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nicovreeland's review against another edition
5.0
These stories are inventive and hilarious. Perfect for any fan of George Saunders or Donald Barthelme.
matthewwester's review against another edition
5.0
The title of the book hints at the quirky nature of this short story collection. As a reader you quickly get the sense that a bigger story is being told, something that ties all the smaller stories together.
This is an extremely entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone looking for an inventive narrative. I will definitely be checking out other books by Patrick Somerville now.
One comment on style: the author loves his long, run-on, never-ending sentences. I read this book out loud to my wife on a road trip and there were times a half-page parenthetical thought interrupted the main action of the sentence. I'm not complaining, though, because these longer sentences create some enjoyable pacing.
This is an extremely entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone looking for an inventive narrative. I will definitely be checking out other books by Patrick Somerville now.
One comment on style: the author loves his long, run-on, never-ending sentences. I read this book out loud to my wife on a road trip and there were times a half-page parenthetical thought interrupted the main action of the sentence. I'm not complaining, though, because these longer sentences create some enjoyable pacing.
motke's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely had some great moments. Some of the stories were easily 5 stars. Worth the read.
saevers's review against another edition
4.0
For some reason Goodreads didn't save my overall review the first time I wrote it, so here it is for the second time.
Although I stand by my thoughts during the the update, the final story in the collection completely changed my mind about this book. It was beautiful, sad, and surreal. It was long enough to have well-developed characters and an interesting story arc, and it tied into other stories in the collection. The premise was interesting and the execution was lovely. It was the perfect short story.
Yesterday I was prepared to rate this book 3 stars, but based on the final story and the strength of some others in the collection, I'm amending that to a very solid 4.5. Recommended. Don't give up on this book before the end; it's worth sticking it out for.
Although I stand by my thoughts during the the update, the final story in the collection completely changed my mind about this book. It was beautiful, sad, and surreal. It was long enough to have well-developed characters and an interesting story arc, and it tied into other stories in the collection. The premise was interesting and the execution was lovely. It was the perfect short story.
Yesterday I was prepared to rate this book 3 stars, but based on the final story and the strength of some others in the collection, I'm amending that to a very solid 4.5. Recommended. Don't give up on this book before the end; it's worth sticking it out for.
readundancies's review against another edition
So here’s what happened:
I read the first titular story and just didn’t vibe with it.
I then tried the last story and realized how long it was and abandoned ship.
I am in a DNF mood. So that says a lot about my mental state, but not really much about this book.
faviator's review against another edition
2.0
only like three good stories in the middle-to-end. FUCK the juvenile characters of the ending.
sarahjjs's review against another edition
5.0
These are very big thought pieces about what is to to be human. They punch you and they do it on purpose. The first story broke my ice cold heart. There were two that lost me because they didn't fit - silly aliens, wtf? It is quite unique, it really explores big life topics and at no point can a didactic tone be detected. It is also a huge accomplishment to discuss large topics which are normally reserved for novels in short stories. This is a type of collection I'd give to those who want to read short story collections but don't know where to go.
elittlestream's review against another edition
5.0
Best best best! I laughed and cried and mostly laughed. I love short stories that pull you in and don't let you go! Amazing
icameheretoread's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a fan of short stories, but I enjoyed this imaginative collection. I think it helped that the stories are sort of connected. The title story was excellent. While I did not like the others as much, they were so uniquely different (some illustrated) that they were fun. Mostly, I was impressed with all of the ideas presented here, there is a great deal to think about.
I have to give a shout out to the designers of the cover, it is a work of in itself.
I have to give a shout out to the designers of the cover, it is a work of in itself.