Scan barcode
couuboy's review against another edition
4.0
A few flat, a few scathing, more than a few expectedly brilliant. I hadn't read a DFW collection since I mainlined them all five-odd years ago, this book was a good choice for a fond re-immersion
sambowyer's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
slichto3's review against another edition
4.0
A mixed bag. Some of the essays were really terrific, some were a tad less interesting. The book is disingenuously marketed, though. This is a bunch of essays that DFW was commissioned to write for various publications. The book summary makes it sound like he was just interested in a broad range of topics, but most of these topics are related to books that he was tasked to review. These essays do have some interesting stuff related to fun vocabulary, grammar, literature, and tennis.
bookjerm's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first David Foster Wallace book, and I listened to it on audio. It was so fantastic. It was smart, insightful, and encompassed a diverse range of topics such as Terminator 2, Tennis, and writing advice. I really enjoyed how each section began with a list of obscure words and their definitions. I look forward to reading more by this author.
lavenderlazarus's review against another edition
3.0
Some essays are wonderful, some are a bit too much. The one about mathematics put me off finishing this collection for months. Some essays start off as drab but actually have a few interesting ideas in them. There's even an essay about essays and it's this sort of metafictional quality you'll find in Wallace's writing.
kaayycee's review against another edition
3.75
some beautiful and wonderful, many funny, lots of exhaustion, sharp critiques all around, some i skimmed comfortably, some i skimmed with agony. some will stay with me and for his voice i am glad.
ryanquinn's review
3.0
I treasure every word DFW wrote before his passing, but several of these pieces are either too niche to fit into an essay collection, reliant on having read the work being reviewed, unrefined in their ideas, or simply not meant for the public to read (e.g. the definitions). It comes together as a posthumous collection assembled for the sole purpose of satisfying completionists (of which I know I'm one); but without an overwhelming literary merit of its own.
glowbird's review against another edition
3.0
I'd been meaning to check out David Foster Wallace for a while. This book of essays was a great introduction to his voice. The general interest essays were great but I'm not a writer or a tennis fan, so I skipped over 50% of the material. Keep in mind, many of these essays are serious pieces of literary criticism originally written for an audience of peers; they may not appeal to the casual reader.
Overall this book did its job. I'm now interested in the author and his writing style and may try some of his famous fiction next time the mood for a big, important book strikes.
Overall this book did its job. I'm now interested in the author and his writing style and may try some of his famous fiction next time the mood for a big, important book strikes.