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Quick Change Paperback – August 28, 2006
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“Grimm was the only one in town who knew he had them where he wanted them―overconfident.” The hero of Quick Change is just twenty minutes into a bank robbery, and so far everything is going according to his brilliant, meticulously thought-out plan. The bank’s employees and customers are in the vault, the security cameras have all been shot out, and he’s bagged close to a million dollars. But the police and a SWAT team are already outside. Can Grimm get out of the bank and out of New York, with the money and his two accomplices, and pull off this daring escapade?
And why is he dressed like a clown?
Jay Cronley delivers the answers in a rapid-fire narrative―with much more suspense and Cronley’s signature deadpan humor than made it into the French or American film versions (the latter starring Bill Murray and Geena Davis). In an introduction written for this new paperback edition, the author tells how the book came to be, what it’s like to go Hollywood, and where the book has taken him since it was first published in 1981.
- Print length260 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOUP
- Publication dateAugust 28, 2006
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.65 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100806137738
- ISBN-13978-0806137735
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
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About the Author
Jay Cronley, a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame, writes a regular column for the Tulsa World. He is the author of eight novels, four of which (Cheap Shot, Funny Farm, Good Vibes, and Quick Change) were made into major motion pictures. He continues to develop original screenplays.
Product details
- Publisher : OUP; 1st edition (August 28, 2006)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 260 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0806137738
- ISBN-13 : 978-0806137735
- Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.65 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #436,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,080 in Humorous Fiction
- #4,055 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #22,915 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2018This book is hilarious! So much better than the movie!!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2010Quick Change is one of the few instances in which a movie is much better than the book. Without Bill Murray to breathe life into the character of Grimm, the protagonist becomes an uninteresting vehicle to hold the plot together. The book is humorless, but lacks intensity. I felt the story lacked tension, but that may be due to the fact that I watched (and liked) the movie first. The characters were in general more like generic petty criminals and dirty cops than the more memorable characters from the movie. The ending is different, unpleasant, and reminds me of the way the novel version of the Princess Bride ended (also poor in my opinion). Jay Cronley's introduction to the book, written post-movie, irritates as well. In short, I would not recommend this book to anyone who liked the movie, or really to anyone at all. There are far better "caper" books out there, and far better crime books in general, with Quick Change seemingly stuck between gritty and light-hearted with nothing to really characterize it at all. Two stars since the story is at least written coherently with no glaring holes.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2013They say that books are better than the movies. Wanted to read the book to see about the changes throughout and there are a ton. Took out more than you see. It is in depth and wanted to read if the hold up was more to it but was not. Just be careful if you buy this product. Loved the movie more than the book cause of the sayings in the movie is not in the book. Book's are great and this one is quite unique
- Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2006I am reading this to my 13-year-old son. I find it dumb and dated; I can't quite see how other reviewers found anything to laugh out loud about. My son, though, likes it -- he doesn't LOVE it, but he wants me to finish reading it before we move on to something else. It is also not really appropriate for anyone younger than 13, and if you're really conservative (don't want mentions of prostitutes, the F-word, etc.), you won't want even your 13-year-old to see it. I found it on a recommended list of young adult novels online, but I don't agree that it's a teen novel -- it's more like a lame adult fiction.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2014Quick Change follows the misadventures of career criminal Grimm, his bombshell girlfriend Phyllis, and loose cannon cohort Lackey, as their getaway to the airport from a nearly flawless bank job is repeatedly delayed and complicated by one misfortune after another.
A bit more nihilistic and hard-edged than the 1990 Bill Murray adaptation of the same name, Quick Change is an 80s crime farce in the tradition of authors like Carl Hiaasen, although quite possibly lesser known than it's American film adaptation. It's a straight forward "What else could go wrong?" comic vehicle, as unforeseen errors in judgement and cruel twists of fate keep getting in the way of Grimm's gang and the airport while enraged police chief Rotzinger slowly gains on their trail. Much of the incidents they become involved in along the way mirror absurd societal norms and inner-city frustrations that can make life difficult on even a normal day, which goes a long way towards humanizing the predicaments of the lead characters.
Part of the humor in the novel comes from the narrator's asides into the thoughts and histories of major and minor characters alike, which may be a bit distracting to some readers when time dilates during active scenes in order to diverge into brief insights of a minor character's motivation, but they are generally performed to solid effect. The witty banter the makes up most of the novel's dialogue, however, feels a bit stiff and clunky in some spots, and does less to demonstrate the personalities of characters than the meandering narrator. Sometimes the dialogue isn't as clever as the characters (or author) think it is, but you're guaranteed to laugh when it does hit the mark.
Despite these minor setbacks, it's an overall fun read, especially if you've never seen the 1990 film Quick Change. The 1985 French adaptation Hold-Up bears little resemblance to the source material beyond the clown costume bank robbery, so having seen that beforehand should be less of a hindrance.
Top reviews from other countries
- miss.insomniacReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Clowns are better at robbing banks!
Very funny. No chapters so it, so that’s good. Kept turning the pages!