Magic Irving and His Magic Shoppe

by Stephen Ostrow

Overview

When professional magician Irving Flax uses a fiery magic trick to thwart a convenience store robbery, he gets arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. What follows is the outrageously funny, extremely satirical and altogether fascinating story of a man trying to extricate himself from a legal system that may be broken beyond repair. Joining the high-speed adventure are Irving's family (wait until you meet his mother), his lawyer (of questionable origin), his benefactor (who will resort to anything to increase his fortune), his rabbi (who wants to have Irving excommunicated), and a variety of savory and unsavory characters, with special guest appearances by a host of show business personalities. And you will have a back-stage view of Irving's magical performances where most of his illusions work, most of the time. This is a laugh-out-loud story that pokes serious fun at everything. It is a novel best read by humans. Here's what some readers are saying about Magic Irving and His Magic Shoppe: "This is the funniest, most intelligent and thought provoking book ever written." -Monica Ostrow, wife of the author "Magic Shoppe tickled me silly." -Mark Twain (or someone posing as Mark Twain) "I do not appreciate how author Stephen Ostrow treats the justice system." -J. Edgar Hoover (if he were still alive) "In Magic Shoppe, Stephen Ostrow makes Judaism seem fun. I didn't teach him that." -Rabbi Joseph Schwindall Stephen Ostrow's former rabbi "Stephen Ostrow sent me a copy of Magic Shoppe, but I did not read it." -Former U.S. President Jorge V. Bushwacker

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491769232
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/27/2015
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.77(d)

Editorial Reviews

2015-08-19
In his debut comedy, Ostrow takes readers on a meandering, satirical journey through the justice system, American-Jewish culture, and the perplexing life of a small-time magician. This tongue-in-cheek story follows Irving Flax, a magician who hasn't made it big. Magic is Irving's lifelong passion—he mixes performance with owning and operating a small magic shop in upstate New York—but he can't avoid the trouble it gets him into, from domestic drama to ill-advised professional entanglements to more serious dangers. Irving's life is a series of misadventures, but they come to a head when he foils a convenience store robbery with a flashy fire trick. While briefly lauded for his heroism, Irving finds himself brought up on charges for carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, maybe even attempted murder. And that's just the beginning. The novel moves quickly and unpredictably, bouncing between Irving's central, present-day challenges and scenes from his past and family history. The story even makes time to tell life stories of seemingly unrelated characters, all to set up the punch line of how they intersect with Irving's strange, small world. Replete with comic asides and a rich cast of curious characters, the book reads more like a Woody Allen film than the average novel. Parts of the story feel dated, with a number of tricks and jokes relying on Polaroid cameras, slide projectors, or other outmoded artifacts. The plot also calls for a strong suspension of disbelief, considering how many frauds and scam artists could be exposed through the use of, say, a Google search. But these anachronisms usually aid the absurdist exaggerations and humor; as the book itself says when describing a record player: "It is an obsolete technology but, perhaps, it's a bit more romantic." Some of the humor may also fall flat for readers more concerned with political correctness, as it does invoke stereotypes and other broad-comedy tropes. Nevertheless, it's all in good fun, and fans of older stand-up routines will feel right at home. A charming, funny piece of Americana.

Kirkus Reviews