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kiramke's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable stories, and I really liked the premise. We returned to the same situation several times, and some either ended without a good purpose or I just didn't get it. Overall quite good.
eclectictales's review
3.0
I was approved an ARC of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2016/02/08/review-the-bigness-of-the-world/
The Bigness of the World was an interesting collection of stories capturing those fleeting moments of life. It’s hard to explain, many of these stories may not seem out of the ordinary or may happen to anyone at one point or another within a person’s week, and some of these stories may not seem to have a particular end goal in mind, but the reader is swept along following the characters’ experiences: moments of revelation, of things falling apart, of uncertainty or confusion. It’s interesting, and the author did a wonderful job in really capturing these characters’ experiences, whether the protagonist is young or old, man or woman.
Like any short story collection, there’s going to stories that you either like or you don’t. This collection kept my interest enough, but I would have to say my favourites were “The Bigness of the World” (I felt for the young characters and that gap between what’s going on amongst the adults and how they understand everything that’s happening to them), “Bed Death” (interesting in the way the relationship drifted apart without the narrator really realising it), “Talking Fowl With My Father” (a very odd tale–the father was quite an eccentric character–but I couldn’t help but follow along), “Upon Completion of Baldness” (similar to “Bed Death” only the narrator was focusing much on the baldness of her girlfriend as a sort of anchor to her thoughts and the things in their lives that were spiraling out of control without her realising it), and “All Boy” (aww, Harold).
The Bigness of the World overall was an interesting read and impressive collection. The author had a wonderful way of capturing the ebbs of everyday life and really relling a story out of them, whether they be about relationships falling apart or misconceptions about what’s going on around these characters. I would recommend this book to readers of contemporary fiction and readers looking to diversify their readings/books with LGBQT elements.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Bigness of the World was an interesting collection of stories capturing those fleeting moments of life. It’s hard to explain, many of these stories may not seem out of the ordinary or may happen to anyone at one point or another within a person’s week, and some of these stories may not seem to have a particular end goal in mind, but the reader is swept along following the characters’ experiences: moments of revelation, of things falling apart, of uncertainty or confusion. It’s interesting, and the author did a wonderful job in really capturing these characters’ experiences, whether the protagonist is young or old, man or woman.
Like any short story collection, there’s going to stories that you either like or you don’t. This collection kept my interest enough, but I would have to say my favourites were “The Bigness of the World” (I felt for the young characters and that gap between what’s going on amongst the adults and how they understand everything that’s happening to them), “Bed Death” (interesting in the way the relationship drifted apart without the narrator really realising it), “Talking Fowl With My Father” (a very odd tale–the father was quite an eccentric character–but I couldn’t help but follow along), “Upon Completion of Baldness” (similar to “Bed Death” only the narrator was focusing much on the baldness of her girlfriend as a sort of anchor to her thoughts and the things in their lives that were spiraling out of control without her realising it), and “All Boy” (aww, Harold).
The Bigness of the World overall was an interesting read and impressive collection. The author had a wonderful way of capturing the ebbs of everyday life and really relling a story out of them, whether they be about relationships falling apart or misconceptions about what’s going on around these characters. I would recommend this book to readers of contemporary fiction and readers looking to diversify their readings/books with LGBQT elements.
Rating: 3.5/5
astoriedsoul's review
4.0
Lori Ostlund’s bestselling collection, The Bigness of the World, presents a series of short stories that observe the intricacies of the human condition through a range of perspectives and topics including loss, love, failure and defeat, and the ever-unfair and mysterious nature of who we are as our pasts always end up catching up with us.
This was my first time reading Lori Ostlund’s writing, so when I selected this collection of short stories, I went in blind, basing my choice only on the premise. This was one of those moments where jumping into something feet first and totally blind ends up paying off. I have discovered I love Ostlund’s writing. This collection is SO readable and engaging.
My two favorite stories in this collection is the titular “The Bigness of the World” and “Idyllic Little Bali”. “The Bigness of the World,” in which two children grapple with losing a beloved babysitter, while not understanding that their parents’ marriage is falling a part because the wife commits a horrible crime, is particularly heartfelt. At the same time, this is strangely magnified by the emotional absence of the children. I loved the perspective of this story; it was mysterious and yet completely innocent. The tone is sad, childlike, and this contributes to the shocking end. I was enthralled from start to finish.
I also love “Idyllic Little Bali” for how completely “un-idyllic” the story really is. A group of Americans (tourists?) sit around sipping coffee by the poolside and become witnesses to a man’s death as he runs from his spouse. All the while, the group reminisces about the “good times” in their past. The contrast between the American “ideal” and perception of the world vastly differs from “reality” here. Bali is supposed to represent the exotic and everything is supposed to be perfect when you’re away; but, that’s not the case here. The observations made through this story are quite heartbreaking and raw. The same emotions carry through in “The Day You Were Born,” where a mother is completely un-sympathetic when it comes to her husband’s seemingly emotional trauma, depression, or schizophrenia…something’s clearly wrong. The daughter is caught in the middle of this dysfunctional family and is forced to choose between the love she has for her father and that of her mother. I wanted to punch the mother in the throat. Such a heartbreaking and emotionally raw story. The imagery, description, and tones are so vivid and beautiful in looking at the disintegration of a family for seemingly selfish reasons.
Ostlund’s collection is emotional, tense, enthralling, and all-around well-written. She’s got a knack for building tension and pulling the band-aid off–or whatever makes you comfortable–at the right moment. I’ll definitely read more from her, and I highly recommend you do the same.
Disclaimer: I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review, which does not influence my opinions.
This review originally appeared on my website: The Literarium
This was my first time reading Lori Ostlund’s writing, so when I selected this collection of short stories, I went in blind, basing my choice only on the premise. This was one of those moments where jumping into something feet first and totally blind ends up paying off. I have discovered I love Ostlund’s writing. This collection is SO readable and engaging.
My two favorite stories in this collection is the titular “The Bigness of the World” and “Idyllic Little Bali”. “The Bigness of the World,” in which two children grapple with losing a beloved babysitter, while not understanding that their parents’ marriage is falling a part because the wife commits a horrible crime, is particularly heartfelt. At the same time, this is strangely magnified by the emotional absence of the children. I loved the perspective of this story; it was mysterious and yet completely innocent. The tone is sad, childlike, and this contributes to the shocking end. I was enthralled from start to finish.
I also love “Idyllic Little Bali” for how completely “un-idyllic” the story really is. A group of Americans (tourists?) sit around sipping coffee by the poolside and become witnesses to a man’s death as he runs from his spouse. All the while, the group reminisces about the “good times” in their past. The contrast between the American “ideal” and perception of the world vastly differs from “reality” here. Bali is supposed to represent the exotic and everything is supposed to be perfect when you’re away; but, that’s not the case here. The observations made through this story are quite heartbreaking and raw. The same emotions carry through in “The Day You Were Born,” where a mother is completely un-sympathetic when it comes to her husband’s seemingly emotional trauma, depression, or schizophrenia…something’s clearly wrong. The daughter is caught in the middle of this dysfunctional family and is forced to choose between the love she has for her father and that of her mother. I wanted to punch the mother in the throat. Such a heartbreaking and emotionally raw story. The imagery, description, and tones are so vivid and beautiful in looking at the disintegration of a family for seemingly selfish reasons.
Ostlund’s collection is emotional, tense, enthralling, and all-around well-written. She’s got a knack for building tension and pulling the band-aid off–or whatever makes you comfortable–at the right moment. I’ll definitely read more from her, and I highly recommend you do the same.
Disclaimer: I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review, which does not influence my opinions.
This review originally appeared on my website: The Literarium
lmatakas's review against another edition
3.0
It didn't pull me in the way I was hoping it eventually would. A few standout pieces, but I felt like it needed some connective tissue to actually tie the stories together. I think Ostland might do better in novels, as most of her stories deserved better premises. Not bad, but not great.
solelylu's review against another edition
4.0
This review first appeared on Gaga Over Books..
This was soo good. Each and every story was told beautifully and with a zeal that captivated my heart.
With every new story, I had come to expect a certain revelation and a way of communication that made me curious to get to the end of each story and start a new one..
Certainly a first of its kind for me, I loved venturing out in this category and by Ms. Ostlund as the writer.
For everyone who likes short stories, this one book will cater to your tastebuds-if not every story-most of them will..
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for this review copy..
This was soo good. Each and every story was told beautifully and with a zeal that captivated my heart.
With every new story, I had come to expect a certain revelation and a way of communication that made me curious to get to the end of each story and start a new one..
Certainly a first of its kind for me, I loved venturing out in this category and by Ms. Ostlund as the writer.
For everyone who likes short stories, this one book will cater to your tastebuds-if not every story-most of them will..
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for this review copy..
jdscott50's review against another edition
4.0
Wherever you go, despite the "bigness" of the world, you are still you and bring your own issues and problems. In Lori Ostlund's short story collection, Minnesotans are exposed to different environments around the world and find more similarities than differences.
In the titular story, two young children make a connection with their caretaker Elsa. Their parents try to create order for them and hold heavy disdain for Elsa's unorthodox ways. However, it is Elsa that leaves them the most prepared for the "bigness" of the world. Sort of an antidote to the Prarie Home Companion characters (it takes place in Minnesota). Handling the unknown and nonsense of the world is a better preparation than order. In the short story, Bed Death, a suicide leads to the end of a relationship. One person chooses life against these odds.
In other stories, A daughter attempts to bring her father into the present while his stubborn refusal undoes all of her work. A father uses his daughter to unload his burdens. She learns too much about the world at too young of an age. It makes her tragically stronger. Two women look for a connection on the other side of the world, but a shared religion does not equal shared customs. Upon completion of baldness, the relationship of two teachers is revealed to their students.
All the stories are very character driven with a focus on separation. We find the distance from home and the distance in relationships haunt these characters. Wherever they go, they carry their problems. It is the problems at home they must face first.
Favorite Passages:
“She had decided that each family has a member whose absence rounds out the family far more than his or her presence ever could. " p 200
“There are, I have learned, numerous ways to make this statement. There is the Don’t cry that is issued as a demonstration of solidarity and sympathy and that is succeeded, most often, by the words or you’ll get me started. There is the more detached and perhaps reflective Don’t cry, one suggesting that the situation, and often life in general, does not merit tears, a tone that I generally find both reassuring and persuasive. Then there is the Don’t cry that is pure threat, that warns, Do not start because I am not in a position to think about you or your needs, and if you do start, you will see this and most surely be disappointed.” P154
In the titular story, two young children make a connection with their caretaker Elsa. Their parents try to create order for them and hold heavy disdain for Elsa's unorthodox ways. However, it is Elsa that leaves them the most prepared for the "bigness" of the world. Sort of an antidote to the Prarie Home Companion characters (it takes place in Minnesota). Handling the unknown and nonsense of the world is a better preparation than order. In the short story, Bed Death, a suicide leads to the end of a relationship. One person chooses life against these odds.
In other stories, A daughter attempts to bring her father into the present while his stubborn refusal undoes all of her work. A father uses his daughter to unload his burdens. She learns too much about the world at too young of an age. It makes her tragically stronger. Two women look for a connection on the other side of the world, but a shared religion does not equal shared customs. Upon completion of baldness, the relationship of two teachers is revealed to their students.
All the stories are very character driven with a focus on separation. We find the distance from home and the distance in relationships haunt these characters. Wherever they go, they carry their problems. It is the problems at home they must face first.
Favorite Passages:
“She had decided that each family has a member whose absence rounds out the family far more than his or her presence ever could. " p 200
“There are, I have learned, numerous ways to make this statement. There is the Don’t cry that is issued as a demonstration of solidarity and sympathy and that is succeeded, most often, by the words or you’ll get me started. There is the more detached and perhaps reflective Don’t cry, one suggesting that the situation, and often life in general, does not merit tears, a tone that I generally find both reassuring and persuasive. Then there is the Don’t cry that is pure threat, that warns, Do not start because I am not in a position to think about you or your needs, and if you do start, you will see this and most surely be disappointed.” P154
booking_along's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I think the biggest problem was me and not the book with this.
I just can not, CAN NOT!!, find a short story collection that I even like two of the stories in. I don't know why that is. But I think it's me.
The writing is very beautiful, even if I felt that all the stories were a bit overly similar and in a way the same ov and over again, the characters where pretty dull as well in my option. But the actual writing, the style and flow, was nicely done so that alone was a bit confusing to me.
And after finsihing the entire thing I am still wondering what th sense of it all was. Where there stupposed to be lessons in there? More meanings in the stories that I just didn't see or where there basically boring family moments, relationship stories and childhood memories told over and over again from different characters?
To say it short... This was not for me and I think I will not be picking up a new short story collection overly soon and just stick with actual novels, and real stories that actually tell the entire thing from start for isnish instead of picking the story up somewhere in the middle and ending there as well.
But if you are on the lookout for a collection of family and relationship kind of stories and want nice writing, give this a try and see for yourself if you enjoy it or not.
*i recieved my copy for free in exchange for a honest review through NetGalley thanks to the, and the publishers as well as the author*
I think the biggest problem was me and not the book with this.
I just can not, CAN NOT!!, find a short story collection that I even like two of the stories in. I don't know why that is. But I think it's me.
The writing is very beautiful, even if I felt that all the stories were a bit overly similar and in a way the same ov and over again, the characters where pretty dull as well in my option. But the actual writing, the style and flow, was nicely done so that alone was a bit confusing to me.
And after finsihing the entire thing I am still wondering what th sense of it all was. Where there stupposed to be lessons in there? More meanings in the stories that I just didn't see or where there basically boring family moments, relationship stories and childhood memories told over and over again from different characters?
To say it short... This was not for me and I think I will not be picking up a new short story collection overly soon and just stick with actual novels, and real stories that actually tell the entire thing from start for isnish instead of picking the story up somewhere in the middle and ending there as well.
But if you are on the lookout for a collection of family and relationship kind of stories and want nice writing, give this a try and see for yourself if you enjoy it or not.
*i recieved my copy for free in exchange for a honest review through NetGalley thanks to the, and the publishers as well as the author*
blankgarden's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars. I wrote about this book here: https://theblankgarden.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/the-line-of-light-marking-the-bottom-of-the-locked-door/
jj24's review
3.0
"I had started them on Salinger, despite the fact that another English teacher, whose name I shall not disclose, had suggested that Salinger, with all his “New Yorkiness,” had little to “say” to a group of students who had grown up here in New Mexico.
“I believe that Salinger has something to say to all tenth graders,” I had replied, perhaps overearnestly. “I myself was once a tenth grader growing up in Minnesota, and I found that he had plenty to say.” I do not buy into this idea that one learns more from literature that is familiar; in fact, it seems only logical that one would learn most from subject matter that one has not already mastered through the daily grind of one’s existence, which is what I shall tell my colleague the next time she bothers me about Salinger.
Months ago, when I first requested an early review copy of this collection of short stories, I did so based on its description and beautiful cover. My request came before I had any familiarity with the author, Lori Ostlund, and prior to my reading of [b:After the Parade|23492669|After the Parade|Lori Ostlund|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437370195s/23492669.jpg|43082849], which ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. I also didn't realize that this collection was a republication of prior works, written before "Parade."
Ostlund is a gifted writer, and I will continue to look forward to her publications. In each of the stories contained in this book, she exquisitely captures the beauty (and pain --- and humor) of the human condition. She draws characters that are both quirky and familiar. Characters trapped by their circumstances, and characters who can transcend it.
Taken on their own, any one of the stories in this book would range from a 4 to a 5 star rating (my personal favorites were "Upon Completion of Baldness," "And Down We Went," and "Dr. Daneau's Punishment"); however, as a collection I'm rating the book a 3.5. The issue with this collection is that about 75% of the stories are the same -- a lesbian couple from Minnesota (on the brink of ending their relationship) teach ESL grammar to students in Malaysia (or Indonesia). They were just too similar. Again -- as stand alone pieces they were brilliant, but they just got too repetitive when reading the same set-up back to back to back.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“I believe that Salinger has something to say to all tenth graders,” I had replied, perhaps overearnestly. “I myself was once a tenth grader growing up in Minnesota, and I found that he had plenty to say.” I do not buy into this idea that one learns more from literature that is familiar; in fact, it seems only logical that one would learn most from subject matter that one has not already mastered through the daily grind of one’s existence, which is what I shall tell my colleague the next time she bothers me about Salinger.
Months ago, when I first requested an early review copy of this collection of short stories, I did so based on its description and beautiful cover. My request came before I had any familiarity with the author, Lori Ostlund, and prior to my reading of [b:After the Parade|23492669|After the Parade|Lori Ostlund|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437370195s/23492669.jpg|43082849], which ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. I also didn't realize that this collection was a republication of prior works, written before "Parade."
Ostlund is a gifted writer, and I will continue to look forward to her publications. In each of the stories contained in this book, she exquisitely captures the beauty (and pain --- and humor) of the human condition. She draws characters that are both quirky and familiar. Characters trapped by their circumstances, and characters who can transcend it.
Taken on their own, any one of the stories in this book would range from a 4 to a 5 star rating (my personal favorites were "Upon Completion of Baldness," "And Down We Went," and "Dr. Daneau's Punishment"); however, as a collection I'm rating the book a 3.5. The issue with this collection is that about 75% of the stories are the same -- a lesbian couple from Minnesota (on the brink of ending their relationship) teach ESL grammar to students in Malaysia (or Indonesia). They were just too similar. Again -- as stand alone pieces they were brilliant, but they just got too repetitive when reading the same set-up back to back to back.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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