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steviec's review against another edition
5.0
DFW was one of (if not the) greatest modern essayists. I've dabbled in Infinite Jest, read The Pale King, but I'm still convinced that his essays were his best work. Intelligent, erudite, and remarkably well read,he is also approachable. His articulation is almost obsessive, as he himself points out many times. He had that remarkable ability to walk among us and build literary bridges for us to cross over into better lands, without letting us think for a minute that he was one of us. I dare you to come away from his essays without meat to chew on.
squirrelfish's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining essays on a wide variety of topics but I think they will sort of expire. The title essay will stand beyond Federer but many of the ruminations are very time specific. The book & writing reviews are already old and interesting in how they still apply but I believe they'll become less pertinent as they recede into history. I'm going to read more David Foster Wallace for sure though.
leftoverjen's review against another edition
4.0
A clearer idea of who Wallace was than reading his fiction alone.
Also, tennis. Lots and lots of tennis.
I'm sad he's not around, but I'm glad he never had to suffer through the farce of Trump's presidency.
Also, tennis. Lots and lots of tennis.
I'm sad he's not around, but I'm glad he never had to suffer through the farce of Trump's presidency.
johnke's review against another edition
3.0
On the one hand, this book is a huge disappointment. Publishers are clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to David Foster Wallace. They know that certain people (like me) will buy pretty much anything with his name on it, so they're searching for anything that could possibly be slapped between two covers and called a 'book'. So now we've got Both Flesh and Not which includes publicly-accessible pieces he wrote for newspapers and magazines, as well as weak 500-word nothing-pieces like "Just Asking". These aren't his best works and, what's more, every essay in this collection represents a step closer to the moment when there is no more DFW left to publish in book form.
But on the other hand, even the worst DFW is better than almost all of the rest of the shit on my bookshelf. So there's that.
But on the other hand, even the worst DFW is better than almost all of the rest of the shit on my bookshelf. So there's that.
venkyloquist's review against another edition
4.0
A searing collection of 15 essays that has the power and potential to create a massive, momentous and memorable impact on the reader! The late David Foster Wallace is incredulous in this endeavour.
adamcarrington's review against another edition
3.0
Observations and opinion pieces from a very brainy guy. The Federer piece is outstanding, and sets the tone for what is really quite an accessible and colloquial collection. Naturally, I found some to be more interesting than others. The early pieces have that grad school argumentative essay ethic that smacks you over the head with his point from every angle until it's no longer interesting. The confidence in Wallace after the success of Infinite Jest markedly improves the pieces written later.
giovanni84's review against another edition
3.0
Raccolta di saggi e trascrizioni di interviste.
Credo che ci siano raccolte molto più interessanti, di quest'autore. In questo libro non ci sono reportage (genere dove Wallace, a mio parere, eccelleva), e alcuni saggi sono davvero noiosi.
Delle interviste salvo poco o nulla.
Gli metto 3 stelline invece di 2, perché i pochi saggi belli di questo libro, meritano davvero la lettura.
Credo che ci siano raccolte molto più interessanti, di quest'autore. In questo libro non ci sono reportage (genere dove Wallace, a mio parere, eccelleva), e alcuni saggi sono davvero noiosi.
Delle interviste salvo poco o nulla.
Gli metto 3 stelline invece di 2, perché i pochi saggi belli di questo libro, meritano davvero la lettura.
missnicelady's review against another edition
3.0
A wide-ranging collection. At times I read in despair ("We're already at the barrel-scraping phase of DFW's legacy?" I would lament to myself while slogging through some snarky, half-formed magazine piece), but other times I was reminded of the essential wit and humanity of his genius. He's not just a big-words guy, you know.