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leonidasm's review against another edition
3.0
Η Krauss έχει έναν τρόπο να γράφει λίγο απόμακρο, όχι ψυχρό, γιατί είναι εκεί κάθε φορά να σε βάζει στον πυρήνα του ήρωα. Αλλά εκείνη με έναν κοφτό λόγο κρατάει μια απόσταση που εμένα τουλάχιστον με κρατάει επίσης απ'το να νιώσω και να συνδεθώ με την ιστορία. Κι ενώ σου δίνει σπρωξίματα σοφίας και βαθιάς ενδοσκόπησης τις μισές ιστορίες τις διάβασα διαγώνια γιατί δεν κατάφερνε να με κρατήσει.
kpbake427's review
4.0
I enjoyed these short stories and the perspectives they present. She's a good writer too. My only issue there were some sexual parts. I was able to skip them without missing too much context for the most part.
anneliesepeerbolte's review against another edition
4.0
“When I go to kiss him good night, he curls his body into mine and in a nervous voice tells me that he wants to remain a child, that he doesn’t want anything to change. But already he is no longer a child. He is standing out on a bank between the shore and the sea that goes on and on, and the water, as they say, is rising”
a beautiful collection of short stories. raw and human. messy and beautiful.
a beautiful collection of short stories. raw and human. messy and beautiful.
essjay1's review
2.0
Kraus is a great writer, but perhaps the timing was bad for me as I struggled to remain interested in these stories.
ivalimaki's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
j_m_alexander's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Intimate glimpses focusing on Jewish characters with some killer opening lines that beg you to read on, but can read a bit same-same when it comes to the voice/perspective.
"It's been thirty years since I say Soraya. In that time I tried to find her only once."
"It's been thirty years since I say Soraya. In that time I tried to find her only once."
-Switzerland
"Heels dug into the tar paper, twenty-three floors above 110th Street, cradling his newborn grandson--how did he wind up here?"
-Zusya on the Roof
"On a freezing gray winter ghetto of a day in March, her mother calls to say that the lost Husband has arrived."
-The Husband
Alas, another short story collection falls into the trap of a being a mixed bag. In this case the first, second, and final stories were all strong, sharp, and gripping, but by comparison this left those in between feeling like either reflections or shadows of their stronger siblings. A case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts, though the parts individually were all pretty good, some excellent. For some collections you are searching for the commonality that will hold the stories together, in this case there was likely too much connective tissue, which didn't allow the individual stories to stand or shine on their own. Will certainly be recommending individual stellar stories.
lovegoodova's review against another edition
4.0
Zbierka poviedok Byť mužom mi pripomenula, čím ma Nicole pred rokmi uchvátila: píše ako bohyňa, tak, že po mnohých vetách a súvetiach som si musela povedať wau! Pekne vypointované, originálne námety, dobrý nahľad do premýšľania vcelku jedinečných postáv a predsa, napriek technicky skvelo zvládnutým príbehom mi tu chýbala emócia (hocijaká hlbšia), ktorou si ma Nicole Krauss získala pri Dejinách lásky.
pearloz's review
4.0
The most mysterious thing about this experience is that, while I enjoyed many of the stories, I've already forgotten what they were about. Maybe it's my age? What I used to do is write a synopsis of each story as I completed them. I should probably do that again. Anyway, good and enjoyable stories. I'm pretty sure.
laurie1671's review against another edition
3.0
Finishing the novel "History of Love" by Nicole Krauss a number of years ago was very memorable - I said, what?! and immediately flipped back to Chapter 1. Then I sought out other readers to compare notes. The author seemed to have a knack for writing in the persona of a much older man.
This collection of stories, "To Be a Man," was not, as another reviewer said, my cup of tea.
This collection of stories, "To Be a Man," was not, as another reviewer said, my cup of tea.