lexigoyette's review against another edition
4.0
DFW will have you hooked one moment and wanting to throw the book across the room seconds later. I will admit, the final essay, Host was a skimmer.
shabbos_reads_arty's review against another edition
5.0
DFW is brilliant as always. Not every one is a winner, but can't give the book less than 5 stars.
tatianamgriffin's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first DFW book, and I so enjoy his poignant view of the world! His style is, however, quite intricate and hard to follow. He is as academic as it gets, writing essays with footnotes inside footnotes! I appreciate his perspective, and understand footnotes are a key component of his writing style, but it can get tiring and make it hard to follow. The essay that the book is named after “Consider the lobster” is my favorite, followed by the essay “Authority and American Usage”, and “Joseph Frank’s Dostoevsky”. I think this was a good introduction to his style and work, and I recommend the read for those who enjoy a deep into curious subjects to which we don’t typically give much thought.
tucked_snuggly's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
findyourgoldenhour's review against another edition
4.0
I consider myself to be pretty well read, and yet I have never read anything by the formidable and much admired David Foster Wallace. I think it's because when I think of DFW, I think of [b: Infinite Jest|6759|Infinite Jest|David Foster Wallace|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446876799s/6759.jpg|3271542] and at 1088 pages, it's a tad intimidating. I think it's safe to say I'll probably never pick it up.
But when this essay collection came up on my Kindle Daily Deals email, I snatched it right up. And it was timely, because this collection includes his essay on John McCain, and I bought it the day McCain died. He wrote this piece after riding McCain's campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express during his run for the Republican nomination in the 2000 election. It is worth getting a copy of this book just for this essay. I would say it's worth getting a copy of this book just for the few paragraphs detailing McCain's experience in the North Vietnamese POW camp. Foster Wallace is masterful at putting the reader in McCain's shoes here, at making the hero human. Maybe I felt it so intensely because of the day I happened to read it (I read this essay the day of McCain's public memorial service). It was powerful.
The title essay about the lobster brought back childhood memories of summer camping trips to Maine. His description of how lobster is prepared reminded me of my first foray into vegetarianism: watching my mom boil a live lobster over our campfire was traumatic, to say the least. The piece about his experience of 9/11 in a small Illinois college town was so moving, especially with the hindsight of 17 years. And his essay on the porn industry in the late '90s seems quaint to 2018 sensibilities. His talk about how VCRs being in every home changed how people consume porn made me think, "that's adorable.”
The critiques of DFW are legit: too many footnotes, too many random asides, too longwinded. All true. And yet I can see from this one collection that he has legions of die-hard fans for a reason. He was clearly a gifted writer with a keen eye for observing human behavior. His loss to the literary world is our collective loss for sure.
But when this essay collection came up on my Kindle Daily Deals email, I snatched it right up. And it was timely, because this collection includes his essay on John McCain, and I bought it the day McCain died. He wrote this piece after riding McCain's campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express during his run for the Republican nomination in the 2000 election. It is worth getting a copy of this book just for this essay. I would say it's worth getting a copy of this book just for the few paragraphs detailing McCain's experience in the North Vietnamese POW camp. Foster Wallace is masterful at putting the reader in McCain's shoes here, at making the hero human. Maybe I felt it so intensely because of the day I happened to read it (I read this essay the day of McCain's public memorial service). It was powerful.
The title essay about the lobster brought back childhood memories of summer camping trips to Maine. His description of how lobster is prepared reminded me of my first foray into vegetarianism: watching my mom boil a live lobster over our campfire was traumatic, to say the least. The piece about his experience of 9/11 in a small Illinois college town was so moving, especially with the hindsight of 17 years. And his essay on the porn industry in the late '90s seems quaint to 2018 sensibilities. His talk about how VCRs being in every home changed how people consume porn made me think, "that's adorable.”
The critiques of DFW are legit: too many footnotes, too many random asides, too longwinded. All true. And yet I can see from this one collection that he has legions of die-hard fans for a reason. He was clearly a gifted writer with a keen eye for observing human behavior. His loss to the literary world is our collective loss for sure.
rick2's review against another edition
4.0
Some absolutely fantastic, and a few obtuse essays from DFW.
snivets's review against another edition
4.0
Obviously incredible, full of wit and some stylistic examples of what makes Infinite Jest so great without requiring 1,400 pages read to see.
tcoale's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished this book and it was amazing. If you're not going to read the whole book (including explications of Kafka and Dostoevsky) please read the essay "Authority and American Usage." It is the best essay I've ever read. Wallace takes a mundane subject like American Usage and turns it into a political warground. The best part is, he makes complete sense.
The other essays are good and as long as you get yourself accustomed to the footnotes they become seamless. The McCain essay "Up Simba" susinctly expresses my problem with politics on the whole and politicians in particular. This is not a "kiss up essay" and Wallace even notes that he supports Bill Bradley. It is just an attempt to have an open discussion about the people we elect and why we elect them. Even scarier is how the most honest politician will use dishonest tools to get his message across.
The other essays are good and as long as you get yourself accustomed to the footnotes they become seamless. The McCain essay "Up Simba" susinctly expresses my problem with politics on the whole and politicians in particular. This is not a "kiss up essay" and Wallace even notes that he supports Bill Bradley. It is just an attempt to have an open discussion about the people we elect and why we elect them. Even scarier is how the most honest politician will use dishonest tools to get his message across.