saralynnburnett's review against another edition
5.0
This essay collection is something to linger over with a glass of wine. The writing is beautiful; it forces you to slow down and savor each word, each idea. Philosophical and at times satirical, this collection called to mind works by Jean Baudrillard. Reading these, it doesn’t really feel like it’s about anything, but at the same time her work encompasses everything: space, life, death, poetry, transportation, identity, Venice.
My favorite essay concerned maps and the restlessness of travel, the optics of flight vs. walking vs. public transportation vs. cycling.
And then this line: “Not to mention that semialien life form, racing cyclists, sheathed to resemble undernourished scuba divers, sticking their tiny tight asses out as they speed through the city,” made me laugh out loud.
So many truths in so few pages.
My favorite essay concerned maps and the restlessness of travel, the optics of flight vs. walking vs. public transportation vs. cycling.
And then this line: “Not to mention that semialien life form, racing cyclists, sheathed to resemble undernourished scuba divers, sticking their tiny tight asses out as they speed through the city,” made me laugh out loud.
So many truths in so few pages.
planning2read's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
jortsmanor's review against another edition
5.0
Valeria Luiselli's essays play out as a form of magical realism, casual explorations of cities by an eternal traveler enamored with the mundane. The screen on the back of an airplane seat becomes a method of torture, a cemetery an ephemeral space filled with life. As a taste, I mention a single quote, one that stuck with me as simultaneously morbid and hilarious:
The outcome of a long-awaited first meeting is often disappointing. The same is true of an encounter with a dead person, except that there’s no need to hide the disappointment: in that sense, a dead person is always more agreeable than a living one.
It's a great read if you're someone who enjoys meandering. It's an even better read if you're one who finds the simple discoveries of traveling to be something worth writing about.
cruzsuzanne's review against another edition
5.0
the discussion about saudade was so poignant, it felt like every word was written for me. my favorite chapters were Alternative Routes, Stuttering Cities, and Relingos: The Cartography of Empty Spaces. what a special book ❤ will definitely reread and recommend this!
10tonsofhours's review against another edition
5.0
Valeria Luiselli successfully created the atmosphere of small intimate talks between two friends, sharing random thoughts and ideas. I realized that I would love the book as soon as the writer admitted she was "too impatient to find poetry in nature's gently rhythms". This book is for us, urban wanderers, who find poetry in busy streets, concrete and bricks, who fall in love on a subway, who appreciate the solemn street lights and symphony of traffic.
I guess it is a bad idea to expect this book to be an eye opener or a provocative intellectual piece. It is a footnote on sidewalks of Venice, Mexico and NY, nothing less, nothing more.
I guess it is a bad idea to expect this book to be an eye opener or a provocative intellectual piece. It is a footnote on sidewalks of Venice, Mexico and NY, nothing less, nothing more.