freshkatsu's review against another edition
3.0
a hit and miss, the last couple of pieces concentrating on more experienced women being a lot better than the male voices at the start. Writing is great but it feels like something that is written by a college liberal arts major, sentimental and just doesn't really leave an impact.
danchrist's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic stories expertly told. I really enjoyed this book.
The prose is sparse like Raymond Carver, yet insightful and personal like Alice Munro. I actually was sad to see some of them end.
I believe I stumbled across an incredible writer. Thank you, Fredricksen Library Book Sale!
The prose is sparse like Raymond Carver, yet insightful and personal like Alice Munro. I actually was sad to see some of them end.
I believe I stumbled across an incredible writer. Thank you, Fredricksen Library Book Sale!
maggieshield17's review against another edition
5.0
“Wives are good. I’d like a wife. I’m two baseball seasons from forty.”
-
“I need to think, Nick. All i’ve been doing is feeling.”
-
“I’ll go to confession today.”
“Do you think you need to?”
“Yes.”
“To be forgiven?”
“No. I’m always being forgiven. But i’ll get strength from it. We do it face to face now. I’ll just go switch with the priest and tell him... I’ll say I placed myself in the occasion of sin.”
“Some people would just say you were being good.”
“If I take all the credit for getting out of it, I have to take all the blame for getting into it, too. That’s too simple, and too unbearable. My job is to try, and to be vigilant, and to keep hoping. I need my jacket, and some water.”
-
notes to self: *sin as reflection of relation to self more than relation to others, *importance yet unimportance of the physical, *lives very physically but starts to associate w deeper spiritual realities, *physical as outside of oneself ? phaedrus as heck
*Jesus in the desert *logic and emotion /line between
St Francis in relation to body: type of vibes
best stories: “falling in love,” “the timing of sin,”
-
“I need to think, Nick. All i’ve been doing is feeling.”
-
“I’ll go to confession today.”
“Do you think you need to?”
“Yes.”
“To be forgiven?”
“No. I’m always being forgiven. But i’ll get strength from it. We do it face to face now. I’ll just go switch with the priest and tell him... I’ll say I placed myself in the occasion of sin.”
“Some people would just say you were being good.”
“If I take all the credit for getting out of it, I have to take all the blame for getting into it, too. That’s too simple, and too unbearable. My job is to try, and to be vigilant, and to keep hoping. I need my jacket, and some water.”
-
notes to self: *sin as reflection of relation to self more than relation to others, *importance yet unimportance of the physical, *lives very physically but starts to associate w deeper spiritual realities, *physical as outside of oneself ? phaedrus as heck
*Jesus in the desert *logic and emotion /line between
St Francis in relation to body: type of vibes
best stories: “falling in love,” “the timing of sin,”
xrevacholiere's review against another edition
Clean writing & tediousness. About halfway through, I decided I wasn't going to finish this.
jan2bratt's review against another edition
5.0
Dubus writes about people with such articulate depictions of their lives and thoughts, I'd swear that I know these people now in real life.
narzibenoucdel's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
haddocks_eyes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
samesfoley's review against another edition
4.0
cw: self-harm
Dancing After Hours is an incredibly well-written collection of short stories. The writing itself is so compelling and the characters all have rich interiors. Each story, many of which are intertwined, provides a glimpse at the reality of humanity and the motivations behind us all. I can't remember the last time I highlighted so many phrases in a book. And!!! I counted multiple instances of women-loving women, which was a nice touch for me. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested.
Dancing After Hours is an incredibly well-written collection of short stories. The writing itself is so compelling and the characters all have rich interiors. Each story, many of which are intertwined, provides a glimpse at the reality of humanity and the motivations behind us all. I can't remember the last time I highlighted so many phrases in a book. And!!! I counted multiple instances of women-loving women, which was a nice touch for me. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested.
malvord27's review against another edition
5.0
This book is incredible. The writing style and range of stories is incredible. I finished a story and just had to sit with it for awhile, but simultaneously wanted to immediately keep reading so I could move on to the next story. I liked how the stories didn't necessarily tie together, but you got the idea that the characters could relate to each other and might know each other in real life.
Seriously - a really incredibly written book and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Seriously - a really incredibly written book and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.