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toniclark's review
3.0
Three stars, maybe four. I disliked the first two stories so much that I almost didn't read further. But I thought the stories got better after that. I enjoyed most of the rest of the book. I dog-eared a few pages -- for the clever descriptions or interesting thoughts. She's good, but a lot of the subjects in this collection were grim and sometimes the characters or events were just not very believable. The most profound moment in the whole book was in a story about a little boy in the hospital. He's disabled, missing both arms, and very homely and bad-termpered, as well. Not a child anyone wants to get close to. The narrator says: "proof, not that I needed it, that the thought of a God is even more frightening than the thought of a world without one."
kunkakuna's review
2.0
1.5/5
“Sophisticated readers understand that writers work out their anger, their conflicts, their endless grief and rolling list of loss, through their stories.”
The autor must be really into incest and terminal diseases, because almost every story in this collection is centered around at least one of these themes.
The stories seem to have a beginning, a body, but no discernible ending. I couldn’t figure out which ones were intertwined and which ones were separate pieces.
The whole read was confusing and, frankly, debilitating (call me what you may but I don’t enjoy reading misery porn and/or incestuous love stories).
But to Bloom’s defense - there were a few good passages and the writing itself wasn’t half bad. The plot on the other hand… I don’t think I need to comment on it any more than I already have.
“Sophisticated readers understand that writers work out their anger, their conflicts, their endless grief and rolling list of loss, through their stories.”
The autor must be really into incest and terminal diseases, because almost every story in this collection is centered around at least one of these themes.
The stories seem to have a beginning, a body, but no discernible ending. I couldn’t figure out which ones were intertwined and which ones were separate pieces.
The whole read was confusing and, frankly, debilitating (call me what you may but I don’t enjoy reading misery porn and/or incestuous love stories).
But to Bloom’s defense - there were a few good passages and the writing itself wasn’t half bad. The plot on the other hand… I don’t think I need to comment on it any more than I already have.
youreadtoomuch's review
1.0
I wanted to like this book. I did...
A very forgettable book. A collection of stories about the hardships of love, the good and the bad and the ugly. And there was a lot of ugly. Surprisingly, as I'm flipping through this book now, I dogeared so many pages. I know some lines moved me but not significantly. Will say this: the first two stories have a fascination and longing and a weird way of maintaining a cishet narrative and that sucks because they're the two with gay and trans characters. I mean there's a story with incest later on too so there's enough to despise. The last time I instinctively pink a pretty pink book from a free little library.
A very forgettable book. A collection of stories about the hardships of love, the good and the bad and the ugly. And there was a lot of ugly. Surprisingly, as I'm flipping through this book now, I dogeared so many pages. I know some lines moved me but not significantly. Will say this: the first two stories have a fascination and longing and a weird way of maintaining a cishet narrative and that sucks because they're the two with gay and trans characters. I mean there's a story with incest later on too so there's enough to despise. The last time I instinctively pink a pretty pink book from a free little library.
bookgurl666's review
5.0
love love love love love love love love
beautiful writing, so easy, flows seamlessly in the mind
can’t wait to explore amy bloom more
beautiful writing, so easy, flows seamlessly in the mind
can’t wait to explore amy bloom more
sarahbrarian's review
2.0
True story: when I was going to rate this book I typed "Bland man can see" into the search box.
lovetoread18's review
3.0
I'm not usually a huge fan of short stories because they almost always seems to end abruptly and this book was no exception. I wanted to know more about the characters but that of course wasn't an option. And the last story was odd so it ended on kind of an unsettling note.
thegayngelgabriel's review
3.0
I put this book ony to-read list nearly ten years ago, I think. I liked it a lot. The people in it and the worldviews they have are--ones that my existence would be a disappointment to, that I could only exist on the periphery of. It was interesting to inhabit them, for a while.
superdilettante's review
4.0
I just re-read this--another antidote to Blood Meridian.
Don't be put off by the people who say her characters are creepy (like the one who was upset that there were two stories about a man being in love with his step-mother--they were two stories about the SAME CHARACTER). Amy Bloom is a wonderful writer with an excellent way of stringing words together. This was definitely one of those books where I'd read a story, close the book, lay it on my chest, and then just think about it for a while.
Highest praise in my book.
Don't be put off by the people who say her characters are creepy (like the one who was upset that there were two stories about a man being in love with his step-mother--they were two stories about the SAME CHARACTER). Amy Bloom is a wonderful writer with an excellent way of stringing words together. This was definitely one of those books where I'd read a story, close the book, lay it on my chest, and then just think about it for a while.
Highest praise in my book.