Rating: 
Summary: Funny, Revealing, Original
Review: I loved this book. The stories are dreamlike and funky. Woozy and fun. I particularly enjoyed the tale of her dead mother's return as a celebrity and, well, all the stories about her mother. This is a gifted writer and I highly recommend the read.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I loved this book. The stories are dreamlike, and funny. I particularly enjoyed the tale of her dead mother's return as a celebrity and, well, all the stories about her mother. This is a gifted writer and I highly recommend this book along with another book that I highly recommend "HE NEVER CALLED AGAIN."
Rating: 
Summary: Feels like...Groundhog Day...again...and again
Review: I read the first four stories, then jumped to the back and read the last two stories. I was hoping to find something new, but it didn't change.
The author has a breathless pacing that runs on and on into a style I would consider selftalk. Like right now I am distracted by my own thoughts about a. why I am writing this review when I have packing to do, and b. the number of miles it is to Minneapolis, and whether I should 1.stop in Madison and see my ex (fresh sex), or 2. stop in Black River Falls and visit my cousin (hard belly laughs), either would be fine, but the real question is...Which one would give me the most pleasure at this point in my life?
For me, the writing style in "Messenger" became tedious. And the characters seemed one-dimensional. I did like the idea of a person committing suicide by jumping up instead of down in "Privacy and Coffee." I guess mostly I would like to come upon a story like this in a magazine or an anthology. I just didn't feel there was enough substance to sustain an entire book
Rating:
Summary: very witty
Review: I thought this was going to be Bridget Jones's Girl's Guide to Wearing Black and Living in New York, yet another book about a smart but aimless young woman who deep down just wants to find Mr. Right and does. It's so much better than that ! It's about certain kinds of deep loneliness and loss, about being just on this side of being truly odd and knowing that, about neurosis as more than a charming foible. The writing is really sharp and clever. I read my teenage daughter "Something Shiny," in which the narrator finds herself pushed out of her own real life by the actress picked to play her in the movies. We laughed and laughed!
Rating:
Summary: very witty
Review: I thought this was going to be Bridget Jones's Girl's Guide to Wearing Black and Living in New York, yet another book about a smart but aimless young woman who deep down just wants to find Mr. Right and does. It's so much better than that ! It's about certain kinds of deep loneliness and loss, about being just on this side of being truly odd and knowing that, about neurosis as more than a charming foible. The writing is really sharp and clever. I read my teenage daughter "Something Shiny," in which the narrator finds herself pushed out of her own real life by the actress picked to play her in the movies. We laughed and laughed!
Rating:
Summary: Stories of truth from the real world, not television
Review: I'm not sure the snide and unkind reviewer who cites reality television as comparision has actually READ these stories, which are anything but shallow or mediocre--as countless actual critics and readers have agreed. I don't see how anyone who read these funny but often devastatingly sad stories could be so cruelly dismissive--unless perhaps it's your heart, not your brain, that's dead.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious!
Review: If this book doesn't deserve to be on the bestsellers list, I don't know what does! Heartfelt and hilarious, this one has all the ingredients. Go out and grab your copy! And no, I'm not Amy Tan nor even distantly related to the author.
Rating:
Summary: In a word: Fantabulous!
Review: OK I just like that word. But this is a terrific collection of variations on the theme of who am I, what the **** am I doing here, and who are all these clowns? The very special colloquial style of the stories draws you in so smoothly that all the deep meaning slips right in almost before you realize it. And that's a lot of the point right there (she said to the reviewer who compared this style to Glamour mag): life just comes hurtling at you and it's up to you to sort through it and extract the beauty along with the .... The struggles are universal, and so is the eventual realization that we're all up to the task -- hence the last story, a simple, deceptively direct moment of satori. I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a fresh, new voice.
Rating: 
Summary: can't put down (even if I want to)
Review: The only way I can describe this book is to compare it to music- it's sort of a cross between Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville" and poetry. It's bold, shocking, thoughtful, aching, and funny all at once. These aren't stories that make you feel good about yourself and inspire you to go and change the world or call your closest friends up to share the joy. This isn't Bridget Jones, either- it's far too intelligent. These are stories that are honest in the best way. Elizabeth Crane writes the way you talk inside your head- lots of run on sentences, extraneous thoughts (that most authors wouldn't dare to allow in their writing), and then one pure, true statement in the middle of it all that just grabs you. Some of it is too raw, and some of it seems too blase, but I don't think that Crane is looking to engage the reader in all of her characters' lives. This book is more of a dirty friend you admire than a close, sensitive sister. The reason I didn't give the book five stars is because there are a few flaws. Sometimes, Crane allowed her characters to go on *too* much and after two pages of the same sentence I felt like I was listening to a friend that wouldn't shut up. Ironically, that's also part of why I liked the book, too. I did roll my eyes at some of the characters (especially Hayden and Hyman) and situations, but overall this is a solid collection. Lots of quotable lines and paragraphs, which to me is the ultimate compliment for a book- it's something that will live beyond its place on my bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Stories for the Pomo Age
Review: The stories in this collection will sear your heart, while also opening it up in ways you never expected. Crane's honestly will beguile you and you will laugh and cry with her like with an old friend, while she whisks you away with her magical use of language.
|
