poachedeggs's review against another edition
3.0
This was like a Margaret Atwood gone a bit kooky. Lots of non-sequiturs and strange behaviour, some of which worked and some of which didn't.
nickdouglas's review against another edition
5.0
She perfectly places her asides and digressions. I want to learn how.
jadereads_'s review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
margaret_adams's review against another edition
Ten original, often hilarious stories that are so full of emotional deflection it's like the literary equivalent of negative space.
readingrainboww's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chelsea_not_chels's review against another edition
2.0
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
This is an odd book. Collections of short stories tend to be odd in some sort of way, but this one is particularly odd, partly because of the nature of the stories and party because of the unevenness of the collection. Some of the stories have a hint of the possible paranormal about them; in one, a woman watches her furniture walk away on its own. Some of them seem to lack any real point or driving motive, such as the one that's basically just an accounting of how a mother and daughter bought and sold things. Some are first person, some are third. Some have narrators that may or may not be unreliable, leaving me with the vague, nagging sense that all the narrators might be unreliable and Galchen was just having a giggle at my expense. It's not that great of a feeling. There's an overall feeling in these stories that something is just off, for a reason that you can't quite put your finger on, and some of the title/story combinations made me feel like I was missing something massive, though even after a good deal of reflection I can't figure out what that missing aspect was. The sense of disconnection that the main characters of the stories feel with everyone around them is a recurring theme, but it also makes them somewhat alien to me, the reader. In the end, I wasn't taken in to a single one of these stories, but was left on the outside looking in, and that's not the best place for a reader to be.
2 stars out of 5.
This is an odd book. Collections of short stories tend to be odd in some sort of way, but this one is particularly odd, partly because of the nature of the stories and party because of the unevenness of the collection. Some of the stories have a hint of the possible paranormal about them; in one, a woman watches her furniture walk away on its own. Some of them seem to lack any real point or driving motive, such as the one that's basically just an accounting of how a mother and daughter bought and sold things. Some are first person, some are third. Some have narrators that may or may not be unreliable, leaving me with the vague, nagging sense that all the narrators might be unreliable and Galchen was just having a giggle at my expense. It's not that great of a feeling. There's an overall feeling in these stories that something is just off, for a reason that you can't quite put your finger on, and some of the title/story combinations made me feel like I was missing something massive, though even after a good deal of reflection I can't figure out what that missing aspect was. The sense of disconnection that the main characters of the stories feel with everyone around them is a recurring theme, but it also makes them somewhat alien to me, the reader. In the end, I wasn't taken in to a single one of these stories, but was left on the outside looking in, and that's not the best place for a reader to be.
2 stars out of 5.
laedyred's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but this book is definitely an exception. Each story is so...weird, yet somehow also incredibly relatable. The characters are people I see around me and in myself. I read the whole book in a day, and thoroughly enjoyed the experimental writing style.
jwmcoaching's review against another edition
3.0
Not your conventional short stories, American Innovations is full of tales that include magical realism, everyday life, and the outright absurd. Galchen is an incredible writer and knows how to write a sentence like nobody's business. Her plots are a little lacking at times, but frequently, the plot doesn't really seem to be the point. Standouts here include "The Lost Order", "Wild Berry Blue", "Dean of the Arts" and "Once an Empire". Her protagonists are always female and frequently seem lost and/or bewildered, but on the verge of something momentous at the same time. These stories are to be enjoyed one at a time and not rushed through, as they seem to contain unique worlds that are like our own, but slightly off kilter. Consequently, it takes a little time and adjustment to not only enter them, but exit them as well.
deannalmac's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
blairewithane's review against another edition
3.0
I liked parts of the stories in this book. There were some great descriptions and little pieces of lives, but left me feeling kind of unfulfilled. I don't mind the unfinished nature of the stories, but some of the endings were too odd. Lots of playing with concepts of time, which was interesting.