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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Raymond Carver’s characters literally on heroin (a bit reductive, I know).
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Been putting off writing a review of this because I wanted to be thorough, but now it’s been too long so I just gotta do it.
I didn’t realize that the narrator was continuous. Feel a little stupid now, as it definitely would’ve affected my feelings. All the more reason to re-read, since it was short and already confusing.
Don’t know if there’s too much to say about how brilliant a stylist he is. Manages to be both spare, poetic, and bitterly funny. Not all of the stories hit for me, but some were really special. Highlights were “Car Crash While Hitchhiking”, “Out on Bail”, and top marks to “Emergency”.
I didn’t realize that the narrator was continuous. Feel a little stupid now, as it definitely would’ve affected my feelings. All the more reason to re-read, since it was short and already confusing.
Don’t know if there’s too much to say about how brilliant a stylist he is. Manages to be both spare, poetic, and bitterly funny. Not all of the stories hit for me, but some were really special. Highlights were “Car Crash While Hitchhiking”, “Out on Bail”, and top marks to “Emergency”.
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Jesus's Son means I don't know what exactly but I had seen a movie version of this and found that it was based on a group of inter-connecting short stories collected under the same title. The movie was weird but OK. The book was weird and excellent. It's peppered with little brilliant gems of creativity which seem to leap from the book and shower you with your own feelings and thoughts that you may not have known were there. A very enchanting look a life through the eyes of drug addled mind for the most part. It many times caught me by surprise and I found myself laughing aloud. There is sadness and joy. I would call this simply a book about life from a somewhat skewed view. I'm giving it an extra star because I'm trying to get things done around my place but scenes from the book keep edging their way into my head. Can't stop thinking about it. Plan on someday reading again.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love denis Johnson.
Pretty interesting short story collection. Bit of a crazy narrator that reminded me of Johnny from Danielewki's House of Leaves.
Little bits of description like this are the ones that won me over.
One day, too, when I'd passed through the lot and was walking along behind a row of town houses on the way to the bus stop, I heard the sound of a woman singing in her shower. I thought of mermaids: the blurry music of falling water, the soft song from the wet chamber. The dusk was down, and the heat came off the hovering buildings. It was rush hour, but the desert sky has a way of absorbing the sounds of traffic and making them seem idle and small. Her voice was the clearest thing coming to my ears. She sang with the unconsciousness, the obliviousness, of a castaway. She must not have understood that somebody might be able to hear her. It sounded like an Irish hymn.
Little bits of description like this are the ones that won me over.
One day, too, when I'd passed through the lot and was walking along behind a row of town houses on the way to the bus stop, I heard the sound of a woman singing in her shower. I thought of mermaids: the blurry music of falling water, the soft song from the wet chamber. The dusk was down, and the heat came off the hovering buildings. It was rush hour, but the desert sky has a way of absorbing the sounds of traffic and making them seem idle and small. Her voice was the clearest thing coming to my ears. She sang with the unconsciousness, the obliviousness, of a castaway. She must not have understood that somebody might be able to hear her. It sounded like an Irish hymn.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent
dark
funny
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes