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fflf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
sapphicaffair's review against another edition
2.0
Read this for class. The sentences are long and descriptive, but take a while to get to the point.
lauren708's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful. I've known some of these stories for several years, but this was my first time reading the book all the way through. Dybek really has a way of transporting you and telling the story of Chicago.
gabesteller's review against another edition
4.0
Read this at Paddy’s recommendation in college and reread cuz i now live in the Chicago Neighborhood where most of the stories take place! Mix of memoir-y short stories and flash fiction the former I think works overall better than the latter. In particular dybek is sooo good at building a whole story around arresting, strange, or amusing images, and exploring irrational responses to pain. while pretty different in some ways, this aspect of his style reminds me a lot of the mixing up of memory, fiction, and truth in Tim O Briens work,. They both refract the experience of memory through fiction so well, I’m just really into it.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the stories "Blight" and "Pet Milk." "Chopin in Winter" was good too. I disliked "Hot Ice"+"Nighthawks," and Bijou I could've done without. The others were short shorts.
ethanawang's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
annecurtin's review against another edition
5.0
A great collection of short stories by the Chicago-native, Stuart Dybek. I was lucky enough to be enrolled in a Chicago Authors course in high school when this book was published. Dybek generously donated books to our class and then came for a reading and discussion. His poetic tone and detail capture Chicago in a unique way, often reminding the reader of what the city used to be.