Thought this would be a hoot. Kind of is, but by the time you're halfway thru it it gets a bit .......... redundant. ( )

In the 1970s, actor/ comedian Don Novello launched a brilliant spoof in which (as Lazlo Toth) he sent off- beat letters to corporations and politicians. The hilarious letters and serious replies they elicited were published as The Lazlo Letters in 1977. Nearly 20 years later, Paul Rosa steals Novello's idea and persona without attribution in order to try the same stunt. The result is not very successful.

The problem is that Rosa's letters are too obvious as fakes -- they are long-winded monologues, far too well worded to be from the supposedly - demented author, and too clearly crafted for effect. Little wonder that so many were ignored by the recipients, not even eliciting a form letter in response. Further, since Rosa used his real name, some recipients recognized him as the standup comedian.

There are amusing moments. For example, in the persona of a professor of entomology, he writes to Caterpillar Inc (makers of construction equipment) to seek a job. However, where Lazlo Toth was clever and subtle, Rosa is heavy - handed, annoying, and downright crass (to wit, his letter to the makers of Preparation H).

With this book and other such attempts like The Timewaster Letters, Letters from a Nut and Wilber Winkle Has a Complaint, a once - clever idea has grown stale through overuse. ( )

Unusual letter to corportations--some were clever ( )