Scan barcode
greeniezona's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this book for ages, I don't know why it's taken me so ridiculously long. But when I had a rare moment to actually step over into the adult fiction section in the library, in between talking Solomon down from putting every Go, Diego Go! DVD in the entire system on hold at once, this book jumped out at me.
I confess it took a bit for me to get into this collection. I prefer Alexie's poetry and longer stories, often finding his short stories a little dry. (Of course, I admit also to a long held prejudice against short stories themselves as a format.) Where Alexie won me over was with the story "War Dances," which somehow manages to be everything I associate with Alexie, and then again with "Fearful Symmetry," which is about so many things, but the part I especially loved was about the crazy Hollywood machine and how it treats screenwriters.
The very first story in the collection, "Breaking and Entering," didn't connect at first, but as time went on, I think I've thought about this story more than any other. About a man who accidentally kills a youth who he fins breaking into his home, it is just so relevant to everything that I think of it often.
I confess it took a bit for me to get into this collection. I prefer Alexie's poetry and longer stories, often finding his short stories a little dry. (Of course, I admit also to a long held prejudice against short stories themselves as a format.) Where Alexie won me over was with the story "War Dances," which somehow manages to be everything I associate with Alexie, and then again with "Fearful Symmetry," which is about so many things, but the part I especially loved was about the crazy Hollywood machine and how it treats screenwriters.
The very first story in the collection, "Breaking and Entering," didn't connect at first, but as time went on, I think I've thought about this story more than any other. About a man who accidentally kills a youth who he fins breaking into his home, it is just so relevant to everything that I think of it often.
sophiavass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mrjess_bhs's review against another edition
4.0
Sherman Alexie continues to ride the knife’s edge of trauma and humor like few others can. My favorite of these short stories was the titular War Dances as the blanket scene sent me into a laughing fit, out loud and everything. Some of these are very short stories and others are a more traditional length, but all were enjoyable and some were great.
jainabee's review against another edition
5.0
I love this man. I love his words. I love his punk ass rule-breaking that blows my mind until I surrender to the unknown.
racheloakley98's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
2.0
enewport's review against another edition
5.0
I'm honestly speechless. The realism of the short stories was heartbreaking, with the surrealism of the shorter poems and passages drawing me outside of it. I can't wait to read more of Alexie's work.
bethanyparker's review against another edition
3.0
The separate stories and poems were a bit disconnected and lacked a central theme. I greatly enjoying reading from Alexie’s perspective, but I would’ve been more engaged had the stories not seemed so chopped up.
pxr014's review against another edition
5.0
Although it was sort of deja-vu-ish. I know that I have, at very least, read the story War Dances before, but the other ones (some of them at least) seem very vaguely familiar...
hrmason's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic. A collection of short stories and poems by this fantastic author. "The Limited," "War Dances," "The Senator's Son," "Ode to Small Town Sweethearts, and "Salt" are the standouts. Just wow.