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dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
3.0
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Well-crafted, especially in the first two-thirds of the book. Still, a book of essays for me depends largely on personality, and D'Ambrosio often had me cringing with his arrogance and/or woe-is-me self-indulgence. Meh. Wanted to like it more than I did, but about half of the essays were really good.
Well-crafted, especially in the first two-thirds of the book. Still, a book of essays for me depends largely on personality, and D'Ambrosio often had me cringing with his arrogance and/or woe-is-me self-indulgence. Meh. Wanted to like it more than I did, but about half of the essays were really good.
samwreads's review against another edition
4.0
Very very good writing. Many of the essays are intensely personal, dealing with D'Ambrosio's troubled relationship with his father and schizophrenic brother, and the suicide of another brother. Several essays also branch out a bit to relationships and views on contemporary issues of justice, prejudice and equality.
The essays do not hesitate to get controversial, which is nice. The voice is really strong and clear and whatever editing D'Ambrosio has done to make them more "raw" (as he alludes to in the preface) is natural. Another thing I liked is how his voice is very masculine (in a contemporary/non-overbearing way). This is expressed foremost in the way he deals with relationships. His regular attempts to find solace, or at the very least to find solitude in nature juxtaposed with his strained familial ties are really the strongest and most piercing moments for me.
The only essays I didn't enjoy as much were the more generic social commentary ones in the second section (if I'm remembering correctly). They were also well written, but they did not feel as unique or engaging to me.
Overall, a very easy book to recommend. Raw, personal, depressing, lonely, erudite and fascinating.
The essays do not hesitate to get controversial, which is nice. The voice is really strong and clear and whatever editing D'Ambrosio has done to make them more "raw" (as he alludes to in the preface) is natural. Another thing I liked is how his voice is very masculine (in a contemporary/non-overbearing way). This is expressed foremost in the way he deals with relationships. His regular attempts to find solace, or at the very least to find solitude in nature juxtaposed with his strained familial ties are really the strongest and most piercing moments for me.
The only essays I didn't enjoy as much were the more generic social commentary ones in the second section (if I'm remembering correctly). They were also well written, but they did not feel as unique or engaging to me.
Overall, a very easy book to recommend. Raw, personal, depressing, lonely, erudite and fascinating.
nightchough's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of rave reviews for this. Not from me; I bailed after ~30 pages.
keight's review against another edition
3.0
I expected that I would really like this collection, but though I appreciate D’Ambrosio's writing style, the essays felt too bleak and open-ended. Read more on the booklog
agardenofweeds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
There's something about the way Charels D'Ambrosio writes that keeps me fully engaged throughout the entire collection. Maybe it's the way he lets you see him struggle for just the right, most precise word or turn of phrase; or maybe it's the way that struggle should be in conflict with his inability to fully commit to a singular, cohesive meaning, choosing to instead ramble and meander around a point he doesn't quite make. Maybe those should-be contradictions end up being the point after all. Either way, this collection is something special.