simon_reads03's review against another edition
3.0
Interestingly enough, I found Drinking Coffee Elsewhere to be both compelling and bland at the same time. Though the narrator and story were both quite unique and fun, once the story ended, I was left feeling nothing.
This strange phenomenon is common amongst stories that devout to a slice of life leaning too heavily on a side character. I did find the conversations within the book ahead of its time and interesting to read, as well as the way the narrative utilized clever language to quickly engage the reader. It was endearing following these two characters even through a rather pessimistic POV; in fact, that’s one of the things I liked most about Dina.
That said, none of that was enough to make me feel much by the end of it, and the thought-provoking issues landed flat. This was an engaging story with a witty voice that lacks at times and won’t impact much but is worth the read.
This strange phenomenon is common amongst stories that devout to a slice of life leaning too heavily on a side character. I did find the conversations within the book ahead of its time and interesting to read, as well as the way the narrative utilized clever language to quickly engage the reader. It was endearing following these two characters even through a rather pessimistic POV; in fact, that’s one of the things I liked most about Dina.
That said, none of that was enough to make me feel much by the end of it, and the thought-provoking issues landed flat. This was an engaging story with a witty voice that lacks at times and won’t impact much but is worth the read.
nrphoto's review against another edition
3.0
After finishing up a string of dark and heady reads, I picked this up for some light summer reading, on my wife's recommendation. We had originally picked it to read together before bed. The conversation as best I remember went something like:
Me: Oh man, that Gary Soto book of short stories for children was really funny. that's perfect reading for right before bed.
Wife: (Already scanning the bookshelves in our bedroom) Oh yeah, we should pick out something else like that. Is this David Sedaris book any good?
Me: It's okay I guess. There are some funny moments.
Wife: Oh My God! ZZ Packer! This book is perfect!
We never got around to reading it together, but I picked it up last week on my own, and let me just say my wife's gift for non sequitur is unparalleled. While there are splashes of humor to be found in a few of these stories none of them at their core are funny, or light, or breezy. They don't give you any warm fuzzy feelings. They, in fact, pack quite a punch.
Despite being a bit thrown, I really enjoyed the first couple of stories. Packer, as probably everyone in America but me was already aware, is writing about growing up as an African American woman dealing with protestant roots and coming to terms with various dark aspects of humanity. I especially related to the stories that recounted her characters' struggles with their religious culture. Some of the stories Like "Brownies" and "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" are so unassuming and naturally recounted that they feel like a friend talking about small but poignant moments from her true past. Others, such as "Speaking in Tongues" and "Geese" are so gut-wrenchingly brutal, you want to believe there is no way anything like this could possibly be true, although such belief would be naive.
When Packer is on, her writing is nearly flawless in terms of her tone and how she weaves her stories. It is rare to find a writer who writes with so little pretension, so little effort. The opening story "Brownies" is perfect. Packer can't sustain this kind of tight, streamlined storytelling through all eight stories. I thought "the Ant of Self" and "Geese" where particularly problematic. But there are several gems here.
My big issue with the book is that her source material for each story seems wholly breathed from one idea. That isn't to say I don't appreciate the idea of a cohesive collection of stories, but these stories, when read in succession, start to feel like different illustrations all taken from the same sermon. It almost feels like she set out to write a novel, but wasn't sure which angle to write from, so instead she settled on telling short versions of every idea she sketched. By the eighth story, It feels a little bit self-indulgent and preachy. This is too bad, because the really beautiful stories here, "Brownies, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Our Lady of Peace, and Speaking in Tongues" speak for themselves. I think if Packer covered a bit more ground, the collection would be better balanced.
The overall lack of 3-dimensional supporting characters adds to this feeling of unbalance. In each story the main character seems to be completely surrounded by either sleazy, heartless, or well-meaning but grossly ignorant mentor figures. With the exception of the protagonist in "the Ant of Self," which I found to be probably the weakest story in the collection, there isn't a single positive male character to be found.
Still, the collection is full of humanity, honesty, and heart, and the stories are poetically told. I'm glad my wife bait-and-switched me into picking this up.
Now, where is that light summer pulp?
Me: Oh man, that Gary Soto book of short stories for children was really funny. that's perfect reading for right before bed.
Wife: (Already scanning the bookshelves in our bedroom) Oh yeah, we should pick out something else like that. Is this David Sedaris book any good?
Me: It's okay I guess. There are some funny moments.
Wife: Oh My God! ZZ Packer! This book is perfect!
We never got around to reading it together, but I picked it up last week on my own, and let me just say my wife's gift for non sequitur is unparalleled. While there are splashes of humor to be found in a few of these stories none of them at their core are funny, or light, or breezy. They don't give you any warm fuzzy feelings. They, in fact, pack quite a punch.
Despite being a bit thrown, I really enjoyed the first couple of stories. Packer, as probably everyone in America but me was already aware, is writing about growing up as an African American woman dealing with protestant roots and coming to terms with various dark aspects of humanity. I especially related to the stories that recounted her characters' struggles with their religious culture. Some of the stories Like "Brownies" and "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" are so unassuming and naturally recounted that they feel like a friend talking about small but poignant moments from her true past. Others, such as "Speaking in Tongues" and "Geese" are so gut-wrenchingly brutal, you want to believe there is no way anything like this could possibly be true, although such belief would be naive.
When Packer is on, her writing is nearly flawless in terms of her tone and how she weaves her stories. It is rare to find a writer who writes with so little pretension, so little effort. The opening story "Brownies" is perfect. Packer can't sustain this kind of tight, streamlined storytelling through all eight stories. I thought "the Ant of Self" and "Geese" where particularly problematic. But there are several gems here.
My big issue with the book is that her source material for each story seems wholly breathed from one idea. That isn't to say I don't appreciate the idea of a cohesive collection of stories, but these stories, when read in succession, start to feel like different illustrations all taken from the same sermon. It almost feels like she set out to write a novel, but wasn't sure which angle to write from, so instead she settled on telling short versions of every idea she sketched. By the eighth story, It feels a little bit self-indulgent and preachy. This is too bad, because the really beautiful stories here, "Brownies, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Our Lady of Peace, and Speaking in Tongues" speak for themselves. I think if Packer covered a bit more ground, the collection would be better balanced.
The overall lack of 3-dimensional supporting characters adds to this feeling of unbalance. In each story the main character seems to be completely surrounded by either sleazy, heartless, or well-meaning but grossly ignorant mentor figures. With the exception of the protagonist in "the Ant of Self," which I found to be probably the weakest story in the collection, there isn't a single positive male character to be found.
Still, the collection is full of humanity, honesty, and heart, and the stories are poetically told. I'm glad my wife bait-and-switched me into picking this up.
Now, where is that light summer pulp?
cobydillon14's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.5
arianacevedo's review against another edition
4.0
*3.5*
Most of these were very interesting and creative and they do follow an overall theme, but I didn't really see that much of a difference between each narrator, which just made it a but monotonous by the end.
Overall, it's still worth the read and it carries a lot of value, but it's certainly not my favorite collection ever.
Most of these were very interesting and creative and they do follow an overall theme, but I didn't really see that much of a difference between each narrator, which just made it a but monotonous by the end.
Overall, it's still worth the read and it carries a lot of value, but it's certainly not my favorite collection ever.
angelreadsthings's review against another edition
4.0
Packer writes characters that are, at their worst, ignorant and frustrating and, at their best, still utterly flawed. Because of this, Packer offers some of the most deeply human stories I have ever encountered. Her dedication to the uncomfortable, in-between places of life creates stories that force you to sit with them long after you've finished in order to understand their full weight. Stories that refuse to hand over all of the answers but which make you work for them. Live for them.
gotem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.25
Among the short stories some were excellent, some were fine, some I just finished to finish them. Its a very difficult book to rate as the pacing for each story seemed like they tried to keep the same pace but some would end abruptly.
I would recommend not reading this in one go. There is no overarching theme tying these stories together and the moods shift between each one but not in a transitional way, more a standalone one.
I would recommend not reading this in one go. There is no overarching theme tying these stories together and the moods shift between each one but not in a transitional way, more a standalone one.
greatskittishbakeoff's review against another edition
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
christina_reads20's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0