kingfan30's review
3.0
Not sure about this to be honest, a few I enjoyed and a few I did not. I enjoyed Vissi D'Arte the most. I just did not get Starving Again which was the shortest story in the book. An interesting collection which did not take me long to read.
veelaughtland's review against another edition
3.0
To me, this wasn't as strong a collection as Moore's debut collection Self Help was. Although Moore writes about similar themes as in her first collection, I felt that this particular collection of short stories was lacking a lot of the humour that her first collection had. As a result, to me this collection had a much more hopeless feeling, which at times made it harder to get through.
To me, the highlights in this collection were Vissi D'Arte, Joy, and the title story Like Life. There are only 8 stories in this collection, so if you're looking for a relatively quick read (if you go by page number at least), then this might be a good one to go for. However, not all the stories in this really stuck with me, and it probably won't be a very memorable collection for me a few months from now.
To me, the highlights in this collection were Vissi D'Arte, Joy, and the title story Like Life. There are only 8 stories in this collection, so if you're looking for a relatively quick read (if you go by page number at least), then this might be a good one to go for. However, not all the stories in this really stuck with me, and it probably won't be a very memorable collection for me a few months from now.
cherylcheng00's review
4.0
I wish I could write like Lorrie Moore.
She had a poem about marriage. It began, Marriage is the death you want to die, and in front of audiences she never read it with much conviction. Usually she swung her foot back and forth through the whole thing.
She had a poem about marriage. It began, Marriage is the death you want to die, and in front of audiences she never read it with much conviction. Usually she swung her foot back and forth through the whole thing.
samarakroeger's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Lorrie Moore, queen of the short story. these didn't hit as hard as the stories in Self Help, and I would have loved to see some second person narration again, but these are all very solid (and BLEAK) short stories. they did kind of blend together in my mind at times. very 80s, but also feel like they could have been written 10 years ago.
janiceemlee's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
northamerica's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
professional_sleeping_beauty's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25