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hyphonowlet's review against another edition
2.0
Reading this book suggests to me that I do not like walls of text on a page without a purpose I can discern. These stories had occasional moments of interest, but the writing concerned itself too little with the experience of its being read and organized. Tighter paragraphing probably would have improved my appreciation of the ideas.
I walk away from these stories feeling unconcerned about any of the characters or situations.
I walk away from these stories feeling unconcerned about any of the characters or situations.
smm231's review against another edition
3.0
3.5, really. I like his writing quite a bit, but the tone and some aspects of the plots of the stories tend to be pretty similar. I think this would work best reading a story at a time, with some time in between them.
snowlilly's review against another edition
1.0
My review is biased because I don't like short stories.
alpassmore's review against another edition
4.0
Phantoms is a MUST READ and is definitely the star of this collection, however there were so many other good shorts in this collection as well. I noticed that a lot of the reviews were disappointed with the second half of the book, but The Place was extraordinarily devastating in my opinion and one of the other highlights of this book. I also was sucked into The Pleasures and Sufferings of Young Gautama. These stories are so unique and quirky and this became of my favorite collections. I LOVE authors who break the rules!
librarimans's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting collection of short stories that mostly focuses on tales of life in small towns but diverges for reinterpretations of Rapunzel and Siddhartha.
deathtomartyrs's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
gglazer's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first time reading anything by Steven Millhauser, and it felt like it; these stories feel very fresh and original and deeply creepy. The first one, "Miracle Polish," is especially sticking with me. Very cool.