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bookswithbrittanica's review
3.0
This book was the usual Alexie, but I don't think I'm a very big fan of his style of poetry and short story writing.
emjuddz's review
4.0
I’ve always heard about how phenomenal Sherman Alexie’s work is, but I’m embarrassed to admit this was the first of his books I’d ever read. Whatever—I’m an instant fan! Where other work dealing with such serious topics may become heavy, Alexie’s writing remains jaunty and skips along with us through the narrative. The piece called ‘Salt’ was absolutely brilliant. I’m going to be thinking about that one for a LONG time.
ali3ba's review
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leilaniann's review
5.0
This is my favorite book by him yet! Such a good mix of short stories. Read it!!!
kiramke's review
4.0
I've loved Alexie's writing since, when, 1996? Honesty and compassion and hope are a rare combination to find. I will always love key poems and stories the best, but these are a good addition. I think too many people have been misled by his one YA book into expectations he's not going to fulfill with his grown writing. I hope they can appreciate him for what he does so well.
lazygal's review
4.0
Another collection of short stories from Mr. Alexie, and another chance to laugh (sometimes shamefacedly) at the tragic humor. His stereotyping of Indians is, at times, difficult to read (is it "natural causes" when an Indian dies of alcoholism?) but that makes his words all that more powerful.
His tale of his menengioma struck home because a friend had one; his did not require surgery, hers did. Other stories hit in different ways, none terribly comfortably. Luckily, they're always short enough that the discomfort doesn't reach the 'put the book aside' level, and there's always humor mixed in.
His tale of his menengioma struck home because a friend had one; his did not require surgery, hers did. Other stories hit in different ways, none terribly comfortably. Luckily, they're always short enough that the discomfort doesn't reach the 'put the book aside' level, and there's always humor mixed in.
apinsk's review
4.0
I wasn't sure what to rate this book - it could have been a two, three, four, or five star novel.
Everything before "The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless" was subtly captivating, full of morals and hope and fear. Everything after was detail - detail that I couldn't say whether I liked or not - some extraneous, some not so extraneous.
This book is full of different short stories which, I would assume, are meant to connect somehow. And I guess they do in a sense - each one spurs palpable emotion. (I can only infer that the moral goes something like this : The answer isn't always there; we need to search for it and think about it in order to find it.)
Sherman Alexie is a modern writer, and although I understand the need for some foul language in novels, this one in particular, did not need it to such an extent.
"Salt", the last story in the novel, left me depressed.
Ending on a sad note, or a surreal note, or an angry note is one thing. But when I am thoroughly depressed, dispirited, genuinely upset or disturbed by the ending, I feel unsettled.
So although maybe this deserves three stars, I will give it four. I can't tell you exactly why.
Everything before "The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless" was subtly captivating, full of morals and hope and fear. Everything after was detail - detail that I couldn't say whether I liked or not - some extraneous, some not so extraneous.
This book is full of different short stories which, I would assume, are meant to connect somehow. And I guess they do in a sense - each one spurs palpable emotion. (I can only infer that the moral goes something like this : The answer isn't always there; we need to search for it and think about it in order to find it.)
Sherman Alexie is a modern writer, and although I understand the need for some foul language in novels, this one in particular, did not need it to such an extent.
"Salt", the last story in the novel, left me depressed.
Ending on a sad note, or a surreal note, or an angry note is one thing. But when I am thoroughly depressed, dispirited, genuinely upset or disturbed by the ending, I feel unsettled.
So although maybe this deserves three stars, I will give it four. I can't tell you exactly why.
yanulya's review
4.0
This was my first book by Sherman Alexie -- I'd been wanting to read his work for years. In the beginning I enjoyed his writing but found it a little inconsistent, but I really loved several of the stories at the end, along with the final poem. This book is a mix of short stories, poems, and what feel like random scribblings & snippets of fictional interviews. "Emotional honesty" is probably a very overused phrase, but nonetheless I'd say he captures it better than most writers. Will definitely read more of his works.
ikuo1000's review
4.0
If half-stars were allowed, I'd have given this book 3 1/2 stars. Compared to the other Sherman Alexie books I've read, I figured I'd round up.
Ken saw this book at the library and checked it out for me. It's the first book of Sherman Alexie's that I've read that does not focus entirely on Native American Indians. His other books that I've read tell fanciful tales of colorful characters who are young and unique and conflicted in some way about their American Indian-ness. This book's collection of short stories, however, featured mainly older, more mature characters who might even be considered average. They were regular people dealing with ordinary, or sometimes extraordinary, circumstances. While other Sherman Alexie books put the American Indian heritage and plight front and center, this book either keeps them in the background, or else excludes it entirely; there were a couple stories that didn't feature any American Indian characters at all. Mostly these books were about people, in general, and human nature. And I have to admit, one reason I like Sherman Alexie so much is because of the way he weaves the stories American Indians into other stories.
Still, as usual, Sherman Alexie wrote these pieces with wit, humor, and carefully crafted poetry disguised as prose. It did also include a number of actual poems, some light-hearted, all accessible. There were some pieces formatted like question-and-answer sessions, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from them, but if nothing else, they illustrated the way sometimes, the questions people ask are not the ones worth answering.
Ken saw this book at the library and checked it out for me. It's the first book of Sherman Alexie's that I've read that does not focus entirely on Native American Indians. His other books that I've read tell fanciful tales of colorful characters who are young and unique and conflicted in some way about their American Indian-ness. This book's collection of short stories, however, featured mainly older, more mature characters who might even be considered average. They were regular people dealing with ordinary, or sometimes extraordinary, circumstances. While other Sherman Alexie books put the American Indian heritage and plight front and center, this book either keeps them in the background, or else excludes it entirely; there were a couple stories that didn't feature any American Indian characters at all. Mostly these books were about people, in general, and human nature. And I have to admit, one reason I like Sherman Alexie so much is because of the way he weaves the stories American Indians into other stories.
Still, as usual, Sherman Alexie wrote these pieces with wit, humor, and carefully crafted poetry disguised as prose. It did also include a number of actual poems, some light-hearted, all accessible. There were some pieces formatted like question-and-answer sessions, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from them, but if nothing else, they illustrated the way sometimes, the questions people ask are not the ones worth answering.
jenna_cross's review against another edition
4.0
Often times, when you put something on hold with the library, it can take a while to become available to you. I was feeling in the mood for a Sherman Alexie story but the one I wanted was unavailable. I put it on hold and by the time I got it in my inbox, I had forgotten exactly what it was about. I was expecting a novel but got short stories and poems. What a pleasant surprise! I probably would not have read this if I had known it was not a novel but I’m so glad I did. Engaging clips of different lives. I especially liked the story that took place in different airports across the country.