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wldiv's review against another edition
4.0
hyper-fixation, nostalgia, pondering the history of engineering and architectural design and how that creates the infrastructure that surrounds us; or how i learned to love nicholson baker’s the mezzanine.
henrycollie's review against another edition
2.0
A pale imitation of David Foster Wallace. All of the attention to minutiae of life but with none of the interesting or compelling observations. Read half and bailed.
bouglas's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
brilliant. dispels the childishness of wonder, making the mundane euphoric.
thebobsphere's review against another edition
3.0
Detail after detail about household objects. Baker sometimes makes things that are boring interesting. The book is about a man reflecting on mundane things during his lunch-break. Ultimately there's a certain limit to one can be boring and this happens quite a few times during the book.
janettebm's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Bizarre but fascinating
rkpress99's review against another edition
DNF. I got about half-way and the four-page footnote about why ice is slippery took me down for the count. Baker is an outstanding writer who describes the everyday and mundane with a fierce poetic aesthetic, but in the end, I don’t like plowing through a book just to say I finished it, no matter how strong the writing.
drossg's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One time I went to the store with my older brother. The cashier, a girl, asked him, “Did you find everything you need?”
He, handing her exactly what he had come for, replied, “I don’t think so…”
He, handing her exactly what he had come for, replied, “I don’t think so…”