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lgravessmith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
- 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
3.0
thestoryowl's review against another edition
2.0
I tried but the stories were just the wrong side of weirdly vague. Couldn't get into it.
vidotson's review
2.0
DNF @58%...I love a short story collection. The best ones can you feel so much in less pages than a whole novel can. These stories were pretty unique, but none of them ever really pulled me in and I never cared about the characters or how the stories ended. At halfway through I realized I wasn't continuing to read because I drawn to, but because it was habit to read a little bit everyday so I ended the affair. The title, "You Are Having a Good Time", ended up being very ironic or forced like trying to enjoy New Year's Eve and other anti-climatic and overhyped events...
sterlinglacroix's review against another edition
3.0
I discovered Amie Barrodale from an old issue of The Paris Review a few years back. Even though I connected with her work, I didn't pick up her collection of short stories until recently.
You Are Having A Good Time is a collection of 10 short stories published in 2016. I like short stories because they try to make an impact, but only have 10-15 pages to strike. Oftentimes they can come across as cheesy and clumsy, but done well can be a real gut punch. This one has more gut punches than misses.
You Are Having A Good Time is a collection of 10 short stories published in 2016. I like short stories because they try to make an impact, but only have 10-15 pages to strike. Oftentimes they can come across as cheesy and clumsy, but done well can be a real gut punch. This one has more gut punches than misses.
sungyena's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rebeccalm's review against another edition
I've been trying to read this thing for months now and just cannot muster through it any longer. I got 80 pages in and still couldn't tell you what exactly I've been reading. The stories I read were about nothing in particular but still managed to feel overly sad and empty. I gave myself permission to stop reading it because I definitely was not having a good time.
emilyiolantha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
zoethydear1850's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Oh man, there are stories that really rock and absolutely suck you in, but there are stories that bore. The length of these stories (and the book) make the 50:50 ratio, of enjoyable stories to not as much, worth the read.
Oh man, there are stories that really rock and absolutely suck you in, but there are stories that bore. The length of these stories (and the book) make the 50:50 ratio, of enjoyable stories to not as much, worth the read.
thomasgoddard's review against another edition
3.0
Some more short stories this time. I found them all quite skillfully written. I've been won over to stories which seemingly have no particular plot or focus. I feel that, in the short story form, style and theme serve a greater importance.
The new form, millennial fiction, has a few key hallmarks. They're clinical and lack emotion. They discuss it, but there isn't any understanding from the characters. They're locked into this state of confusion about how they feel and what they want. There's this complete lack of purpose or direction. Relationships with others are described as brief moments of miscommunication and accusation.
All in all. Pretty dismal reading. And although the skill is there, authors who are within this genre... They tend not to grapple with life, so much as they just present it.
This, ultimately, splits the audience down the middle between people who feel that literature should challenge you and provide and people who are content merely to consume words and find familiarities that describe their lives.
So you will either love this collection. Or you will really hate it. For me, I fall somewhere in the middle. A novelist who writes like this would fail utterly. A short story writer manages to make brief sketches of the modern world. The reality of how we all drift along. The truth that we are losing the skills that are so vital as a society. The skills of compassion, selflessness, communication, discussion and open mindedness. But that is no business of mine. Mine has always been the pursuit of experiences. The opportunity to digest other people's lives.
And so, for me, this is a well written collection that will make you think. It won't offer any insights. It will just let you do the work of trying to find something that is purposefully absent. Meaning. Such is life.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)
The new form, millennial fiction, has a few key hallmarks. They're clinical and lack emotion. They discuss it, but there isn't any understanding from the characters. They're locked into this state of confusion about how they feel and what they want. There's this complete lack of purpose or direction. Relationships with others are described as brief moments of miscommunication and accusation.
All in all. Pretty dismal reading. And although the skill is there, authors who are within this genre... They tend not to grapple with life, so much as they just present it.
This, ultimately, splits the audience down the middle between people who feel that literature should challenge you and provide and people who are content merely to consume words and find familiarities that describe their lives.
So you will either love this collection. Or you will really hate it. For me, I fall somewhere in the middle. A novelist who writes like this would fail utterly. A short story writer manages to make brief sketches of the modern world. The reality of how we all drift along. The truth that we are losing the skills that are so vital as a society. The skills of compassion, selflessness, communication, discussion and open mindedness. But that is no business of mine. Mine has always been the pursuit of experiences. The opportunity to digest other people's lives.
And so, for me, this is a well written collection that will make you think. It won't offer any insights. It will just let you do the work of trying to find something that is purposefully absent. Meaning. Such is life.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)