“This novel tells the real-life story behind A Confederacy of Dunces, the cult classic that won a Pulitzer after Toole, its author, committed suicide. Carroll has a direct link to the material: He is the publisher who brought Toole’s book to light.”
– The New York Times
“A boisterous fictional take on the life and career of author John Kennedy Toole. This love letter to Toole fans offers plenty of insights into the tragic literary figure.”
– Publishers Weekly
“Likable depiction of an ill-fated American master.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“The dramatization of publishing-world machinations is as fascinating as Toole’s life.”
– Booklist
“Every fan of A Confederacy of Dunces has read the Walker Percy foreword. We all thought we knew the story of how John Kennedy Toole’s novel found its way into readers’ hands after the author’s suicide. Boy, did we not know the story. Kent Carroll and Jodee Blanco’s brilliant non-fiction novel gives us the goods, and then some. Illuminating and devastating, triumphant and tragic, I, John Kennedy Toole tells the tale of a dream deferred, of genius ignored.”
– David Benioff, New York Times bestselling author of City of Thieves and co-creator of HBOs Game of Thrones
"I still remember A Confederacy of Dunces well and remember how exciting it was to find such a book. I've read I, John Kennedy Toole with great pleasure—it's an engrossing account of a wonderful writer. A novel all John Kennedy Toole fans will want to read. I think you'll have a great success with it.”
– Andrew Miller, author of Pure and Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
“I, John Kennedy Toole is a vivid exploration of every writers’ nightmare—of writing the best she or he possibly can to create a book that would become a standard-bearer for decades to come, but not getting it published until it's way too late.”
– Audrey Schulman, author of Theory of Bastards
“A fresh take on the patron saint of ever-hopeful, struggling artists everywhere, I, John Kennedy Toole is equal parts captivating and heartrending. Written by consummate publishing insider Kent Carroll and Jodee Blanco, this entertaining novel is sure to delight not only fans of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Confederacy of Dunces, but any reader fascinated by the creative process. In the capable hands of Carroll and Blanco, the fictional Toole emerges as a literary cousin of his celebrated creation Ignatius Reilly.”
– Seth Greenland, author of The Hazards of Good Fortune and I Regret Everything
"A wonderful read, with writing as deliciously arch as Toole himself and the real story of our times: the tragedy of untapped potential. I love the twisting time frame!"
– Denise Mina, bestselling author of Conviction
“I, John Kennedy Toole is a well-researched novel that fans of Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces will want to read.”
– BookChase
“But given the aura around Toole’s life, it is a pleasure to spend some time with him, if only to rue the books he never had a chance to write.”
– The Economist
“The story behind John Kennedy Toole’s groundbreaking A Confederacy of Dunces is as colorful as the novel itself. I, John Kennedy Tooleis the novelized true story of the riveting narrative behind the making of an American masterpiece. It traces Toole’s life in New Orleans, through his adolescence, his stay at Columbia University, his attempts to escape the burdens of his parents, and the invention of characters that came to living reality in his Pulitzer-Prize winning book.”
– Octavia Books
