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charmander17's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
The stories just didn't really hit home for me, but they went by fast which was nice!
john_bizzell's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jaymebeetus's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not sure why I always think I like nonsensical things when in reality, I HATE things that don’t make any sense! The stories started out promising, but then would take a complete dive. I liked the prose and layout but I expected the stories to be meaningful or clever, something I could take away from it and think about later. Maybe I’m just not smart enough to figure them out. Sorry Loory, I appreciate the effort but I’m just not that into this one.
lou_christie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
zeecorster's review against another edition
4.0
Ben Loory is genuinely one of my favorite short-story writers these days. His little mini-fables carry such weight and power behind their slight word count: He can distill complex emotions into a flash-fiction-length story better than anyone else I've ever read.
Look no further than The Porpoise in this collection, which is basically a seven-page romantic comedy begging for the Hollywood treatment. Or check out The Sloth, a fable that reminds us all to look for our purpose in life, no matter how weird we may seem. Or even The Ocean Next Door, which shows us that human kindness is as boundless as that ocean we may dream about that moves into the house next door.
I suppose his brief, quirky, seemingly obtuse style may not be for everybody, but it is 100-percent for me. Nobody else is doing what he's doing in both this collection and his previous one, and nobody else makes me feel quite the feelings he does.
Look no further than The Porpoise in this collection, which is basically a seven-page romantic comedy begging for the Hollywood treatment. Or check out The Sloth, a fable that reminds us all to look for our purpose in life, no matter how weird we may seem. Or even The Ocean Next Door, which shows us that human kindness is as boundless as that ocean we may dream about that moves into the house next door.
I suppose his brief, quirky, seemingly obtuse style may not be for everybody, but it is 100-percent for me. Nobody else is doing what he's doing in both this collection and his previous one, and nobody else makes me feel quite the feelings he does.
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why this got so much love. I enjoy short odd stories, but so many of these just took surrealist turns that were meaningless. Not satisfying to me.
wisecraic's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5