you found so many problems with the narration and the editing. Sex scenes make me really uncomfortable, though, so I won’t be reading this.

[Jennifer Coxon]

I’m not sure if this one would be for me. I don’t get easily offended but can end up taking things literally. A great detailed review though.

[FunkyFlowerLady]

Sounds like a laugh-out-loud satirical take on being socially inept. I think I'll read it. your review has sold it perfectly, although If the errors were edited it will be even better.

[FunkyFlowerLady]

I really like this premise. A trip to Wal-Mart can be daunting for even the most socially adept among us. It’s too bad that you found so many problems with the narration and the editing. Sex scenes make me really uncomfortable, though, so I won’t be reading this.

I can see how it can turn off certain demographics. Maybe it could have been reeled in a bit. loved your insights though!