Reviews

McSweeney's Issue 24 by Joe Meno, Dave Eggers, Christopher R. Howard, Jonathan Ames, Eric Hanson

clarkness's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. This issue was firing on all cylinders. "Look At Me", "Bored to Death" and "Stockholm, 1973" are some of the best stories I've read in any McSweeney's. Hell, they're just some of the best stories that I've read. I was especially enthralled by "Stockholm, 1973". Joe Meno, the author of said piece, is a very soothing voice in literature today. The dreamy quality of his writing sets this story apart from the other violent stories contained within this issue. This story was a fictionalized account of the bank robbery that gave birth to the term Stockholm Syndrome. Meno's style conveys the bonds formed between the captors and hostages and reads much more like a story of star-crossed lovers than a bank heist tale.

The other half of this gorgeous z-fold hardcover is devoted to Donald Barthelme, a short story master that I had no experience with until reading this issue. After reading the two stories of his collected here and the engaging and often heartbreaking remembrances of his colleagues and friends, I am quickly becoming a huge fan. Can't wait to get Sixty Stories.

sentient_meat's review

3.0

A z-spine Mcsweeney's which includes new material from authors like Jonathan Ames, and a symposium on Donald Barthelme. If you have not been introduced to Don B. this is a great place to start. If you already know and love Donald Barthelme you won't be disappointed.

apermal2's review

3.0

I liked the stories in this edition of McSweeney's, but I didn't finish the Donald Barthelme side. I liked the two stories of his that they published (the first one more than the other), but having never read him before, I wasn't too interested in reading all the rememberences. It did however give me a new author to rummage through bookstores for. Perhaps I will come back to it once I have read more of him.
The book itself is beautiful with it's z-binding (it's like two books grafted together). Bored to Death by [author: Jonathan Ames] was especially entertaining.

keef's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this issue. Half of it is peoples' remembrances of Donald Barthelme, several-hundred-word anecdotes about their experiences with him. I've been re-reading '40 Stories,' so this came at a particularly appropriate time. That half of the book also had two previously un-republished Barthelme stories. He really was a master.

The other half of the issue was made up of five new pieces of fiction, all good. I especially liked the new Jonathan Ames.