Scan barcode
ericfheiman's review against another edition
5.0
So good, I read it twice. (It helped that I had a bunch of flights and only one book with me, but still...)
bookgqbook3's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading Denis Johnson and this is one of my favorite books by him. Love his prose and stories of failure and redemption. . . some stories are amazing and some are okay but that's how a collection goes . .
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
5.0
Can Denis Johnson’s portraits of addicts & lost souls be rescued from hipster cannon? His voice was as original as Twain, as American as Whitman, as freeing as Kerouac & as batty as Burroughs. But a generation of writers maybe took a little-too-much inspiration from his heroin-hazed landscapes of car crashes, dive bars & ERs. (“And you, you ridiculous people, you expect me to help you.”) Did they miss his redemptive humor & compassion? “I'll never forget you. Your husband will beat you with an extension cord and the bus will pull away leaving you standing there in tears, but you were my mother.”
juliabingel's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abortion
blakezissman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
namesjitz's review against another edition
dark
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
boguey's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Denis Johnson's collection of stories. He deftly manipulates our grasp of temporality and invites us to get to know these fill-in-between-the-lines characters who could be anyone, anywhere. Johnson succeeds in creating a world that is at once very real and other-worldly. I have since also read Train Dreams, which, while a very different story, represents something of an evolution. I look forward to more of his work.
tittypete's review against another edition
2.0
Junky fuck up stories obscured by artsy-fartsy dreamy meanderings. It was cool sometimes ('Work') but other times I found myself glazing over and losing the plot even during the shortest of 'stories'. I know this is on me. I am decidedly uncomplex. It's something I'm working on. But in the end this was kind of a shrug.