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kjboldon's review against another edition
3.0
Minimalist, almost baffling, with bursts of dark wit and sharp writing. Not for the faint of heart.
maryrobinson's review against another edition
3.0
Funny, sad, beautifully written book with a story told by a smart-alecky narrator in short little chapters and lists. Underlying theme is the sadness and simmering crisis state of post-Katrina New Orleans.
kfrench1008's review
2.0
I found the writing style too choppy. She never really gave the narrative a chance to develop.
donfoolery's review against another edition
4.0
Mary Robison's prose is as dense, sparse, and evocative as ever. You might call the snippets of text disjointed, or gripe about a lack of obvious plotline, but there's still a narrative to be followed.
The main character is certainly the sort who might reveal a lot of the facts of her life to you, but still keep you at arm's length. Indeed, Robison's prose seems to purposely keep me at a distance. I know a lot of people who would complain about that too, but it was a curious experience for me. It's almost as if I had a front-row seat in the theater of the main character's life, but with a splatter-shield in front of me.
And believe me, with everything she goes through, that's a good thing.
The main character is certainly the sort who might reveal a lot of the facts of her life to you, but still keep you at arm's length. Indeed, Robison's prose seems to purposely keep me at a distance. I know a lot of people who would complain about that too, but it was a curious experience for me. It's almost as if I had a front-row seat in the theater of the main character's life, but with a splatter-shield in front of me.
And believe me, with everything she goes through, that's a good thing.
badcatsass77's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh, I love this author! I just find her so hilarious and offbeat, and her novels always discuss difficult topics in this wry, insightful yet unsentimental way that I find beguiling. The main character usually seems to be the same person, but if you like her style of writing, you won't mind a bit!
lydia_hennessy's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
drewsof's review
5.0
Brutal, hilarious, everything you'd hope for from Robison. Plus, it's set in New Orleans and the main characters are Broussards, so... just about everything this guy could hope for.
luisterpaul's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
helenmcclory's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't help myself but re-read at a terrible pace - there's just so much to love about this sharp, knowing, woozy, sultry, sullen flash novel.