jtlars7's review
A few very memorable stories. I want to read J. Robert Lennon's _100 Pieces for the Left Hand_. 8 of these mini-stories were included in this collection, and they were wonderfully ironic and funny.
rjeffy's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
spiderfly's review
1.0
I usually really enjoy the best american short stories books, but not this one. "Anda's Game" was the only story in the book that I liked.
arielx's review
4.0
Noteworthy/memorable:
The Smile on Happy Chang's Face is just a great story about how you can never really know the motivations for other people's actions (and maybe not even your own). It's about other things too, but this idea is explored well, and I like the title for how it fits into this theme. The story also has a great ending.
Stone Animals by Kelly Link held me spellbound from beginning to end. I had never read anything like it before, and when I was done I couldn't stop thinking about it. It literally haunted me. There's a lot I want to say about this book...which I expand on in the review for [book: Magic for Beginners].
I don't want to spoil it too much. For now, suffice to say that the blending of fantasy and reality was awesome - I can see why Michael Chabon picked the story because he kinda does the same thing in [book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier %26 Clay]. I can only anticipate reading her other work.
Anda's Game was a weird find considering I had just been reading about Cory Doctorow a few days before in an unrelated way. In the notes he admits that the story is a take on [book:Ender's Game], and indeed a lot of the mannerisms are the same. But it's a good exploration of the themes and politics, and being a gamer I have to give it a thumbs-up.
Simple Exercises for the Beginning Student is, I don't know, a fairly simple story but the description makes the characters engaging and the ending is perfect.
Hart and Boot is a compelling read that is actually based somewhat in fact. The nonfactual parts are what make the interpretation of this particular history interesting. Like the daemons in His Dark Materials, the use of a tulpa as foil and mirror to the real characters in the story is very effective.
Honorable mentions:
Until Gwen, Eight Pieces for the Left Hand, Silence, Death Defier, Natasha
Take-home message:
[author: Michael Chabon] is not only a great writer but an excellent editor. One of the best in the series.
The Smile on Happy Chang's Face is just a great story about how you can never really know the motivations for other people's actions (and maybe not even your own). It's about other things too, but this idea is explored well, and I like the title for how it fits into this theme. The story also has a great ending.
Stone Animals by Kelly Link held me spellbound from beginning to end. I had never read anything like it before, and when I was done I couldn't stop thinking about it. It literally haunted me. There's a lot I want to say about this book...which I expand on in the review for [book: Magic for Beginners].
I don't want to spoil it too much. For now, suffice to say that the blending of fantasy and reality was awesome - I can see why Michael Chabon picked the story because he kinda does the same thing in [book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier %26 Clay]. I can only anticipate reading her other work.
Anda's Game was a weird find considering I had just been reading about Cory Doctorow a few days before in an unrelated way. In the notes he admits that the story is a take on [book:Ender's Game], and indeed a lot of the mannerisms are the same. But it's a good exploration of the themes and politics, and being a gamer I have to give it a thumbs-up.
Simple Exercises for the Beginning Student is, I don't know, a fairly simple story but the description makes the characters engaging and the ending is perfect.
Hart and Boot is a compelling read that is actually based somewhat in fact. The nonfactual parts are what make the interpretation of this particular history interesting. Like the daemons in His Dark Materials, the use of a tulpa as foil and mirror to the real characters in the story is very effective.
Honorable mentions:
Until Gwen, Eight Pieces for the Left Hand, Silence, Death Defier, Natasha
Take-home message:
[author: Michael Chabon] is not only a great writer but an excellent editor. One of the best in the series.
crissytrap's review
5.0
Was not my favorite group of work. There were a few stand outs. While trying to figure out the essay that I'm required to write on one or two of the stories in this book, I realized there were more stories that I liked than I first recalled. I think it might be even, the stories I liked and disliked in this collection. There were a couple that played with magical realism that I found well-written. Alice Munro's story was one of my favorites. I liked the sense of mystery in a couple of the pieces and how that was handled and how that drove a couple of the narratives. That was interesting to read.
bumblevee's review
3.0
I wasn't a huge fan of a lot of these stories, but I absolutely adored Dennis Lehane's "Until Gwen" and Tom Perotta's "The Smile on Happy Chang's Face". So much so that 5 years later I'm still thinking about both of them.
seebrandyread's review
3.0
I don't think I've read anything by Michael Chabon other than a short story or two, probably from BASS. I appreciated his brief intro about how he ultimately chose stories for their entertainment value. There have always been arguments about what's literary and what isn't and whether books that are pushed outside that prejudice-filled gate are worth our time. Chabon expresses his own feelings and definition of entertainment that sets a more noticeable tone than the editors who choose more theoretical routes.
I was absolutely entertained by this collection. A couple stories made me laugh like "Hart & Boot" by Tim Pratt. Many gave me a lump in my throat from sorrow or pity like "Old Boys, Old Girls" by Edward P. Jones and "The First Four Measures" by Nathaniel Bellows. There were even some action stories (one in the digital world of video games, the other in a warzone) by Cory Doctorow ("Anda's Game") and Tom Bissell ("Death Defier").
Maybe I link entertainment closely to emotion which would make sense, but there are certainly stories that lean more towards the subtle and moody rather than plot-driven. There are still stories here that continue to stand the test of time such as David Bezmozgis's "Natasha" and Kelly Link's "Stone Animals," two stories I have seen anthologized in other books.
I sometimes judge these collections based on how many stories I don't remember much about, and I think there's only one here that didn't stick at all, and I knew it wouldn't stick even as I read it. It's funny, because I was entertained by some of these stories by how outside my world and experience they were, and I was entertained by other by how recognizable they were. I imagine that the best literature is able to do both.
Occasionally an editor will choose their own order for the stories though most go by author's last name alphabetically. Chabon chose an order, but I honestly couldn't figure it out. Maybe he mentioned it in the intro and I missed it? This edition also scores pretty low on diversity. I think there are only two writers of color in the collection. Many stories deal with race and gender, but most of them are from the perspectives of white men.
I was absolutely entertained by this collection. A couple stories made me laugh like "Hart & Boot" by Tim Pratt. Many gave me a lump in my throat from sorrow or pity like "Old Boys, Old Girls" by Edward P. Jones and "The First Four Measures" by Nathaniel Bellows. There were even some action stories (one in the digital world of video games, the other in a warzone) by Cory Doctorow ("Anda's Game") and Tom Bissell ("Death Defier").
Maybe I link entertainment closely to emotion which would make sense, but there are certainly stories that lean more towards the subtle and moody rather than plot-driven. There are still stories here that continue to stand the test of time such as David Bezmozgis's "Natasha" and Kelly Link's "Stone Animals," two stories I have seen anthologized in other books.
I sometimes judge these collections based on how many stories I don't remember much about, and I think there's only one here that didn't stick at all, and I knew it wouldn't stick even as I read it. It's funny, because I was entertained by some of these stories by how outside my world and experience they were, and I was entertained by other by how recognizable they were. I imagine that the best literature is able to do both.
Occasionally an editor will choose their own order for the stories though most go by author's last name alphabetically. Chabon chose an order, but I honestly couldn't figure it out. Maybe he mentioned it in the intro and I missed it? This edition also scores pretty low on diversity. I think there are only two writers of color in the collection. Many stories deal with race and gender, but most of them are from the perspectives of white men.
moreadsbooks's review
3.0
This collection is only really notable because it contains my favorite short story ever, Stone Animals by Kelly Link. Pure awesomeness. "It turns out her marriage was the same color she had just painted the foyer. Velveteen Fade." I used to think that the ending was no good, but that was just because I didn't want the story to be over.
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