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mimimilaa's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
Marina Keegan is obviously an amazing author; it was amazing how easily I was drawn into her stories even though they were all short. I truly enjoyed reading them so much, it is so sad to me that she didn't get the chance to continue her writing because I would have loved to read a novel by her.
That being said, I do wish that not all of her short stories were so negative. I feel like they were often very pessimistic and it would've been nice to see a little bit of optimism added in, but I still really did enjoy them. Her writing was truly magical.
Marina Keegan is obviously an amazing author; it was amazing how easily I was drawn into her stories even though they were all short. I truly enjoyed reading them so much, it is so sad to me that she didn't get the chance to continue her writing because I would have loved to read a novel by her.
That being said, I do wish that not all of her short stories were so negative. I feel like they were often very pessimistic and it would've been nice to see a little bit of optimism added in, but I still really did enjoy them. Her writing was truly magical.
snikkidee's review against another edition
4.0
I am greatly saddened that this talented writer, Marina Keegan, died at such a young age. The title essay "The Opposite of Loneliness" made me cry. Some of the short stories and essays were worthy of 5 stars while others fell a bit short. However, this was one of the best collections I've read.
zoefruitcake's review against another edition
3.0
I read this as part of the 2018 Read Harder Challenge (a book published posthumously and a book of essays). Aspiring writer Marina Keegan was tragically killed in a car accident shortly after graduating. She was so young this is very much a snapshot of the start of a life. I don't wish to speak ill of the dead however I'm not sure she would have made it as a writer. I enjoyed the non-fiction parts more than the fiction, especially the title piece and also her experience of being a celiac. As I have a serious dairy allergy I found myself agreeing with her at every turn.
neshasurya's review against another edition
2.5
an intriguing collection of essays and short stories, but it wasn't nearly as impactful or life-changing as some reviewers had suggested. i like the essay better than the short stories.
lillycano's review against another edition
3.0
Recommendation from my running partner Ajay. Quick read and a few of the short stories will stick with me. Especially the submarine one ❤️
kikala's review
3.0
If the second half of the book hadn’t been included this would have been a runaway for me. Once you get into the later essays it just reads as school prompts that don’t have legs of their own.
dilchh's review against another edition
4.0
I remember seeing an article about Marina Keegan and feeling both jealousy and in awe for her; we were just a year apart (with me being a year older than her), yet she has achieved more than I had achieved in the years that I have lived. I was so jealous knowing that she went to Yale, and then graduated as a magna cum laude, but I am also in awe seeing her hard work in achieving those achievements. More than anything, I was sad knowing that she had left this earth at the tender age of just twenty-two.
I maybe bias when I first pick this book; I was already expecting something grand from Marina Keegan when I finished reading her most acclaim essay, The Opposite of Loneliness. But then I get to read her fictions which were splendid! I can’t help but feel envious of her. The more I read her fictions, the more I felt devoid of myself; it’s as if all her stories are all about losing someone or something, and I can’t help even more sad and empty knowing that Marina did leave this world and left a hole for those who knew her dearly. Maybe she wrote other fictions that were not as sad and dark as the one published in this book, nevertheless, reading her fictions made me glad that I chose to read this book.
It’s a little bit different though when I read her non-fiction; I’m going to be blunt here, I could never write as good as her, but her way of writing non-fiction was different (obviously), in the sense that her non-fictions sometimes was too detailed and boring. It’s like she’s trying to extend the pages and the words; but even so I still manage to liked it anyways, especially the last essay, Song for the Special.
I felt that reading this book as the first book in 2015, especially during my stay in a foreign land for my Master degree, was the right choice. Here I am living in a foreign land and dreading the days until I’m home, I felt alone at times and lost. As I flip the pages reading Marina Keegan’s work and thoughts, I felt embarrassed, envious, calm, and probably confident. I felt like things are going to go for the better, I don’t know why.
I would totally recommend this book to all my fellow friends, if not for the content of the book, at least for a little reminder that we can also make an impact in this world, little as it may; leave your footprint in this world.
I maybe bias when I first pick this book; I was already expecting something grand from Marina Keegan when I finished reading her most acclaim essay, The Opposite of Loneliness. But then I get to read her fictions which were splendid! I can’t help but feel envious of her. The more I read her fictions, the more I felt devoid of myself; it’s as if all her stories are all about losing someone or something, and I can’t help even more sad and empty knowing that Marina did leave this world and left a hole for those who knew her dearly. Maybe she wrote other fictions that were not as sad and dark as the one published in this book, nevertheless, reading her fictions made me glad that I chose to read this book.
It’s a little bit different though when I read her non-fiction; I’m going to be blunt here, I could never write as good as her, but her way of writing non-fiction was different (obviously), in the sense that her non-fictions sometimes was too detailed and boring. It’s like she’s trying to extend the pages and the words; but even so I still manage to liked it anyways, especially the last essay, Song for the Special.
I felt that reading this book as the first book in 2015, especially during my stay in a foreign land for my Master degree, was the right choice. Here I am living in a foreign land and dreading the days until I’m home, I felt alone at times and lost. As I flip the pages reading Marina Keegan’s work and thoughts, I felt embarrassed, envious, calm, and probably confident. I felt like things are going to go for the better, I don’t know why.
I would totally recommend this book to all my fellow friends, if not for the content of the book, at least for a little reminder that we can also make an impact in this world, little as it may; leave your footprint in this world.