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l_mell's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
maxgardner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This collection has some standout stories for sure—Brownies, The Ant of the Self, Geese, Doris is Coming—but as a whole, I wasn't moved by most of them. I know the short story form is unique and not always meant to be satisfying the way a novel is, but with quite a few of Packer's stories, I was left wondering, "What was the point?" Unlikeable characters, awkward pacing, strange narrative choices that don't really amount to anything meaningful. I don't think I'd revisit most of these again.
maggienolin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
kirsten0929's review against another edition
4.0
[2004] Four stars for the stories that I really liked. I found them really interesting and they drew me in completely. They didn't all hold my attention in that way, but the ones I liked, I really liked.
jwave08's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jmschwartz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kandasi's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
earthtokb's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
some of the language here didn’t age well (which is to be expected, so no diss). otherwise, this is so funny & a good depiction of coming of age while Black!
nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
Challenging and compelling, I picked this book up from my condo library not expecting much and found myself totally engrossed in the stories laid out by Packer. While I found some of the subject matter uncomfortable, the stories were so beautifully written and the main character was always someone you could root for.