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anaffpereira's review against another edition
3.0
The Opposite of Loneliness is a collection of (mostly) interesting stories. Some I found memorable, others not so much, a couple of them I just didn't understand.
Although the fiction works seem very real, the writing felt somewhat forced, as if the author was trying too hard to be deeply profound, to wrap everything up nicely. Nevertheless, stories like "Cold Pastoral" (which was particularly boring) left me rather confused, since there seemed to be no concrete ending or resolution.
Her non-fiction work, on the other hand, is much more fluid, with relevant topics. Keegan was smart and driven; I think she somehow would accomplish her dream of being a writer, had her life not been cut short. On that note, it was too sad to read her concerns about running out of time… Life sure is cruel.
This being said, The Opposite of Loneliness didn't impacted me as I expected. Its popularity is absolutely due to the author's unfortunate and sad death; so there isn't much objectivity surrounding this book, much of its value is purely sentimental. People are fascinated by tragedy and how unfair life is; therefore, they are fascinated by this book.
Although the fiction works seem very real, the writing felt somewhat forced, as if the author was trying too hard to be deeply profound, to wrap everything up nicely. Nevertheless, stories like "Cold Pastoral" (which was particularly boring) left me rather confused, since there seemed to be no concrete ending or resolution.
Her non-fiction work, on the other hand, is much more fluid, with relevant topics. Keegan was smart and driven; I think she somehow would accomplish her dream of being a writer, had her life not been cut short. On that note, it was too sad to read her concerns about running out of time… Life sure is cruel.
This being said, The Opposite of Loneliness didn't impacted me as I expected. Its popularity is absolutely due to the author's unfortunate and sad death; so there isn't much objectivity surrounding this book, much of its value is purely sentimental. People are fascinated by tragedy and how unfair life is; therefore, they are fascinated by this book.
papierpalast's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
rachd24's review against another edition
4.0
Check out my full review here: https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2016/09/19/review-the-opposite-of-loneliness/
I was drawn to this book because of the title – call me a millennial, but it SPOKE to me. When I discovered that the author was only 22, and that she tragically died just 5 days after graduating, I had to know what was so special about her writing. Not only that, but a part of me felt I almost had to pay my respects to her in some way by acknowledging her work.
This book presents a selection of Marina’s essays, as well as some fictional short stories. I sway more towards enjoying her non-fiction, but overall I felt this was a very insightful, often raw, and well written collection of work. The girl had talent, and lots of it. I think she would have had a great career ahead of her. It’s impossible to read this book without a lingering sense of sadness throughout – to hear Marina’s distinct voice in her work, and know that there will never be any more of it, that we will never see her writing progress – it was both depressing, and yet at times oddly uplifting. Her life being cut short is a stark reminder to us all that tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Marina writes with a certain honesty, and manages to capture, for me, the feelings of a 20-something in today’s world. It can be a confusing, frightening, and tiresome world, as much as it can be overwhelming, fun, an frivolous. Interestingly, Marina doesn’t write how I’d imagined her to – based on her image on the cover, and the college she attended, I had a stereotypical idea of how she would write, and what she would write about. It was very interesting to me that she was much more gritty than I expected.
I was drawn to this book because of the title – call me a millennial, but it SPOKE to me. When I discovered that the author was only 22, and that she tragically died just 5 days after graduating, I had to know what was so special about her writing. Not only that, but a part of me felt I almost had to pay my respects to her in some way by acknowledging her work.
This book presents a selection of Marina’s essays, as well as some fictional short stories. I sway more towards enjoying her non-fiction, but overall I felt this was a very insightful, often raw, and well written collection of work. The girl had talent, and lots of it. I think she would have had a great career ahead of her. It’s impossible to read this book without a lingering sense of sadness throughout – to hear Marina’s distinct voice in her work, and know that there will never be any more of it, that we will never see her writing progress – it was both depressing, and yet at times oddly uplifting. Her life being cut short is a stark reminder to us all that tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Marina writes with a certain honesty, and manages to capture, for me, the feelings of a 20-something in today’s world. It can be a confusing, frightening, and tiresome world, as much as it can be overwhelming, fun, an frivolous. Interestingly, Marina doesn’t write how I’d imagined her to – based on her image on the cover, and the college she attended, I had a stereotypical idea of how she would write, and what she would write about. It was very interesting to me that she was much more gritty than I expected.
inconsiderate's review against another edition
1.0
Although the eponymous essay resonates with a certain valedictorian profundity, the rest of the book felt tacked on, almost as if the author was writing to meet a deadline, and wasn't given enough time to really solidify the ideas she was trying to establish. Which makes obvious sense, as this book was cobbled together from rambling essays and half-realized stories which were gathered up after her death. I am confident that if Marina hadn't died when she did, these stories could have been refined into something truly brilliant. On the other hand, one could argue that without an early death, these stories would have never reached us at all. But would that have been so bad?
mimimilaa's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
Marina Keegan is obviously an amazing author; it was amazing how easily I was drawn into her stories even though they were all short. I truly enjoyed reading them so much, it is so sad to me that she didn't get the chance to continue her writing because I would have loved to read a novel by her.
That being said, I do wish that not all of her short stories were so negative. I feel like they were often very pessimistic and it would've been nice to see a little bit of optimism added in, but I still really did enjoy them. Her writing was truly magical.
Marina Keegan is obviously an amazing author; it was amazing how easily I was drawn into her stories even though they were all short. I truly enjoyed reading them so much, it is so sad to me that she didn't get the chance to continue her writing because I would have loved to read a novel by her.
That being said, I do wish that not all of her short stories were so negative. I feel like they were often very pessimistic and it would've been nice to see a little bit of optimism added in, but I still really did enjoy them. Her writing was truly magical.
snikkidee's review against another edition
4.0
I am greatly saddened that this talented writer, Marina Keegan, died at such a young age. The title essay "The Opposite of Loneliness" made me cry. Some of the short stories and essays were worthy of 5 stars while others fell a bit short. However, this was one of the best collections I've read.