--- product_id: 40002999 title: "Sneaky People: A Novel" price: "AED 103" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/40002999-sneaky-people-a-novel store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Sneaky People: A Novel **Price:** AED 103 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sneaky People: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** AED 103 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/40002999-sneaky-people-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Sneaky People: A Novel: 9780743257954: Berger, Thomas: Books Review: This is a very funny book about quirky people - This is a very funny book about quirky people, a sort of hyperbole of deception. None of the characters are really bad, just self-serving, like humans. The Writing is clever and entertaining. Review: Another Minor Masterpiece From A Master Magician of 20th Century American Fiction - The publication of Thomas Berger's ¨Sneaky People¨ in Kindle Format is a welcome event, just as the snail's pace with which his catalog as a whole is being reissued is nothing short of criminal. After all, Berger is the author of such celebrated and stylistically diverse books as ¨Little Big Man,¨¨Arthur Rex,¨and the ¨Rheinhardt¨trilogy, not to mention the book being reviewed here, as well as¨Neighbors,¨¨The Feud,¨ and many more. Well, it is by no means a perfect world, as Berger would be the first to acknowlege. Spleen vented, let's move on to the book at hand. ¨Sneaky People¨ is one of several Berger novels, including ¨The Feud¨and ¨Neighbors,¨ which takes the reader on a Cook's Tour of of the mid-20th Century American middle class. He reveals his characters in all their mendacity, mediocrity, unintentional hilarity, and in many instances their tenderness and basic goodness. They are often as well-intentioned as others are reprehensible. That these redeeming qualities frequently are the products of their ignorance or misapprehensions about the world in which they live in no way diminishes them in Berger's view. In fact, their very dunderheadedness, as it were, contributes to our empathy for them. And the banality of the evil that inhabits the hearts of many of the characters is often as hilarious in the telling as it is horrifying in the contemplation. Buddy Sandlor is the owner of a used car lot. In Berger's world, Buddy's profession alone would, in any just world, qualify him for the electric chair, or at least a long stretch in prison. Of course it doesn't, but Buddy, with his sharpster's misplaced self-confidence and dim-witted arrogance, does his level best to balance the scales of justice. With no more consideration, moral or practical, than he would give to fleecing a customer unfortunate enough to wander onto his car lot, Buddy decides to have his wife murdered so that he can marry his mistress. It's not that Buddy loves his somewhat dim but decent paramour. He simply decides that all things considered it's the best, and more importantly the easiest, way to stop his side dish from constantly nagging him about his promise to get a divorce. That in his hubris and basic lack of intelligence he gives the execution of this execution about as much thought as what he plans to have for lunch, leads to serious and extremely comic complications for Buddy and most of those who happen to cross his path. On the other side of the moral universe we have Buddy's adolescent son, Buddy's mistress, and Buddy's wife. Each in his or her own way is just trying to get through life with no more pain than necessary. By turns innocent of the ways of the world, hardened but not hard, and, in the case of Buddy's wife, more shrewd than most suppose, they careen off Buddy's grand plan like bumper cars at a carnival. Some suffer less unpredictable redirection than others, but all are effected to varying degrees. That Berger can render these three characters as multi-dimensional, with deep flaws and sometimes unflattering personalities, while at the same time allowing us to feel for them, is a tribute to his understanding that most people are some mixture of angel and schmuck. They are full of contradictions that can hurt like hell, but that can also, at least in a novel, be hilariously funny. Highly recommended. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #967,485 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #8,367 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #9,742 in Murder Thrillers #28,998 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.3 3.3 out of 5 stars (118) | | Dimensions | 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0743257952 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0743257954 | | Item Weight | 10.4 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 320 pages | | Publication date | July 1, 2005 | | Publisher | Simon & Schuster | ## Images ![Sneaky People: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71G8eklHdHL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a very funny book about quirky people *by J***E on November 7, 2014* This is a very funny book about quirky people, a sort of hyperbole of deception. None of the characters are really bad, just self-serving, like humans. The Writing is clever and entertaining. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Minor Masterpiece From A Master Magician of 20th Century American Fiction *by G***N on December 16, 2011* The publication of Thomas Berger's ¨Sneaky People¨ in Kindle Format is a welcome event, just as the snail's pace with which his catalog as a whole is being reissued is nothing short of criminal. After all, Berger is the author of such celebrated and stylistically diverse books as ¨Little Big Man,¨¨Arthur Rex,¨and the ¨Rheinhardt¨trilogy, not to mention the book being reviewed here, as well as¨Neighbors,¨¨The Feud,¨ and many more. Well, it is by no means a perfect world, as Berger would be the first to acknowlege. Spleen vented, let's move on to the book at hand. ¨Sneaky People¨ is one of several Berger novels, including ¨The Feud¨and ¨Neighbors,¨ which takes the reader on a Cook's Tour of of the mid-20th Century American middle class. He reveals his characters in all their mendacity, mediocrity, unintentional hilarity, and in many instances their tenderness and basic goodness. They are often as well-intentioned as others are reprehensible. That these redeeming qualities frequently are the products of their ignorance or misapprehensions about the world in which they live in no way diminishes them in Berger's view. In fact, their very dunderheadedness, as it were, contributes to our empathy for them. And the banality of the evil that inhabits the hearts of many of the characters is often as hilarious in the telling as it is horrifying in the contemplation. Buddy Sandlor is the owner of a used car lot. In Berger's world, Buddy's profession alone would, in any just world, qualify him for the electric chair, or at least a long stretch in prison. Of course it doesn't, but Buddy, with his sharpster's misplaced self-confidence and dim-witted arrogance, does his level best to balance the scales of justice. With no more consideration, moral or practical, than he would give to fleecing a customer unfortunate enough to wander onto his car lot, Buddy decides to have his wife murdered so that he can marry his mistress. It's not that Buddy loves his somewhat dim but decent paramour. He simply decides that all things considered it's the best, and more importantly the easiest, way to stop his side dish from constantly nagging him about his promise to get a divorce. That in his hubris and basic lack of intelligence he gives the execution of this execution about as much thought as what he plans to have for lunch, leads to serious and extremely comic complications for Buddy and most of those who happen to cross his path. On the other side of the moral universe we have Buddy's adolescent son, Buddy's mistress, and Buddy's wife. Each in his or her own way is just trying to get through life with no more pain than necessary. By turns innocent of the ways of the world, hardened but not hard, and, in the case of Buddy's wife, more shrewd than most suppose, they careen off Buddy's grand plan like bumper cars at a carnival. Some suffer less unpredictable redirection than others, but all are effected to varying degrees. That Berger can render these three characters as multi-dimensional, with deep flaws and sometimes unflattering personalities, while at the same time allowing us to feel for them, is a tribute to his understanding that most people are some mixture of angel and schmuck. They are full of contradictions that can hurt like hell, but that can also, at least in a novel, be hilariously funny. Highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Language, Language *by D***S on May 9, 2014* Entertaining book about Buddy Sandifer and his family and friends. The author set the story in the 1930's. The story moved along, it has great description, but did he set the story in the time period just so he could use derogatory slang? no race escaped his ethnic slurs. I read this book because I read a review that said it was the funniest book the person had ever read. I would now guess that person hasn't read many books. The description of events and characters is wonderful, the author did keep my interest. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/40002999-sneaky-people-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/40002999-sneaky-people-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*