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payal_reads_alot's review against another edition
3.0
It was such an odd collection of short stories! I didn't realize they were short stories (I hadn't read anything about the book before I started reading it) so I was suitably confused. I liked some of them and found others to be rather droning. It was a very enlightening glimpse in the author's mind. They were also written as if the technology was present and accepted. It made me feel like a medieval woman reading stories with cell phones and airplanes in it.
liambenfer's review against another edition
4.0
While these stories can be wickedly intense, I really appreciated this whole collection. The conversations around selling life are harrowing and terrifying to consider, but I think do a brilliant job speaking to society today. Throughout my read, I found myself anxious and uncomfortable often, but perpetually engaged and surprised by how much empathy I felt for each story’s characters. I feel like these stories were chock-full of themes regarding how quick we can be to discount our own worth, possibilities, and true selves or even destroy them all together in exchange for security and “success” as determined by the status quo. There were also a whole lot of stories in this collection that kept me wracking my brain to figure out exactly what was going on (and I’m still not sure I have them all figured out), which I personally really love! This is another short story collection I’m excited to return to in the future!
singingshooter's review against another edition
3.0
some good short stories, some that I couldn't wait to be done with.
asunnybooknook's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 thought provoking but written for men by a man fr
eak1013's review against another edition
3.0
Lordy, I like the way this guy plays with ideas, the way he pokes at reality, the cleverness of their exploration. Lordy, I do not like the way he writes about women, on the few occasions he does. It's v. old skool SF in how ladies are only important in how they affect and relate to men. Women are not granted an interior life; I mean, even in the story that explicitly grants the male protagonist access to the previously-impenetrable thoughts of the female love object, she is only thinking about him. The entire narrative of this woman, this story, is that the male POV character had no idea what was going on inside her, and when granted that access, turns out what's inside her is pretty much him. Which is way more innuendo-y than I intended, but still.
I'm torn as to whether to read his v. popular book, as I think his ideas would be fascinating and cleverly executed, but I'm not particularly keen to read yet another interesting book in which the only interesting people are dudes.
I'm torn as to whether to read his v. popular book, as I think his ideas would be fascinating and cleverly executed, but I'm not particularly keen to read yet another interesting book in which the only interesting people are dudes.
kindleandilluminate's review against another edition
3.0
Many of the pieces in this collection feel more like clever ideas than fully realized stories, but they are quite clever indeed.
joshvet's review against another edition
2.0
"It's the Age of Science Fiction" Charles Yu claims in his story, "Yeoman," and while that may be true, only a few stories in this collection further the argument that Yu will be a starring writer in this new age.
"Yeoman," like the unfortunate many in this collection, begins interestingly enough. Yu's prose is humorous and he shows immense creativity with the breadth of the collection, but breadth is no replacement for depth, which looms out-of-reach for the majority of these stories.
His topics are varied, many reminiscent of George Saunders' pre-Tenth of December works (see "Designer Emotion 67", for a story that could nearly fit in Saunders' excellent In Persuasion Nation). But where Saunders triumphs with satire and humanity, Yu struggles to fully develop one or the other, leaving the reader disappointed that his stories conclude short of a (satisfying) conclusion.
His stories almost succeed and are very readable due to his compelling ideas and fluid style. Yet one could simply read the first story in the collection, the very good "Standard Loneliness Package", and move on, for now. Here's to Yu's next collection, may it deliver on the promise he shows.
"Yeoman," like the unfortunate many in this collection, begins interestingly enough. Yu's prose is humorous and he shows immense creativity with the breadth of the collection, but breadth is no replacement for depth, which looms out-of-reach for the majority of these stories.
His topics are varied, many reminiscent of George Saunders' pre-Tenth of December works (see "Designer Emotion 67", for a story that could nearly fit in Saunders' excellent In Persuasion Nation). But where Saunders triumphs with satire and humanity, Yu struggles to fully develop one or the other, leaving the reader disappointed that his stories conclude short of a (satisfying) conclusion.
His stories almost succeed and are very readable due to his compelling ideas and fluid style. Yet one could simply read the first story in the collection, the very good "Standard Loneliness Package", and move on, for now. Here's to Yu's next collection, may it deliver on the promise he shows.
wynwicket's review against another edition
3.0
Two of these short stories were incredible, several were interesting, but the rest were a bit odd for me. I liked Mr. Yu's novel, [b:How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe|9902193|How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe|Charles Yu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401861818s/9902193.jpg|10491121], much better.
vvvnck's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0