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dillarhonda's review against another edition
The stories of Deborah Eisenberg’s latest collection, Your Duck is My Duck, are as unsettling as they are compelling. My favorite, “Merge,” explores how a temporarily disowned trust fund baby falls in love with a strange woman who, after she leaves, mails cryptically frantic postcards that he ignores for a cushy reunion with his wealthy father. Others feature artists brought to a villa to entertain their wealthy hosts, a group of aging actors who are appalled by their representation in a memoir, and a young woman who is ‘normalized’ because she experiences life too intensely. Eisenberg’s observations are razor-sharp as ever and though each story features its own unique brand of cruelty, the title—based on a story of a zen master who sees a duck trapped in a bottle and says ‘not my duck, not my problem’—is a wry reminder to treat each other with care.
chantal_s's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
I feel like I just didnt understand what Eisenburg was trying to tell us with the six stories in this collection. Because of this the stories felt pointless to me. Like they weren't going anywhere. But that's probably more me than Eisenburg.
5/6 stories felt endless. I found myself counting down the pages to the next story, hoping it would be better that the one before it, but I just kept getting dissappointed. Might be the writing style or plain misunderstanding, I'm not sure. Just did not enjoy it.
Would probably only consider ever rereading Taj Mahal. Had better pace than the other ones and I think I understood the message. The others are already one big blur to me.
5/6 stories felt endless. I found myself counting down the pages to the next story, hoping it would be better that the one before it, but I just kept getting dissappointed. Might be the writing style or plain misunderstanding, I'm not sure. Just did not enjoy it.
Would probably only consider ever rereading Taj Mahal. Had better pace than the other ones and I think I understood the message. The others are already one big blur to me.
itsnicholaslashay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mamireads's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful collection of short stories. Each one has compelling stories, complex language, and unforgettable characters.
willdinola's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
marshamudpuddle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
5.0
This really is the work of a master. They are short stories, yes, but they almost read like poems: the concision of language; the evident care that has been taken over it; the surprise in the sentences; the startling juxtapositions and metaphors; the lightness and deftness with which she moves between ideas, images, time periods, points of view, sometimes mid-sentence. I was just continually dazzled by how these stories moved with so much freedom and risk, like a daring jazz solo.
At the same time, they read like novels, too, in miniature: there are webs of interweaving characters, with different, conflicting versions of events; there is movement back and forth across long spans of time; characters' perceptions of each other and themselves and the world around them all shift and change.
I can think of other short story writers who have the same poetic concision (Lydia Davis, for example) and others whose stories have the depth and breadth of novels (Alice Munro, for example) but cannot think of anyone else who does both these things in quite the way Eisenberg does. They are not easy stories, exactly: they do not hold your hand, but require you to pay attention, to piece things together, to make your own connections between things. But put the effort in and they are incredibly rewarding.
At the same time, they read like novels, too, in miniature: there are webs of interweaving characters, with different, conflicting versions of events; there is movement back and forth across long spans of time; characters' perceptions of each other and themselves and the world around them all shift and change.
I can think of other short story writers who have the same poetic concision (Lydia Davis, for example) and others whose stories have the depth and breadth of novels (Alice Munro, for example) but cannot think of anyone else who does both these things in quite the way Eisenberg does. They are not easy stories, exactly: they do not hold your hand, but require you to pay attention, to piece things together, to make your own connections between things. But put the effort in and they are incredibly rewarding.
jumbleread's review against another edition
5.0
Stories that I didn’t want to end- about the careless rich young man taking care of the elderly woman and the girl with the apartment down the hall - about the woman with the hyper critical mother and the mothers sisters - about the mentally ill woman who was made to repeat her doctor - all different - all took me far away to a different time and place and person