Reviews

At Large and at Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman

literary_heather's review against another edition

emotional informative lighthearted reflective

3.75

jojo_27's review against another edition

4.0

I recently discovered the existence of this book after years of loving [b:Ex Libris|480712|Ex-Libris|Ross King|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347422149s/480712.jpg|1856314]. I've only read it once so far, so my adoration is not to the same level, but I anticipate many more reads. Fadiman's exquisite craftsmanship always inspires me to pick up my pen again, and this collection of essays was no exception. In this case, I am eager to join her crusade to bring back the familiar essay, the blend of the personal and the impersonal that has so delighted me as well as many others before me, most many years ago.

mharward's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

kyouwa_today's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

milly_in_the_library's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this. 3.5 stars because I didn't like the final story: it was too sad & short to end on.

northerly_heart_reads's review

challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.25

zeezeemama11's review against another edition

5.0

There are few authors I wish to meet in person but Anne Fadiman is one of them. She sings to my soul and there are not words to tell you how I love her writing. The only thing I can do is recommend her Ex Libris and this familiar essays book At Large and At Small to anyone and everyone I ever meet ever again. Thank you Anne Fadiman for being so awesome, for reading so much, staying up so late and for writing!

keepreadingbooks's review against another edition

challenging informative lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

I hadn't thought about it befor reading this collection, but the essay may be the hardest literary genre to make timeless. Essays are so distinctly *of their time* and are very often social or political commentary in disguise, or inevitably intertwined with the chosen subject. There are exceptions, of course, but the majority of essays in At Large and at Small simply felt outdated. It was published in 2007, so it's hardly Fadiman's fault. The subjects are timeless in themselves, but the arguments and treatment of them occasionally felt naïve - in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "well yes, but we've come very far since this point was first made, and so many bigger issues have emerged since." Again, I can hardly blame Fadiman for my reading a book 16 years after its publication, but it's impossible to not let it influence my reading experience.

The collection is erudite, very well-written and wryly humorous. I liked the often quite nerdy topics, and the final essay of the collection was quietly tragic and the on that moved me most. But overall, due to that feeling of being behind the times, it was a "meh" experience for me. I'm glad to finally have read it though, since it has languished on my shelves for years and years, and I still think I might pick up Ex Libris - an essay collection about books may feel more timeless, who knows?

grandgranini's review against another edition

3.0

Got this on a recommendation from Woodge. Very readable collection of essays on everyday things.

I particularly liked

* the one about homemade ice cream
* the one about coffee

I didn't like at all

* the one about the american flag

elusivesue's review

5.0

A lovely book that I am sad to have finished, but glad to have such a nice list of sources/books in the back, so I can look further into those essay topics that really caught my interest. Some of my favorite essays were about the mail, coffee, and being a night owl. Fadiman's writing shows her lineage and her extensive vocabulary, but without making the reader feel dumb. Instead, I felt like I got to learn a lot of neat new words. Another good book for keeping on the bedside table and reading an essay a night.