Reviews

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders

cameronnm's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read this book aloud with a big group of college friends on a backpacking trip, don’t know fully if it was the context or the book but we had a wonderful time laughing and discussing as we passed it around!!

liamroush's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-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? Yes

3.25

conor_macritchie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

dllh's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Well it's not exactly subtle. Written in Saunders's more absurd mode (yes, such a thing exists), this satire is ok but not great. There's not much new here beyond the particular absurdities of the story. I more or less like it because I'm generally a big fan of Saunders, but this to me is more a curiosity than essential reading. If it had another author's name on it, I would probably have written if off as a waste of time (but I can't bear to give Saunders fewer than three stars). It is, at least, short.

leeve_me_alone3217's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

spooky lil cyborg hitler

hailsreadz's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Weird? Although, what did I expect honestly lol. Definitely some political commentary going on—nothing groundbreaking but funny and insightful nonetheless.

dannymason_1's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

It says a lot about this book that it's less than 100 pages long and still felt like a slog. It's not badly written, but I found that it was too allegorical to enjoy as a story in its own right and not insightful enough to work as an allegory.

nffictionophile's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

hollail's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

bookeatingmoth's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Tongue and cheek satire of xenophobia. Feels like watching kids on a playground learn about the world. Very efficient story, funny, and despite its short length, is as long as it needed to be.