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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Alexie's style of writing goes beyond the conventional narrative, and I found his way of storytelling refreshing. It reminds me of how friends recount stories to each other, in long-winded, self-aware sentences. It's mixed with sadness, magical realism, and humor. I appreciated the silly things in this book, which seem like real things that happened or things someone said: "I ordered a Diet Pepsi for me and a pitcher of beer for the next table. There was no one sitting at the next table. It was just something I always did. Someone would come along and drink it." I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited to read more of Alexie's work.
A moving collection of short stories about life on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The selections weave memory, fantasy, and reality into a stunning portrait of the modern Native American experience. These stories are moving, painful, and humorous; filled with passion, myth, and charm. Another must read from this amazing author.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Lyrical take on reservation life. Irony similar to Vonnegut's. Life is tragic, hopeless, but look at it from another angle and love and humor are revealed. Alcoholism, poverty, history, spirituality, coming of age, marriage, tradition. Sad, but the relationships shown are rich.
Sherman Alexie's brilliance lies in writing beautiful black comedy about things that truly aren't funny at all.
"Imagine that your own shadow on the wall is a perfect door. Imagine a song stronger than penicillin. Imagine a spring with water that mends broken bones. Imagine a drum which wraps itself around your heart. Imagine a story that puts wood in the fireplace."
"Imagine that your own shadow on the wall is a perfect door. Imagine a song stronger than penicillin. Imagine a spring with water that mends broken bones. Imagine a drum which wraps itself around your heart. Imagine a story that puts wood in the fireplace."
When my son was a cub scout, his troop had an Indian story talker come to a meeting. The audience consisted of a couple dozen boys 6-12, their siblings of a range of ages and their parents--a restless and noisy group. The story talker calmed and mesmerized the audience-even those too young understand his words. His stories, told in every-day language, were from a magical world. Somehow Alexis has translated that oral tradition to words on paper in this collection of short stories. I sank into the world of the Spokane Reservation where he grew up.
This is an early collection of Alexis' work. While they are very good, his more recent work shows that he has matured as a writer. The humor is more organic and the pathos and wisdom expressed more subtly.
This is an early collection of Alexis' work. While they are very good, his more recent work shows that he has matured as a writer. The humor is more organic and the pathos and wisdom expressed more subtly.
Bleak and desolate, but it sucked me in all the same. Alexie's poetic soul is in full-force.
I remember loving Sherman Alexie in grade school. I did not find the same magic in this book.