Reviews

New Teeth: Stories by Simon Rich

damesies's review against another edition

4.0

Is delightful too generic? I don't think so. This collection of magically real tales is spontaneous, whimsical, relevant and, yes, delightful.

I have to imagine Simon Rich has a favorite random word generator he uses in parallel with ancient Mad Libs books he bought for a nickel each at a flea market to inspire his plots: Girl RAISED by WOLVES finds SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE and a CIVILIZED life, still invites PARENTS to THANKSGIVING. Loner DETECTIVE is actually BABY. Corporate cog is an ANDROID; experiences NEPOTISM and HEARTACHE. A tender story of LOYALTY between LASERDISC and JOHN.

I, for one, subscribe to this approach, and will sign up for the newsletter.

renaplays's review against another edition

3.0

Often clever.

reibr3ad's review against another edition

funny

4.0

jcpdiesel21's review against another edition

4.0

Often laugh out loud funny. I love a short story collection that isn't afraid of getting weird, and Rich's tales dabble in the strange quite humorously. My favorite of the bunch, "The Big Nap," combines noir and a toddler's point of view with extremely amusing results. There are a couple of stories that didn't quite work for me, but I still admire the creativity and ambition present in those big swings.

chaifanatic18's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jennguare's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

alibi313's review against another edition

5.0

Rarely does a short story collection get top marks from me, as quality of individual pieces can vary. However, this book is uniformly great, with stories that made me laugh out loud as well as tear up. Terrific writing!

morgan1048's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

smo's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

pumpkinpie4me's review against another edition

funny lighthearted

4.0