Charles Bukowski's Factotum: B+

In what is perhaps the most amusing and defining segment of Factotum, Henry Chinaski briefly takes up residence at his parents' home in Los Angeles. His father lays  down the facts right away; Henry must pay for room and board and find a job.

If you know Chinaski like Bukowski fans do, it's already understood he'll break all terms of the agreement, and incur other violations as well. And that's really the main gist of this story, only that it's usually employers and women that are getting screwed over by Chinaski as he travels--usually quite drunkenly--from place to place.

Factotum is an often funny if not slightly depressing account of what it was like to be a drifter in the World War II-era US. The seedy backdrops of LA, New York, and St. Louis offer much of the same, as Chinaski is able to find equal numbers of part-time jobs just as quickly as he loses him. If you enjoyed Post Office, here's another helping of it--only there's even more sex, horse races, and reckless drinking.