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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Loved this collection of short stories so much. I wish I’d read it (instead of listening to it) because I would have liked to have sit with the words rather than listen to them (it went by too quickly!)
4.5. Rather loved this collection - so many interesting characters, well-developed in these stories. Hilarious at points, hopeful at others. :)
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Magnificent collection of short stories, highly recommended
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While a few minor details kept this book from feeling like it was perfectly made just for me, I really liked it a lot. It's hard to give a short story collection a cohesive review/rating, but I'd say all the stories would get at least a 3.5 stars from me. I think the through line was strongly written, emotionally complex characters and stories with a slight twist at the ending. Both those are catnip for me. There were a few stories with character names reused, and one with characters who all (apparently coincidentally) had the same names as some characters from Twilight, which seemed kinda weird but maybe that's only something I'd notice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual assault, Dementia
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Each about a person's life even in short bits. Some very moving.
This is a silly audiobook send up of self-discovery of an American kid on a study abroad in Italy in 1993. At the outset, it seems there will be plenty for those who have studied abroad to relate to, but the plot quickly turns farcical just a few minutes in as young Jack from Nebraska gets mixed up with a washed up television actor from America and a famous Italian movie star while he studies Latin at the Vatican. Antics follow.
I had hoped to find more of the characteristic complexity and depth I’ve discovered in Jess Walter’s other short stories, which felt absent here until near the story's redemptive end. The outlandish characters, being so far removed from my experience, were hard to relate to. As I'm not a voracious audiobook consumer, perhaps my unfamiliarity with the medium was part of the issue. What kept me listening were Walter's pacing and gift for storytelling and Ballerini’s superb narration skills.
I enjoy Walter's writing. He's a tremendous talent. I'm looking forward to his forthcoming short story collection in which The Angel of Rome is the title track. Perhaps a redo on the written page will prove more satisfying.
I had hoped to find more of the characteristic complexity and depth I’ve discovered in Jess Walter’s other short stories, which felt absent here until near the story's redemptive end. The outlandish characters, being so far removed from my experience, were hard to relate to. As I'm not a voracious audiobook consumer, perhaps my unfamiliarity with the medium was part of the issue. What kept me listening were Walter's pacing and gift for storytelling and Ballerini’s superb narration skills.
I enjoy Walter's writing. He's a tremendous talent. I'm looking forward to his forthcoming short story collection in which The Angel of Rome is the title track. Perhaps a redo on the written page will prove more satisfying.