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briandice's review against another edition
5.0
If George Saunders, Stuart Dybak and Franz Kafka combined to make a short story love baby progidy, this creature might write stories as beautiful as Daniel Orozco. His talents are revealed in the variety of tones and voices in this collection - from the hilarious to the page-turning-ripping-yarn to the downright heartbreaking. Hunker down with your favorite beverage of choice and let a master of the form show you why short fiction is so amazing.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
3.0
Short stories can be a tough sell. Strangely, they feel harder to write, and they give you a good deal of variety, but most people seem less interested in short stories than longform works.
A lot of claims have to do with the fact that you're less invested in the story before it ends, which I get. But I would pose the theory that part of the problem with short story collections is that they tend to be a little uneven. Novels are equally so, but because they don't delineate sections as heavily it's a little less noticeable.
That unevenness is what kept this book from snagging a few more stars.
There were some truly excellent stories, such as "The Bridge" and "Temporary Stories." But others were not as strong. "Somozas Dream" just didn't hit the right chord for me, which was too bad because it's about twice as long as the rest of the stories. All the other stories seemed to center around a character who acted as a cog in the machine, something that rang very true in the writing. But this story, the story of a South American dictator in exile, a man who turns the gears, didn't offer me a whole lot. It didn't hit those great short story notes, the small details that are somehow unexpected and yet totally familiar.
I'd recommend reading this out of order, starting with "The Bridge" and "Temporary Stories." If you're in love with those, "Officers Weep" and the title story are the next best, heartfelt and playful in their form.
A lot of claims have to do with the fact that you're less invested in the story before it ends, which I get. But I would pose the theory that part of the problem with short story collections is that they tend to be a little uneven. Novels are equally so, but because they don't delineate sections as heavily it's a little less noticeable.
That unevenness is what kept this book from snagging a few more stars.
There were some truly excellent stories, such as "The Bridge" and "Temporary Stories." But others were not as strong. "Somozas Dream" just didn't hit the right chord for me, which was too bad because it's about twice as long as the rest of the stories. All the other stories seemed to center around a character who acted as a cog in the machine, something that rang very true in the writing. But this story, the story of a South American dictator in exile, a man who turns the gears, didn't offer me a whole lot. It didn't hit those great short story notes, the small details that are somehow unexpected and yet totally familiar.
I'd recommend reading this out of order, starting with "The Bridge" and "Temporary Stories." If you're in love with those, "Officers Weep" and the title story are the next best, heartfelt and playful in their form.
lazwright's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. The only reason I picked this book up was due to an NPR recommendation. Take those reviews with a grain of salt! This book was a collection of short stories that are about the worst of humanity. Greed, sloth, lust...disgusting depictions that frankly did not need to be created. Give this a miss.
astronomeys's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book hooks you with comical cadence, repetition, and matter-of-factness that creates a confusing albeit fascinating look into how someone outside of corporate America may see its inner workings. The book just as quickly moves into the next chapter, which follows an entirely new story with less interesting characters, a slower pace, and less reward for the read. By halfway through the book, I found myself skipping or skimming entire pages and chapters because there was nothing about the author's voice or the characters' stories that made me want to read more.
emdowd's review against another edition
4.0
Is it weird if parts of this, especially the final story, almost read like a bizarre love letter to California?
bookchelf's review against another edition
4.0
Another author I saw at the Writer's Center - he was so funny! And this book is just as funny - but it was too short!