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emmisary's review
3.0
A book made from another book, and the presentation is really intriguing with each page being cut to leave the words the author chose, creating a new story. I was really worried I was going to rip a page by accident - eep! I think the story itself was okay, but an extra star for concept and execution.
amandasbookclub's review
3.0
The concept behind this book - creating a story by cutting away at another - is fascinating. The dreamy, tiny world that Foer finds is a fanciful trip. Favorite line: "Only now do I understand the war against boredom, the lost cause of empty hours, of empty days and nights."
celestelipkes's review
2.0
I really don't understand why people are insisting that this book is a story: it's not a prose narrative, but an erasure poem. I v. much like the idea of this book--using erasure on your favorite book to create something new--as a personal exercise or a dare or a way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But it does not make for a satisfying read. For me it felt unfocused, pretentious, and gimmicky. It bothered me, too, that the slim explanation of the book came at the end and not the beginning. At least the cut-out pages are beautiful.
woodrich's review
5.0
This book is incredible. Dreamy, esoteric, tactile, transcendent. I think I'll read this many times over.
troysennett's review
3.0
As an art piece and an experiment in (de)constructing the book as an object, this is really neat. It's too bad that it doesn't really work at all as story you might actually want to read.
mhpotter's review
5.0
Foer's latest expands upon the exploration of the book as physical object that he entertains in his earlier works. It as much a piece of art as it is a cohesive, if sometimes philosophical, story or novella. This is a book to be read in one sitting, and read aloud.
atkamryn's review
5.0
I think this earns 5⭐️ from me? I need to reread it and the text it’s taken from to be 100% sure if that, but it certainly struck me as lovely and ethereal.