baudier's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
scottishben's review against another edition
5.0
Lydia Davis is the type of author that could write about complaining about the colour of peas of packaging or the fact that she does not have a dog and do so in a way that is not only interesting but strangely profound and essential.
Like Richard Ford there is a very distinctive way in which she writes so that reading almost any sentence of hers it is almost always immediately identifiable as hers.
She is well known to write very, very short short stories, some of which are less than 20 words, and yet many of these convey more than many much, much longer works.
This is not a perfect collection and to be honest it did overstay its welcome slightly with me. In many ways this is my fault. I read the collection over the course of a week or so and many short story collections benefit from a decent amount of pauses between stories that I did not really give it. It is also in part that I felt the quality was a little more variable than in previous volumes. There are some of my favorite of her stories in this volume but also some of the least memorable.
Many of the stories are grouped as "dream" or "from Flaubert" but this is not really explained until the end of the book what these actually are. I didnt really like many of the Flaubert stories but this may just be me.
Overall though the highs of the collection outweigh the lows and there will be many of these stories that I read and reread, indeed I have already reread some of the stories several times.
Like Richard Ford there is a very distinctive way in which she writes so that reading almost any sentence of hers it is almost always immediately identifiable as hers.
She is well known to write very, very short short stories, some of which are less than 20 words, and yet many of these convey more than many much, much longer works.
This is not a perfect collection and to be honest it did overstay its welcome slightly with me. In many ways this is my fault. I read the collection over the course of a week or so and many short story collections benefit from a decent amount of pauses between stories that I did not really give it. It is also in part that I felt the quality was a little more variable than in previous volumes. There are some of my favorite of her stories in this volume but also some of the least memorable.
Many of the stories are grouped as "dream" or "from Flaubert" but this is not really explained until the end of the book what these actually are. I didnt really like many of the Flaubert stories but this may just be me.
Overall though the highs of the collection outweigh the lows and there will be many of these stories that I read and reread, indeed I have already reread some of the stories several times.
smooove_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
rootyjoh's review against another edition
This is the first short story book I have read in a while, and I really enjoyed it. Lydia Davis is a fantastic author, but in the future I will read books such as this at the same time as another novel, as I feel like that would pair nicely. In effect, if felt like I was getting a glimpse into her life, which is occasionally bizarre, sometimes mundane, but enjoyable to be a part of. The translated stories threw me for a loop, but I they were a nice diversion.
zoes_human's review against another edition
3.0
Halfway between poetry and prose, can't and won't is a collection of vignettes - a series of moments, dreams, letters, and perceptions ranging in length from a single sentence to a couple dozen pages. It's like rifling through the minds of strangers at random. I've never read anything else quite like it. I expect it might be even more enjoyable for those familiar with the work of Flaubert.
In particular, I loved "I'm Pretty Comfortable, But I Could Be a Little More Comfortable." I found it brilliant. Everything else ranged from mildly interesting to fascinating with just a couple of pieces that I found lackluster. I think the book does itself a disservice by adding "Stories" to the title. These pieces are not what one expects from a story.
In particular, I loved "I'm Pretty Comfortable, But I Could Be a Little More Comfortable." I found it brilliant. Everything else ranged from mildly interesting to fascinating with just a couple of pieces that I found lackluster. I think the book does itself a disservice by adding "Stories" to the title. These pieces are not what one expects from a story.
ellentje1997's review against another edition
1.0
I finished this book in two hours or so. I didn't really like it. All the short stories are a bit too realistic. Everything is likely to happen to everyone around the world. I like to be able to escape the reality, or read a very shocking biography. These stories were basically taken out of my life, or yours, or your neighbors. Nothing too special for me. It's something you have to like I guess.
heath_mocha's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5