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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Read more like poetry than prose, which is fine in measure. After a while though I was craving complete sentences and a through-line rather than snapshots.
3.5 rounded down.
What can I say? I love New York and there are moments through this book where I was transported back there, however more often than not I got the sense that a lot of the "observations" could have been from anywhere.
What can I say? I love New York and there are moments through this book where I was transported back there, however more often than not I got the sense that a lot of the "observations" could have been from anywhere.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
I love Colton Whitehead’s writing so much—the actual writing. His mastery of language, the lyrical flow, the expansive vocabulary. These essays were a little too bleak for me, though.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Wow.
I'd had this sitting on my shelf for five years or so, waiting to be read. I'm glad I finally pulled my finger out and gave it a whirl; Whitehead has managed to bottle the Big Apple in this slim volume.
Other reviewers give him crap for being a peacock - preening and artificial. But I think this misreads his intentions. I thought it more a reflection of the city itself - loud, self-inventing, chopping, changing, never quite staying the same. It feels more Beat-like than some of the Beats (a bunch I'm not terribly in love with, I must say) but hums along with that sort of highly caffeinated energy that NY does so well.
Some of these stories, I must admit, are less about New York in particular and more about the minutiae of living in a big city. No matter where you live, you'll recognise the rainy day scurry, the inner voice chatting on public transport, the personal mapping of environment by landmarks that have changed name, or gone completely. So in that respect it's not -strictly- a NYC work. But hell, it made me want to go back, so it has to have some strange power of the land of yellow cabs inside it, right?
It's short and sweet - there's something transient in the work, like a lost weekend in town. I found myself wanting to read particular passages to my partner, wanting to push it onto other likeminded people and say "See, you would dig this!" - that desire to spread the word is well-earned. Whitehead's prose sounds like the city, with all its bustle, flatulence and come-on.
A wonderful read. If you've ever been there or ever wanted to go, this is for you.
I'd had this sitting on my shelf for five years or so, waiting to be read. I'm glad I finally pulled my finger out and gave it a whirl; Whitehead has managed to bottle the Big Apple in this slim volume.
Other reviewers give him crap for being a peacock - preening and artificial. But I think this misreads his intentions. I thought it more a reflection of the city itself - loud, self-inventing, chopping, changing, never quite staying the same. It feels more Beat-like than some of the Beats (a bunch I'm not terribly in love with, I must say) but hums along with that sort of highly caffeinated energy that NY does so well.
Some of these stories, I must admit, are less about New York in particular and more about the minutiae of living in a big city. No matter where you live, you'll recognise the rainy day scurry, the inner voice chatting on public transport, the personal mapping of environment by landmarks that have changed name, or gone completely. So in that respect it's not -strictly- a NYC work. But hell, it made me want to go back, so it has to have some strange power of the land of yellow cabs inside it, right?
It's short and sweet - there's something transient in the work, like a lost weekend in town. I found myself wanting to read particular passages to my partner, wanting to push it onto other likeminded people and say "See, you would dig this!" - that desire to spread the word is well-earned. Whitehead's prose sounds like the city, with all its bustle, flatulence and come-on.
A wonderful read. If you've ever been there or ever wanted to go, this is for you.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
A little free library find. I know that this book is presented as essays, but I honestly read it as poetry and really loved it on that basis. It felt really timely and exciting, since I'm about to move to Manhattan. I appreciated the way it mythologized without romanticizing and all the little characters that emerged for just a moment. Definitely looking forward to re-reading it someday.
I liked but didn't love The Underground Railroad, but this makes me want to read more of his work.
I liked but didn't love The Underground Railroad, but this makes me want to read more of his work.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Either you love New York or you don't. I pity you if you don't but if you do, this lyrical ode to the city by Colson Whitehead is a must read!