Reviews

 Reviews

“intelligent and downright funny …. sharp dialogue, witty banter, and biting humor … Schmidtberger examines the themes of love-and-loss, friendship, and anger and does it all with flair.   ”   About.com – January 2008.

“a delight …. [Schmidtberger] peels away the characters’ layers with humor and pathos in equal measure … engaging and engrossing.   Leav[es] the reader with a sense of satisfaction and a desire for more of the same. ”   CelebrityCafe.com – December 19, 2007.

“Design Flaws is the novel about heartbroken, revenge-seeking New Yorkers you’ve always wanted to read. ”   OutsideLeft.com – December 19, 2007.

“… a decidedly irreverent comedy of manners … a healthy dose of satire … Schmidtberger writes engagingly … ”   The Recorder – December 10, 2007.

“… hilarious and dead-on debut novel … incredible book … ”   The Modern Tonic – October 24, 2007.

“… miraculously funny … beautifully written … This is a hilariously funny writer, with a capital ‘H’ … ”   Stephen Fraser, for AfterElton.com’s September Books – September 12, 2007.

“fantastic … Schmidtberger has a thrilling and hilarious narrative style … ”   Edge Boston – September 10, 2007.

“… howlingly funny … Schmidtberger is a delightfully clever writer, nailing personalities, nay, whole cultures, with a deft turn of phrase … Schmidtberger’s telling attention to detail, his tongue-in-cheek humor and his obvious affection for his protagonists make ‘Design Flaws’ a superior read.”   The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star – September 9, 2007.

“… reminiscent of vintage Armistead Maupin … Schmidtberger has a gift for writing characters you really want to spend time with … The greatest strength of “Design Flaws of the Human Condition” is its humanity and the sense of community it creates. ”   The Boulder Daily Camera – August 31, 2007.

“… a fresh and funny New York novel … Schmidtberger has a great handle on the contemporary New York scene, so the novel is packed with wonderful local color and witty insider touches.”   Joe Meyers of the Connecticut Post (Joe’s View) – August 20, 2007.

“… hilarious debut novel … wickedly irreverent … perfectly placed humor… Crisply written and featuring well-developed characters … ”   The Tucson Citizen – August 2, 2007.

“For better or worse, the gold standard for the gay guy/straight gal dynamic is Will & Grace. But Paul Schmidtberger comes up with a clever variation on the pairing in his amusing if cotton-candy-lite debut. Ken and Iris meet cute in anger management class … These two team up Holmes-and-Watson style for a little mutual spying and wreak considerable havoc along the way. Design Flaws of the Human Condition alternately has you chuckling and rolling your eyeballs—not unlike a certain TV classic.”   USA Today – July 26, 2007.

“Author Schmidtberger is a capable storyteller whose prose is bright and engaging … authentically entertaining …”   The L Magazine – New York City’s Event Guide, July 2007.

“Debut novelist Schmidtberger’s take is very funny, and his hilarious observations about contemporary urban life, from its escapable therapy-speak to the damage done to the skyline by Donald Trump, play well alongside this ultimately sentimental story about the virtues of friendship. … Schmidtberger’s wryly wrought characters lend authenticity to this confection of a summer novel.”   Out Magazine – July 2007.

“Design Flaws of the Human Condition contains the kind of pitch-perfect observations that make you want to phone the author, crying, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! I feel exactly the same way!’ A searing satire of every imaginable inconvenience and indignity, Schmidtberger’s novel of ill manners shimmers with wit, whimsy and wisdom.”   Marc Acito, author of How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater.

“In New York—a city of coincidence and contradictions—Iris and Ken are the quintessential New York Couple, the straight woman and her gay best friend. And what a pair they make. Their adventures bubble with humor but never become absurd, and the story of their friendship charms without becoming sentimental.”   Shari Goldhagen, author of Family and Other Accidents.

“… a promising debut about love, friendship and anger-management … an assuredly entertaining romp … Schmidtberger handles his characters with a sympathetic grace.”   Publishers Weekly – April 2, 2007.