Reviews

Wild Nights!: New Stories by Joyce Carol Oates

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takumo_n's review against another edition

2.0

"Like fucking, like writing, the secret is technique. Amateurs are eager and careless, professionals take care."

How ironic.

marthagal's review against another edition

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2.0

Eh. Fictional stories of how famous authors met there end. Clemens was good, James and Dickinson weird but strangely compelling, and Poe and Hemingway sucked. Wouldn't recommend.

mickeymole's review against another edition

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4.0

I've tried reading Oates' novels several times, but I just couldn't get through them. Something about her style bothers me, and makes it too difficult to read. This wasn't the case here. Thoroughly enjoyed these stories about famous writers. I also liked her [b:On Boxing|15968|On Boxing|Joyce Carol Oates|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410132871l/15968._SY75_.jpg|1813285]. She also wrote an essay about running that I read years ago. Can't remember the name of it, but it was excellent.

dllh's review against another edition

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4.0

Really enjoyed the dark stories in this one, in particular the ones on James and Hemingway.

ferna's review against another edition

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1.0

I cannot make sense of any of these stories. Seriously, I don't see the point of making these personalities live a little bit more and give them those nonsense lives.

blevins's review against another edition

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3.0

Oates book has an interesting hook--she takes famous writers and then writes about their last days. Poe, Hemingway, Dickinson, James, Twain are the writers. This is on the dark side naturally and some work better than others. I know very little about Henry James and have never read any of his stuff so that one didn't do it for me. The Emily Dickinson story has a strange sci-fi edge to it as a couple buy a ED sort of robot who moves in with them with all the same personality traits the real poetess had. Great! Twain comes off a perverted old man; Hemingway a depressed old man. Interesting at the very least and when it succeeds it is really good.