vcrusso's review
3.0
Like any collection of short stories: there are good, and there are bad (some in this book fall under very, very bad).
The stories I loved were filled with all of the things about New York that I already know, learned from novels and music and TV shows. It's nice to hear the confirmation that yes it is hard but it is still dazzling. I am eagerly awaiting my first real snowfall in the city, the characters on the subway, coming to the realization that I may be a fast walker in my hometown, but I am nothing compared to the speed at which New Yorkers go about their days.
The stories I didn't like often had so little to do with New York itself and more to do with the author in New York. In an anthology about New York, I expected the city to stand out as a main character, the best friend, the sidekick. Some of the others were just weird, filled with gross innuendoes and references that must be before my time as a Millennial? Gen Z? Some of these people were moving to New York before I was born, that says all you need to know.
All in all I think this has something for everyone, which, at the end of the day, is what an anthology should have. A kitchen sink type book. I made sure to dog-ear some of my favorite stories and lines, and I'll go back and read them over and over again until I have my own New York stories to write.
The stories I loved were filled with all of the things about New York that I already know, learned from novels and music and TV shows. It's nice to hear the confirmation that yes it is hard but it is still dazzling. I am eagerly awaiting my first real snowfall in the city, the characters on the subway, coming to the realization that I may be a fast walker in my hometown, but I am nothing compared to the speed at which New Yorkers go about their days.
The stories I didn't like often had so little to do with New York itself and more to do with the author in New York. In an anthology about New York, I expected the city to stand out as a main character, the best friend, the sidekick. Some of the others were just weird, filled with gross innuendoes and references that must be before my time as a Millennial? Gen Z? Some of these people were moving to New York before I was born, that says all you need to know.
All in all I think this has something for everyone, which, at the end of the day, is what an anthology should have. A kitchen sink type book. I made sure to dog-ear some of my favorite stories and lines, and I'll go back and read them over and over again until I have my own New York stories to write.
laurynreads's review
4.0
My junior year of undergrad, the year that I started falling in love with New York and the time I spent living there, I read Botton's other anthology Goodbye to all That (purchased outside the Strand bc I saw Cheryl Strayed's name on the cover, it was about NYC, and it was a dollar). At the end of every essay I'd have to exhale and grin to myself--didn't these people know what they were missing out on? I, at the ripe age of 20, knew that NYC was the best place to be. Each essay was a bolster to my belief that I should never leave. Spoiler alert: much like everyone else, I did leave.
Which is why when I applied to Columbia and hoped that I'd get in, I promised myself that I'd buy this collection to celebrate the joy of returning to the city that I love. I did get in! I did move back! I started reading this collection on the bus ride from Boston to the city when we went to sign our lease. The opening essay is still my favorite, because it so perfectly captures everything I love about the city. I didn't love every essay (how can you, with so many personalities and styles jostling for attention?) but those that connected really connected. I'm positively glowing with love for the city and writerly community here and am so happy to round out my collection of New York books.
Which is why when I applied to Columbia and hoped that I'd get in, I promised myself that I'd buy this collection to celebrate the joy of returning to the city that I love. I did get in! I did move back! I started reading this collection on the bus ride from Boston to the city when we went to sign our lease. The opening essay is still my favorite, because it so perfectly captures everything I love about the city. I didn't love every essay (how can you, with so many personalities and styles jostling for attention?) but those that connected really connected. I'm positively glowing with love for the city and writerly community here and am so happy to round out my collection of New York books.
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