Rating: 
Summary: STAGGERING AT FIRST, BUT I FOUND MY FOOTING
Review: Dave Eggers wrote a really great 300 page book. It's the other 150 pages that I question. At the end the book tails off and disintegrates before the reader's eyes, which is, in a way, more disappointing than if it had never been brilliant in the first place. In the middle of the book there is a lengthy chapter posing as Dave Eggers's interview with the people at MTV's "The Real World" and that is the point that I have traced the trouble back to. The chapter is overly long and clearly put on. It is a cheep way to string together a variety of stories that made no sense in the book, and the unique genious of which Mr. Eggers seeks to stun his audiance with, but does not since there is little unique genious to speak of. The ploy does not work. More disturbing is the point midway through the chapter when Eggers chooses to comment on the fact that the entire chapter is a cheep put-on, there only for the sake of being there. Even more disturbing is the fact that his comment is dropped "slyly" into the narative, with characters breaking out of themselves to explain the motivation behind the book to its readers. After that chapter Mr. Eggers begins to employ this device quite often, including a lengthy, English proffesor-style diatribe on the faults in his writing style spoken by his young brother randomly in a later scene. The device grows increasingly agrivating over time, particularly as it starts to take on even more of a wink-wink, nudge-nudge attitude in the later chapters. Dave Eggers was proud of himself to no end for repeatedly explaining his book to the reader in this cutesy fashion. The general recogntion of his own creativity was what sparked the memoir's downfall. The first half or three quarters of the book is loveable, sweet, funny, interesting, and recognizable enough in its emotion to make the reader feel like the events in Mr. Eggers's life had happened to them in some form. There are entire scenes in the book that I laughed over for days, as well as thousands of off-handed comments that added immensely to the flavor of the early portions of the book. Its too bad that I cannot fully recommend the book after having liked so much of it so well.
Rating: 
Summary: What Can You Say?
Review: If you read the notes and additions attached to the back of the paperback version, you might feel too intimidated to have any comments on the book. Dave has responded to practically every misguided judgement of the book as well as, most notably, any attempt to label it as "ironic" or "post-modern" or even humorous. So what are we left with? Deeply personal, yes. Truthful, absolutely. And at times so revealing of the ways that we torture ourselves by analyzing our every motion, gesture and thought. I say "ourselves" and "our" because I think Eggers has achieved what he set out to achieve. By writing such a personal account of suffering he has dug down deep enough to find the source of suffering in all of us.
Rating:
Summary: What Could I Possibly Add to 324 Reviews?
Review: (Well, at least the first 50 I read...). Skip the introduction - at least until you've read the main book. Yes, the copyright page is kinda funny, but the intro plays so many literary games that if you don't like that kind of thing (which I don't), you'll be turned off to the actual book, which deserves much of the praise it has received. You know how when you have a bad fever and you're feeling really ill your mind races and you can barely keep up with your thoughts? This book captures that feeling but remains highly readable and interesting. The story is more gripping than "Party of Five" (which it superficially resembles) and Eggers ongoing internal struggle (the righteous vs. the self-righteous) fascinated me. I agree with some of the negative reviews that at times Eggers is insufferable, but it's worth slogging through those parts for moments like when he pleads "let me be the lattice!" You'll be both amused and tourched.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Dave Eggers has given me another reason to believe that Generation X'ers are much more than meets the eye. Slackers? No way. Spending a lot of time getting drunk, high and/or finding different people to sleep with? Maybe. Finding ways to be challenged and motivated at both work and home? You bet. In one fell swoop, Eggers gave this reader a little bit of fiction and a lot of fact about his life in the early to mid 90s, when both parents died and left him in charge of his younger brother, Toph. The book is Eggers' method of dealing with all the baggage left over from such a horrible tragedy. His self-conscious yet egocentric writing was a treat for me because it ran the gamut of an emotional see-saw. Half the time, I was laughing through my tears, waking my husband up at all hours of the night. I highly recommend this book if only for the sheer enjoyment of the hilarious forty some-odd pages of introductions and acknowledgments. Eggers is a fantastic writer, and I can't wait to see more from him.
Rating:
Summary: I staggered, heartbroken, after closing this book
Review: This autobiographical work gives you a clear and unwaveringly honest look into the life of young Dave Eggers. A life shaken up by the unthinkable - - becoming an orphan, AND a surrogate parent to his young brother Toph. Eggers does a great job conveying his struggles, standard struggles of young 20-somethings trying to make a life for oneself. However, these struggles, hard enough, are coupled with the ongoing, overwhelming need to maintain stablilty and permanence in young Toph's life. This is not a sad book, in fact it is more happy and funny, in a surprising way. Yes, many people experience tragedy in life. But Eggers relates his so honestly, and straight-forward-like, that he completely avoids the sappiness and sympathy-seeking that would have otherwise spoiled this wonderful story. This memoir touches the heart, tickles the funny bone and makes you think.
Rating:
Summary: Good "Stream of Consciousness" Writing
Review: It's hard to place this book in a genre or group it with other works. A friend of mine called it "creative nonfiction," and I think that's a pretty good assessment for this piece which is based, sometimes very loosly, on a true story. Eggers himself calls it a memoir and admits that he had to invent most of the dialogue, but that usually doesn't take away from the story. Above all, the writing is "stream of consciousness." This is not a story of suspense. Within the first few chapters both of Eggers's parents die. The rest of the book depicts his life as a 20-something orphan who raises his younger brother. Thoughts, feelings, and modest aspirations come out in the stream of consciousness writing, which is always very real and honest. He is also writing in hindsight and is completely aware of the ironies and mistakes of his life a few years ago. I had a few minor complaints. He sometimes assumes too much power as the storyteller. His figures sometimes talk out of character. I was annoyed that he manipulated the story that way and I didn't think it worked. Also (I'm sure this is a common complaint), the introduction drags. Parts of the front of the book, for example the copyright page, are absolutely hilarious, as is a good deal of the introduction, but I found myself skimming the last 15 or so pages because I wanted to get to the story itself. A disclaimer says you shouldn't read it. I think you should, just skim or skip the last part of it. This book has a good balance. Because the style of writing was very real and honest, and because I'm 22, I could at times really identify with the thoughts being expressed. However, it is also a very unique story, so I didn't feel like I was reading about myself.
Rating:
Summary: A Heartbreaking Work of Questionable Genius
Review: In the very long and rambling introduction, Eggers apologizes for the fact that the second half of the book does not live up to the first half. He was honest, at least. Eggers does a great job of capturing the angst and frustration of watching a loved one die and of being a Generation X artist, but the subject was a bit tedious to live through the first time and is only slightly more amusing in hindsight. By the end of the book, you just want it over with, so that the ranting and raving will stop.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be put off by the title.....
Review: I received a complimentary book club edition of AHWOSG and avoided reading it for the longest time. What with the title and the little drawings and the flow chart, I was certain I would hate it. I was wrong! Dave Eggers has a conversational tongue-in-cheek writing style that is brutally honest, often hilarious, and yes, at times, heartbreaking genius. Many of the reviewers below stated that this book would only be interesting to those under 30. I disagree (even though by Dave's standards I myself am old--41). You don't have to be a certain age to understand the sorrow and anger Dave feels over losing both parents, or the fear all 'parents' go through when leaving their child with a babysitter for the first time. You don't have to be a fan of 'Real World' to understand that a 22-year old man was trying desperately to relate to people his own age, despite feeling older than most of them. This is not just a 'tragedy-of-the-week' story. Dave has a neurotic, analytical way of looking at everything. He is a truly gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite all time books
Review: I once heard a male DJ say that what made Joni Mitchell's songs so universal was how incredibly personal they are. That's absolutely true for this book. I think Eggers thought he was writing to his 20-something generation, but I'm a 53 year old grandmother and it hit me as personally as anything I've ever read. The writing is superb and while the subject matter is painful, as is true in life, the most painful moments are often filled with a hideous hilarity. It's not an easy read emotionally, but more worth while than any book I've read in years. I normally read and pass along my books, but this one I'll be keeping. I'm happy to recommend it , even buy it for a good friend, but nobody getting's my copy!
Rating:
Summary: The image of the big white spanky-pants...
Review: ...was memorable, and I cheered for our hero throughout. The only down-side was the annoying and cloying "v. v. v." use and the the constant self-referential weight cataloguing. I can so see Hugh Grant in the lead.
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