Reviews

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan

shailydc's review against another edition

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2.0

Marina Keegan had the potential to be a great writer and it truly is tragic that her life was taken so quickly. Unfortunately, these stories aren't very good. It's not her fault really as these pieces were written for classes, not to be published for the masses to read.

I didn't enjoy any of the fiction stories. The characters were all so similar: drinkers and pot smokers with the whitest white names imaginable.

Of the nonfiction pieces, I enjoyed The Opposite of Loneliness, Why We Care About Whales, and Even Artichokes Have Doubts.

hannahbellz's review against another edition

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2.0

It's sweet that her professors and teachers etc worked to publish this posthumously. Fairly enjoyable essays, some more so than others.

jmrkls1's review against another edition

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4.0

A gifted writer...gone too soon.

mariahhanley's review against another edition

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5.0

Both the fiction and nonfiction in this anthology was very, very good. The world should mourn the loss of Marina- she seems as if she was a kind, intelligent, amazing young woman and writer.

seaeels's review against another edition

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5.0

This book hit me pretty hard. The author was the same age as me and some of her stories hit way too close to home. Though there is a story about her first car (a '90 Camry) that could have been a narrator describing my adventures with Steve McQueen (my '91). This book made me laugh and cry a lot more times than I expected. If you are around the age of the class of '12, this book will resonate with thoughts you didn't even realize other people were having. If you aren't there yet or your graduation day is a distant memory, I think it will give you a window to a 23 year old version of you, and afford you a chance to see how you'd fare today.

lexybutschli's review against another edition

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3.0

Her work is definitely solid and I enjoyed reading a (sorta) contemporary, however it also made me kind of understand the hate that Lena Dunham gets. As good as it is, you will now and again become conscious of the fact that the young author has the resources and upbringing to get into YALE and get a job lined up at THE NEW YORKER, even though her stuff is easily on par with what I've seen from my classmates - not that that's anything to condemn certainly, but still. Envy. That said, I am relieved and inspired when I recognize my own styles and writing tics in her work and if Harold Bloom liked her, then maybe he'd go for my drivel too.

kyliemaslen's review against another edition

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3.0

i loved the short stories in this collection — about college life and the precipice of adulthood — but the essays didn’t really grab me

jmneil27's review against another edition

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4.0

What a great loss, Marina Keegan was an up and coming literary force that could have brought so much to the literary world.  The fiction and non-fiction stories/essays were all wonderful.

leny_ba99's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

2.75

emilybriano's review against another edition

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3.0

I connected more with her non-fiction than her fiction, but still an interesting read made more tragic by the fact that this is all we will get to know of this promising author.