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trayeholland's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
schwarmgiven's review against another edition
5.0
this book is completely and utterly amazing--one of the most unique and universal reflections on the suburban work force ever written.
Pure Gold.
Pure Gold.
teaviant13's review against another edition
1.0
What exactly did I just read? I am not going to argue that Baker is not a good writer. He certainly is but this just seemed like such a strange fever dream. It is basically a stream of consciousness project for a boring office worker and I just wasn't that interested in following all the streams of this guys thoughts.
blatanville's review against another edition
4.0
Baker's first novel and an amazingly conceived meditation on the quotidian thoughts one might have, and the thoughts you might have about those thoughts...
trekbicycles's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is the closest book I have ever found to explaining my outlook.
This book deals with the most mundane of things (the architecture of plastic straws, the economics of Penguin Classic books, the cleaning of elevators, the mechanics of vending machines) it is impossible for you to not think about this book at every passing moment when you encounter these things. I finished this book a while ago, but I have been so haunted by the academic piecing apart of such basic items in my daily life, I haven't been able to exactly say what I think about it. I love the footnotes. I love the language. I love so much about this.
It is one of those books that you want to read out loud, share with others, and also keep completely private because it feels like such an intimate reading of someone's personal thoughts. In particular, loved the idea of picturing how often people think of specific thoughts. I think this summed up a lot of thoughts that I've had recently, but my thoughts might have also been a reflection of the thoughts catalyzed by the book. I cannot recommend it enough. It is short but exhausting, exhaustive but incomplete, leaving the reader with nothing to do but set down the book, wander around, and picture how much thought goes into every little aspect of daily life.
This book deals with the most mundane of things (the architecture of plastic straws, the economics of Penguin Classic books, the cleaning of elevators, the mechanics of vending machines) it is impossible for you to not think about this book at every passing moment when you encounter these things. I finished this book a while ago, but I have been so haunted by the academic piecing apart of such basic items in my daily life, I haven't been able to exactly say what I think about it. I love the footnotes. I love the language. I love so much about this.
It is one of those books that you want to read out loud, share with others, and also keep completely private because it feels like such an intimate reading of someone's personal thoughts. In particular, loved the idea of picturing how often people think of specific thoughts. I think this summed up a lot of thoughts that I've had recently, but my thoughts might have also been a reflection of the thoughts catalyzed by the book. I cannot recommend it enough. It is short but exhausting, exhaustive but incomplete, leaving the reader with nothing to do but set down the book, wander around, and picture how much thought goes into every little aspect of daily life.
chadmy123's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bllplank's review against another edition
challenging
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
souldentist's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0