jaymebeetus's review
2.0
I’m not sure why I always think I like nonsensical things when in reality, I HATE things that don’t make any sense! The stories started out promising, but then would take a complete dive. I liked the prose and layout but I expected the stories to be meaningful or clever, something I could take away from it and think about later. Maybe I’m just not smart enough to figure them out. Sorry Loory, I appreciate the effort but I’m just not that into this one.
lou_christie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
zeecorster's review
4.0
Ben Loory is genuinely one of my favorite short-story writers these days. His little mini-fables carry such weight and power behind their slight word count: He can distill complex emotions into a flash-fiction-length story better than anyone else I've ever read.
Look no further than The Porpoise in this collection, which is basically a seven-page romantic comedy begging for the Hollywood treatment. Or check out The Sloth, a fable that reminds us all to look for our purpose in life, no matter how weird we may seem. Or even The Ocean Next Door, which shows us that human kindness is as boundless as that ocean we may dream about that moves into the house next door.
I suppose his brief, quirky, seemingly obtuse style may not be for everybody, but it is 100-percent for me. Nobody else is doing what he's doing in both this collection and his previous one, and nobody else makes me feel quite the feelings he does.
Look no further than The Porpoise in this collection, which is basically a seven-page romantic comedy begging for the Hollywood treatment. Or check out The Sloth, a fable that reminds us all to look for our purpose in life, no matter how weird we may seem. Or even The Ocean Next Door, which shows us that human kindness is as boundless as that ocean we may dream about that moves into the house next door.
I suppose his brief, quirky, seemingly obtuse style may not be for everybody, but it is 100-percent for me. Nobody else is doing what he's doing in both this collection and his previous one, and nobody else makes me feel quite the feelings he does.
dawnoftheread's review
3.0
I'm not sure why this got so much love. I enjoy short odd stories, but so many of these just took surrealist turns that were meaningless. Not satisfying to me.
wisecraic's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
raru's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
kerryanndunn's review
5.0
I'm afraid if I were to use all the adjectives that apply to Ben Loory's stories, someone would roll their eyes, because how could it be possible that ALL these adjectives are apt? I would be called hyperbolic and fawning. But then I would hope that the eye roller would read the stories and understand and then agree with me. So here goes: wonderful, magical, funny, heartbreaking, surreal, fantastic, anthropomorphic, scary, melancholy, joyful, playful, insightful, prophetic, fabulistic. Ok I'll stop.
And remember, Ben Loory rhymes with story. Now that is apt.
P.S. A few of my favorites in this collection: The Dodo, The Frog and the Bird, Death and the Lady, The Ocean Next Door
And remember, Ben Loory rhymes with story. Now that is apt.
P.S. A few of my favorites in this collection: The Dodo, The Frog and the Bird, Death and the Lady, The Ocean Next Door
octospark's review
5.0
Dreamy, funny, weird, and dreary, all of these stories are worlds and celebrations.
jstamper2022's review
4.0
Better than his other collection. Still, some stories left you scratching your head but others were wonderfully done.
lolajoan's review
3.0
Bah. I don't know why this was on my list. These stories are on the level of stuff I wrote in high school, thinking I was oh so clever. Spoiler, I did not become a professional writer, because I knew I couldn't write stuff that was good enough to be stuff I'd want to read.