simlish's review
3.0
One Man's Trash is probably my least favorite of Coyote's works that I've read, which is strange, given how near and dear road trips are to me. Yet it wasn't quite there.
Part of that is that several of the stories in One Man's Trash also feature in the other anthologies of Coyote's that I've read. Not always word for word, but beat for beat. If I'd had a longer gap between Coyote books, maybe I wouldn't have noticed, or been put off by it, but as it is, it kind of annoyed me.
The best story by far was the Las Vegas wedding. It was also one of the only ones that actually felt like a road trip story. It was also, I believe, the longest.
While the one or two page stories make for a quick read, they don't lead me to engage deeply. I think I'll give myself more than a couple months before I read anymore Coyote, though I do plan to continue reading them, or at least trying their novels. And if you haven't read any Ivan Coyote, One Man's Trash is a fine place to start.
Part of that is that several of the stories in One Man's Trash also feature in the other anthologies of Coyote's that I've read. Not always word for word, but beat for beat. If I'd had a longer gap between Coyote books, maybe I wouldn't have noticed, or been put off by it, but as it is, it kind of annoyed me.
The best story by far was the Las Vegas wedding. It was also one of the only ones that actually felt like a road trip story. It was also, I believe, the longest.
While the one or two page stories make for a quick read, they don't lead me to engage deeply. I think I'll give myself more than a couple months before I read anymore Coyote, though I do plan to continue reading them, or at least trying their novels. And if you haven't read any Ivan Coyote, One Man's Trash is a fine place to start.
_barbarei's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
careinthelibrary's review
4.0
Ivan Coyote proves that they are yet again a national treasure. The stories in this collection, One Man's Trash are sublime. There wasn't a single one that I thought wasn't worth publication, wasn't worth reading. I enjoyed them all. I remember being a tween and having Ivan come and do a school reading for us. One story that stood out over the years was "It Doesn't Hurt," which details the notorious comb-ball sport, reminding me so vividly of something my brother and I did. Coyote hits the nail of childhood nostalgia on the head. My first taste of Ivan Coyote's story-telling at a young age prepared me for the excellent craft I am now encountering as a young woman. The only reason this misses out on five stars is because I didn't like the order of the pieces. The "There" section was much weaker to me than the "Then" and "Now" sections. Ending on a weaker note definitely left me feeling it wasn't perfect, whereas if it had led with the weaker stories, I might have felt differently. However, this has more hard hitters than in Close to Spider-Man though I'd recommend both. Seriously, do yourself a favour and read something by Ivan Coyote.
My favourite's from this collection:
"It Doesn't Hurt"
"Just Reward"
"Mavis for Prime Minister"
"The Safe Way"
"Makeover"
"More Beautiful"
My favourite's from this collection:
"It Doesn't Hurt"
"Just Reward"
"Mavis for Prime Minister"
"The Safe Way"
"Makeover"
"More Beautiful"
bookbuzzard's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
(Despite being labeled as fiction on here, this is a non-fiction collection of anecdotes from the author's life.)
Ivan Coyote's stories will feel achingly familiar to any kid who grew up queer, rural and completely wild.
Ivan Coyote's stories will feel achingly familiar to any kid who grew up queer, rural and completely wild.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Pregnancy
kellymce's review against another edition
3.0
Hearing Ivan tell stories is absolutely thrilling -- reading them myself is somewhat less so.
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