kessejeen's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
imandanial's review
3.0
Kumpulan cerpen The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God serasa lebih witty dan menarik berbanding The Girl on the Fridge.
cincominuticos's review
4.0
In this collection of (very) short stories Etgar Keret plays way more on the darker side of human nature than in "Suddenly a knock at the door" and "The nimrod flipout", where the original and unexpected mind blowing material was right at hand.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
ijustwantedbagels's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Dammmmmmmmm
mfcotter's review
4.0
I heard one of Etgar Keret's stories on This American Life and was hooked. His work is creepy, defiant and beautiful all at once. Some of the stories are only a few pages but each one really packs a punch.
Extraordinarily gifted writer. Just amazing. Etgar Keret should be read everywhere by everyone.
Extraordinarily gifted writer. Just amazing. Etgar Keret should be read everywhere by everyone.
zankzank's review
3.0
Some stories were truly captivating and well done, but after reading them all in a row, they became almost predictable in their surprises and strangeness. Still, there were some very good stories in there.
leohnaw's review
3.0
this is a hard review, and i'd probably give it a 3.5 - i picked this book up randomly at the library and thought based on the covers i'd enjoy it. i did, for the most part, enjoy it - keret writes a captivating yet concise short story, and it was impressive how much context he was able to create in stories that were at most 4 pages long.
however, i'm not familiar with the social and political context that keret writes within, and for that reason i'm not totally sure how i feel about his writing regarding racial/ethnic relations. additionally, it felt like every time a woman was mentioned or used (with used being the proper term) in a story it was as a sexual object or someone's annoying mother... sorry to be *that* woman but i didn't love the way he wrote women! i'll say it!
however, i'm not familiar with the social and political context that keret writes within, and for that reason i'm not totally sure how i feel about his writing regarding racial/ethnic relations. additionally, it felt like every time a woman was mentioned or used (with used being the proper term) in a story it was as a sexual object or someone's annoying mother... sorry to be *that* woman but i didn't love the way he wrote women! i'll say it!
hplreads's review
2.0
Really not my cup of tea. While all of the stories were bizarre and impactful in their own way, I can only say I enjoyed reading 3 in the whole collection. Keret's unique mixture of the violent and depraved with the material world may appeal to some but mostly left me disgusted particularly with the way in which he writes female characters. The stories I liked the most actually rarely included women at all (let alone as a subject which I believe only one story accomplished). I think I would prefer it if he simply left women alone and did not write about them. About halfway through I already knew I would not like anything that came next in this collection. I suppose if the intention was to leave readers confronted by the many small and large tragedies of the world the book accomplishes it's purpose. I will also give kudos to Keret for being able to achieve much within such tight, short stories, some even less than 500 words. Not for me though.
crfsanders's review
3.0
I'd like another collection of his work, but this one didn't click for me. I wish I hadn't read it immediately after finishing Aimee Bender's The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. So many bleak stories, so many with no denouement, so many that I just didn't get.