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sophia_quinto26's review against another edition
3.5
really liked the writing and this was so unique. i think my fav story was breaking the pig so good
thepentheimk's review
5.0
Another from Keret; I read three of his collections in short order, and this was the second I read. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God is every bit as good as The Nimrod Flipout, if a little bit more serious, more sad. Each of these stories is funny, mostly, but the laughter leaves a really bitter taste in your mouth. Which is the perfect palate cleanser for me, and these stories are startling in their poignancy.
ortanjy's review
3.0
Gyzykly hekaýalar eken. Iň soňunda "Kneller'in mutlu kampi" atly powesti bar. Birhili, özüni öldürmek isleýänlere okadyp bolaýjak powest ýaly şol. Özüni öldürenleriň jennet atly dünýäsi barada. Ol jennetde-de Mesih özüni öldürýä. Ikinji gezek ölenler hasam erbet dünýä gidýä. Garaz, iň gowy dünýä näçe erbedem bolsa şu wagy ýaşalýan dünýä diýiljek bolýa öýdýän.
armanbeer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Stories here are small except one (Kneller's happy campers). Some have interesting narrative and others are weird. These stories are dark and has an interesting arc to it, Keret provides a vision to few of the most interesting things through these short stories.
The story about bus driver who wanted to be god - 3⭐
This story about bus driver who had his ideals and didn't wait for someone was good and I liked it.
Goodman - 4⭐
This story was good with someone with first person perspective, and presented nicely.
Hole in the wall - 4⭐
Someone made fool out of Udi at the end as we know and I didn't see it coming.
A Souvenir of hell - 2⭐
People from hell were visiting this girl's stop and she was attached, but last part was really not making sense to me at all in this story.
Uterus - 3⭐
Very very weird of course and only just ending made sense to me complete but I think uterus is only a metaphor here that is about woman's space in her family in actually.
Breaking the pig - 5⭐
This story was quite simple and I loved it coz of the perception of the child with which it was written, and how upbringing means to child sometimes. This one was beautiful.
Cocked and Locked - 4⭐
Homo is the theme of the story as I can understand and how a person rages through embarrassment was described nicely.
The flying santinis - 5⭐
So innocent, beautiful and serene, like I can think the story before and ahead. I was able to imagine each scene clearly.
Korbi's girl - 4⭐
This gave us insight into people who we see doing activities we don't understand and their feelings are similar to ours.
Shoes - 4⭐
In this, the boy was into the views of the old man and wanted to follow it blindly, this can be about children's brain can be white washed to follow something from the very start.
Missing kissinger - 3⭐
This has the most interesting way of storytel, but plot wasn't that new to me.
Rabin's dead - 4⭐
Very twisted tale but it was good with some suspense.
Plague of the firstborn - 3⭐
It was good like I can imagine it to be a complete story but why Abdu wasn't firstborn I am confused. Otherwise good one.
Siren - 5⭐
There was so much in this short story - bullies, jealousy, everything that is a part of a high schooler.
Good intentions - 4⭐
This was so clear, not like other stories where I had to guess. Grace being good for no reason lol and shooter not shooting, well noice
Katzenstein - 5⭐
Lol there is change in the stories I see and this is the funniest yet.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Alon Shemesh - 4⭐
Woooh a suspense bit, this was good, all of them disappearing I wonder what is it.
Jetlag - 4⭐
We didn't get our happy ending even though it was one
The son of the head of the mossad - 4⭐
Being compared with others, and bullied in the end, story implies the violent end to the story, giving context of how someone is lead to do something
Pipes - 4⭐
The theme of not fitting in and making your won way can be seen in this story
Kneller's happy campers - 3⭐
The longest story had people who performed suicide and had angel which was interesting. But it was good in daily manner and the narration.
One last story and that's it - 4⭐
This was really good.
The story about bus driver who wanted to be god - 3⭐
This story about bus driver who had his ideals and didn't wait for someone was good and I liked it.
Goodman - 4⭐
This story was good with someone with first person perspective, and presented nicely.
Hole in the wall - 4⭐
Someone made fool out of Udi at the end as we know and I didn't see it coming.
A Souvenir of hell - 2⭐
People from hell were visiting this girl's stop and she was attached, but last part was really not making sense to me at all in this story.
Uterus - 3⭐
Very very weird of course and only just ending made sense to me complete but I think uterus is only a metaphor here that is about woman's space in her family in actually.
Breaking the pig - 5⭐
This story was quite simple and I loved it coz of the perception of the child with which it was written, and how upbringing means to child sometimes. This one was beautiful.
Cocked and Locked - 4⭐
Homo is the theme of the story as I can understand and how a person rages through embarrassment was described nicely.
The flying santinis - 5⭐
So innocent, beautiful and serene, like I can think the story before and ahead. I was able to imagine each scene clearly.
Korbi's girl - 4⭐
This gave us insight into people who we see doing activities we don't understand and their feelings are similar to ours.
Shoes - 4⭐
In this, the boy was into the views of the old man and wanted to follow it blindly, this can be about children's brain can be white washed to follow something from the very start.
Missing kissinger - 3⭐
This has the most interesting way of storytel, but plot wasn't that new to me.
Rabin's dead - 4⭐
Very twisted tale but it was good with some suspense.
Plague of the firstborn - 3⭐
It was good like I can imagine it to be a complete story but why Abdu wasn't firstborn I am confused. Otherwise good one.
Siren - 5⭐
There was so much in this short story - bullies, jealousy, everything that is a part of a high schooler.
Good intentions - 4⭐
This was so clear, not like other stories where I had to guess. Grace being good for no reason lol and shooter not shooting, well noice
Katzenstein - 5⭐
Lol there is change in the stories I see and this is the funniest yet.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Alon Shemesh - 4⭐
Woooh a suspense bit, this was good, all of them disappearing I wonder what is it.
Jetlag - 4⭐
We didn't get our happy ending even though it was one
The son of the head of the mossad - 4⭐
Being compared with others, and bullied in the end, story implies the violent end to the story, giving context of how someone is lead to do something
Pipes - 4⭐
The theme of not fitting in and making your won way can be seen in this story
Kneller's happy campers - 3⭐
The longest story had people who performed suicide and had angel which was interesting. But it was good in daily manner and the narration.
One last story and that's it - 4⭐
This was really good.
gwimo's review
5.0
I'm going to be honest, the only reason I picked up The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be Godby Etgar Keret was for the story "Kneller's Happy Campers," which was adapted into the film Wristcutters. I haven't watched movie yet, mostly because I wanted to read the story. It's silly, I know, but sometimes reading the story first allows me to watch the movie comfortably. What I didn't know was that Etgar Keret's collection of short stories is a translation. I've mentioned how translations tend to mess with my mind sometimes.
Either way, the book is brilliant. From start to finish - which just happens to be "Kneller's Happy Campers" - the book is filled with stories that are a little bit amusing, a little bit lovely and downright weird. Warped and Wonderful, as the quip says at the bottom of the cover. It's not lie. From grandfathers coming back as sneakers, finding Heaven within a pipe or a man who is afflicted with a crippling disability of being too nice, the stories never have pause to ask whether or not they're believable. You simply accept them.
Much like Bizarro fiction - from authors such as Carlton Mellick III - Etgar Keret engages us with themes that we can relate to or recognize while dazzling our senses with a slice of imagination that we normally don't read in contemporary literature. His voice carries through the pages, description wrapping us.
Either way, the book is brilliant. From start to finish - which just happens to be "Kneller's Happy Campers" - the book is filled with stories that are a little bit amusing, a little bit lovely and downright weird. Warped and Wonderful, as the quip says at the bottom of the cover. It's not lie. From grandfathers coming back as sneakers, finding Heaven within a pipe or a man who is afflicted with a crippling disability of being too nice, the stories never have pause to ask whether or not they're believable. You simply accept them.
Much like Bizarro fiction - from authors such as Carlton Mellick III - Etgar Keret engages us with themes that we can relate to or recognize while dazzling our senses with a slice of imagination that we normally don't read in contemporary literature. His voice carries through the pages, description wrapping us.
mossiscoolerthaniam's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
drifterontherun's review against another edition
2.0
Short story collections are tricky. Rarely is there a collection where all the stories included are good. At least, not outside of Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and the best of Alice Munro. And I'm sorry to say that most of the stories in "The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God" aren't very good at all, just very boring.
Etgar Keret has been getting a lot of attention in light of his recently released collection, [b:Fly Already: Stories|43212798|Fly Already Stories|Etgar Keret|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556360289l/43212798._SY75_.jpg|62138246]. Since I didn't want to plunk down the $27 retail price on the new collection, I decided better to pick up a used copy of this well regarded collection from 2001.
Now, perhaps it's not fair of me to write off a short story writer for a collection compiled almost 20 years ago, but there's so little here that inspires further reading that it's hard for me to think about giving Keret another chance. Keret's stories have got a strange vibe to them, and I do like that. The problem is that they end almost as strangely, which is to say, without much of an ending at all.
The title story is by far the best and from there the stories seem to decrease in value until finally we come to an overly long multi-part story towards the end which, after a few pages, I couldn't help but skim.
What a sad thing shattered hopes are ...
Etgar Keret has been getting a lot of attention in light of his recently released collection, [b:Fly Already: Stories|43212798|Fly Already Stories|Etgar Keret|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556360289l/43212798._SY75_.jpg|62138246]. Since I didn't want to plunk down the $27 retail price on the new collection, I decided better to pick up a used copy of this well regarded collection from 2001.
Now, perhaps it's not fair of me to write off a short story writer for a collection compiled almost 20 years ago, but there's so little here that inspires further reading that it's hard for me to think about giving Keret another chance. Keret's stories have got a strange vibe to them, and I do like that. The problem is that they end almost as strangely, which is to say, without much of an ending at all.
The title story is by far the best and from there the stories seem to decrease in value until finally we come to an overly long multi-part story towards the end which, after a few pages, I couldn't help but skim.
What a sad thing shattered hopes are ...
deaceituna's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
iqraw's review
4.0
Although I barely read short stories, this collection was unlike anything I've read before. The stories are strange, surreal, dark, unique and ironic. The book includes 21 short stories with a novella in the end. Etger Keret did a wonderful job reflecting the decisions and mistakes we make and other harsh truths about life in his writing. I took my time reading the book. My personal favorites are : Pipe, Breaking the Pig, Hole in the Wall, A Souvenir of Hell. Each of the stories felt so real and honest that I just had to sit and let everything sink in. And the novella was definitely a cherry on the top. Loved it.