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sausome's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, this short story collection fell flat for me. There was one single story I thought was okay - "Merge." But the others just didn't connect for me. I think part of the issue was the length. A short story that is too long causes me to lose interest fairly quickly - this book-length volume only has 6 stories! They felt more like pieces of novellas than actual stories. Disappointing.
cwalsh's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't love all of these stories, but I truly appreciated each one. There's a lot of variety in this collection, but each piece examines themes of privilege, memory, ethics, and heartbreak in a fresh way.
These stories are a bit on the long side (lookin' at you, Merge), almost novella length, but Eisenberg's ability to construct fulfilling characters with her subtly political, weird, and quirky style is unparalleled.
Favorites: Your Duck is My Duck, Taj Mahal, and Merge.
These stories are a bit on the long side (lookin' at you, Merge), almost novella length, but Eisenberg's ability to construct fulfilling characters with her subtly political, weird, and quirky style is unparalleled.
Favorites: Your Duck is My Duck, Taj Mahal, and Merge.
zellm's review
2.0
For some reason, these didn't work for me. I didn't feel connected to the characters or drawn into the stories. I enjoyed the first story but felt it went downhill from there.
laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This work included well crafted and engaging short stories. I found myself wanting more in several of the stories. Overall I appreciated this collection and the concepts and writing,
brettduquette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
laurynreads's review against another edition
3.0
It was fine? I still like The Third Tower, which I'd read before in one of the many best short stories of 2019 collections, and Taj Mahal the best.
thecatwhowalksbyhimself's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I enjoyed parts of this but I found a lot of it a little tedious. The overwhelming impression is that the author is too much in love with her own prose. A lot of the text seemed to be less about conveying the scene or the characters and more about going "Look what a pretty sentence I made; look at the quirky metaphors and the syncopated rhythm". I may have enjoyed it more if I read it myself rather than listening to the audiobook, since the very sloooow reading pace, with lots of artificial pauses to emphasize the writing, didn't help at all. I enjoy lyrical writing and am all for being playful with language, but in this case it seemed more like hard work than fun. That said, I often struggle to get into short stories, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt.
tevreads's review against another edition
4.0
Deborah Eisenberg is a master of her craft. I was amazed by how layered and intricate each story was, characters so complex and developed in such a short span of time.
These stories achieve depth and meaning which many authors spend a whole novel to achieve, Cross Off and Move On & The Third Tower were two stand outs for me in this collection, both ones I'll be coming back to. A clear choice for the NYT Notable Books of 2018.
These stories achieve depth and meaning which many authors spend a whole novel to achieve, Cross Off and Move On & The Third Tower were two stand outs for me in this collection, both ones I'll be coming back to. A clear choice for the NYT Notable Books of 2018.
starbuck2233's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.0