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bibliolinde's review
2.0
Homes writes really satisfying stories with a morbid sense of humour, satirising modern America in all its absurdity. This collection deals with topics such as modified appearances, strained marriages, immigration, and family history. Some of the stories were a little confusing or forgettable and missed the mark for me personally. Nevertheless, I would recommend them if you like magic realism, flash encounters, and general strangeness.
--mild spoilers ahead--
I particularly enjoyed ‘The National Cage Bird Show’, where the chat room format intertwines heavy personal conversations with random budgie-related queries, and ‘A Prize for Every Player’ which sees a man (who, by the way, has just found an abandoned baby in a grocery store) spontaneously nominated for President.
--mild spoilers ahead--
I particularly enjoyed ‘The National Cage Bird Show’, where the chat room format intertwines heavy personal conversations with random budgie-related queries, and ‘A Prize for Every Player’ which sees a man (who, by the way, has just found an abandoned baby in a grocery store) spontaneously nominated for President.
michellekmartin's review
4.0
What I loved most about this collection of stories was the variety between stories. Certainly some stories had similar themes, tones, and feels, but there were also some strange stories worked in there too that I found refreshing in their own way.
My favorite stories were Brother Sunday, Days of Awe, Hello Everybody, All Is Good Except For the Rain, Your Mother Was a Fish, A Prize for Every Player, and She Got Away. I enjoyed how certain themes were threaded through the stories.
I noticed that many stories focused on the idea of saying goodbye to parents when you are older. Many of the characters are deeply connected to their parents and have anxieties about their aging and leaving them. A few stories centered around the idea of the inability to say no when a character didn’t want to do something. Other themes I found throughout were questioning of characters sexuality, pistachios dyed red (this was random but popped up in two stories), and the storing/collecting/coveting of objects.
I found Homes writing in this collection to be especially reminiscent of Don DeLillo at moments. She writes these wonderful characters who are so wholly American and explores the sadness of modern American life through these characters. The stories are quite dialogue driven, which was challenging at points, but made you feel like you were right there listening in on conversations.
My favorite stories were Brother Sunday, Days of Awe, Hello Everybody, All Is Good Except For the Rain, Your Mother Was a Fish, A Prize for Every Player, and She Got Away. I enjoyed how certain themes were threaded through the stories.
I noticed that many stories focused on the idea of saying goodbye to parents when you are older. Many of the characters are deeply connected to their parents and have anxieties about their aging and leaving them. A few stories centered around the idea of the inability to say no when a character didn’t want to do something. Other themes I found throughout were questioning of characters sexuality, pistachios dyed red (this was random but popped up in two stories), and the storing/collecting/coveting of objects.
I found Homes writing in this collection to be especially reminiscent of Don DeLillo at moments. She writes these wonderful characters who are so wholly American and explores the sadness of modern American life through these characters. The stories are quite dialogue driven, which was challenging at points, but made you feel like you were right there listening in on conversations.
prettybooksprettyplants's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alexandra13's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
megie1987's review against another edition
5.0
Another collection of stellar short stories by A.M. Homes. Discovering her writing 8 years ago was the best thing.
brittn's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rozereads's review
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
Unfortunately not impressed by these stories. Not leading anywhere and quite forgettable. Homes might be the better novelist. The one I read by her so far, I really liked.