bookloversboudoir's review against another edition
3.0
I have wishy-washy feelings about the stories in The Assignation. JCO knows how to write with brutal honesty that can be uncomfortable at times. One of the things that makes me a huge admirer of her work is her ability to write fiction that makes me feel like someone has sliced off the top of my head and is prodding my brain matter. This is a good thing. JCO constantly surprises, stuns and shocks me in equal measures. Except she never really does this in The Assignation. I just didn’t feel the love vibe with most of these very short stories. The main theme of this collection is love in its darker guise, a theme she uses repeatedly and usually in a way that blows my mind. It fell a bit flat this time around. I’m finding it hard to convey just what didn’t work. Maybe I’m just not a fan of short, short fiction. Some stories work really well such as One Flesh, The Boy, Sharpshooting, Mule, A Touch of the Flu and In Traction. These were excellent stories. The vast majority of the others were just okay. I’ve read stories a lot worse but I’ve also read much better, many of these by JCO. The Assignation isn’t one of her best collections. I’d recommend it for fans of short, short fiction of JCO complestitsts.
toryshepeluk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jenmulholland's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-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? Yes
3.75
mikewomack's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. I had a difficult time sustaining attention to many of these stories. It's literally taken me two months to finish this collection and I'm typically a fan of the short stories genre. From what little I've read of Oates and based on her reputation (three Pulitzer nominations!) I was very excited to spend more time with her writing. This book did not live up to my expectations.
The most interesting thing about this book was the 5x8 index card in the middle of the book with selected quotes from the original book owner as well as the NY Times original newspaper book review. I love finding notes and underlined quotes and scribbles in margins from other book readers. I wonder why their selected passage was worthy of additional reflection and recognition.
The most interesting thing about this book was the 5x8 index card in the middle of the book with selected quotes from the original book owner as well as the NY Times original newspaper book review. I love finding notes and underlined quotes and scribbles in margins from other book readers. I wonder why their selected passage was worthy of additional reflection and recognition.
hannahsatreat's review against another edition
3.0
This book seems to read like that game you play when you make up stories about random strangers you see when people watching, Brief glimpses into the lives of rather anonymous people. I enjoyed it enough to get through it but some of the stories were a little too morbid for my tastes. All in all, I intend to continue reading her.
mpod's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
kellyhager's review
4.0
This is a collection of short stories (crazy short, really; there are 44 in this collection, and the book isn't even 200 pages). I'm generally not a huge fan of short stores; I prefer novels and the thicker the novel, the better.
But this book was different. Instead of reading like a set of short stories, it seemed more like reading a collection of chapters.
I enjoyed reading them, but wished that some of them had been a little more fleshed out. I would read novels of any of these stories, actually. They were all fantastic concepts.
One interesting thing---almost no one in the stories had names. Some had initials and a few had actual names, but for the most part it was "he" or "she." I thought that was pretty unique.
I've heard that Joyce Carol Oates is an absolute master at short stories, and this book definitely bears that out. I don't know that I'd be willing to read more short stories in general, but I definitely want to read more of hers.
Recommended.
But this book was different. Instead of reading like a set of short stories, it seemed more like reading a collection of chapters.
I enjoyed reading them, but wished that some of them had been a little more fleshed out. I would read novels of any of these stories, actually. They were all fantastic concepts.
One interesting thing---almost no one in the stories had names. Some had initials and a few had actual names, but for the most part it was "he" or "she." I thought that was pretty unique.
I've heard that Joyce Carol Oates is an absolute master at short stories, and this book definitely bears that out. I don't know that I'd be willing to read more short stories in general, but I definitely want to read more of hers.
Recommended.
nontendo's review
3.0
I did like it, a lot of the stories really hit. But a lot kind of didn’t and there were so many of them.
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