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lola425's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Fox's Desperate Characters so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this collection of essays and short stories. Grace was my favorite selection in the book, although I do love any kind of memoir about NYC, which this book has no shortage of. I felt very conflicted at the end of Grace because on the one hand, you feel that the protagonist made a breakthough and on the other hand you feel two people making choices based on some kind of emotional shorthand. He is crying so maybe I can get through to him change him. I am sad, I am afraid to be alone. Still, you felt that the main character would revert to his old ways (no one that obsesseed with word usage is likely to turn himself around, judging is ingrained, deeply, I would think).
beckyramone's review
3.0
Fun fact, Paula Fox is Courtney Love's grandmother. Also fun fact (that you wouldn't know if you only read this book) Paula Fox is more famous as a children's book author. But anyway, News from the World is a bit disjointed. None of the essays and stories seem to have any rhyme or reason as to why they are included or put in any particular order. Many of the stories are what I like to call "people watching" stories, because there's no real plot or purpose, you're just sort of reading someone's daily life. Which can be enjoyable, with the right author. Not sure if Fox is the right author for me with those types of stories. The standouts in this book are definitely "The Stop of Truth" and "Unquestioned Answers." I'm not sure if you can find these essays anywhere else, but I would for sure recommend those two to read. "The Stop of Truth" is about censorship and "Unquestioned Answers" is about language and how we communicate. Very good, but unfortunately, none of the other pieces quite rise up to the highs of those two essays.
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