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danchibnall's review against another edition
5.0
I remember when I first read this book. I couldn't just pick it up and read it. I felt as if I had to get into a certain kind of mood before I was allowed to open the pages. Each story reminded me of some scene in nature, like a sunset after a delicious meal, sitting with family. I had those same feelings when reading his work. I've never had an author create such feelings within me with his work. I'm so glad I own this book and I will recommend it to anyone who knows little to nothing about New Orleans.
claradetierra's review against another edition
5.0
I adore this book. I fell in love with New Orleans the first time I visited, and the essays in this book brought me back there almost achingly. Andrei Codrescu's language perfectly captures what is so captivating about the city itself, and the language itself is also captivating. The essays are part poetry, part politics, part dream and part harsh reality, and 100% life.
cnyreader's review against another edition
4.0
"New Orleans is different, I think, if only because the locals have had a long time to elaborate a style of living and a modus viviendi that couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Everybody in New Orleans loves the food, the music, and our sense of time (slow time) that's peculiar to us and to us only. There is a velvety sensuality here at the mouth of the Mississippi that you won't find anywhere else. Tell me what the air feels like 3 a.m. on a Thursday night in late August in Shaker Heights and I bet you won't be able to say because nobody stays up that late. But in New Orleans, I tell you, it's ink and honey passed through silver moonlight. Accuse me of poetry, go ahead. But prove that it isn't so. You can't, because New Orleans is made of a tissue of poetries that wove each other together over time."
From 1985 to 2005 (and then an afterword post-Katrina), Codrescu shares some of his writing from New Orleans. It's beautiful and sometimes gritty, reflecting both the light and dark of the city of dreams. He writes a few times of the parallels between New Orleans and Venice, which I had not previously considered, but having visited both, I get it. Venice had a similar effect on me- like walking into a magical city, out of real life and into a fantasy. Lovely.
From 1985 to 2005 (and then an afterword post-Katrina), Codrescu shares some of his writing from New Orleans. It's beautiful and sometimes gritty, reflecting both the light and dark of the city of dreams. He writes a few times of the parallels between New Orleans and Venice, which I had not previously considered, but having visited both, I get it. Venice had a similar effect on me- like walking into a magical city, out of real life and into a fantasy. Lovely.
erikahelios's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely beautiful writing. Soulful, emotional raw and real. Really loved this authors words.
nwillsonbmore's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful collection of essays about New Orleans, most pre-Katrina. The style is evocative, humorous, quirky, and completely original.
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