saff24's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
h1914's review against another edition
4.0
“I thought that since I was better, my therapy should end soon. I was impatient, and I wondered: How did therapy come to an end? I had other questions too: for instance, How much longer would I continue to need all my strength just to take myself from one day to the next? There was no answer to that one. There would be no end to therapy, either, or I would not be the one who chose to end it.”
gjpeace's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5
An impressive and unique collection, for sure. I may not have LOVED it, but Davis is an incredible writer, and all of these pieces show a command of tone and word choice that is all the more impressive considering this is her debut. Like small anecdotes told by a poet. It all appears quite simple, but the way a single word or phrase can make a single story into something profound/hilarious//heartbreaking reveals the care Davis puts into her writing and the depths that the smallness of these stories hides.
The main highlight: the title story, which is now one of my all-time favorites. I've read it about four times now. Other highlights? I don't know. The whole book, basically. "Story," "In a House Besieged," the Auden piece. These are all stories I'll continue to think about and for a while. But I could say the same for many of the others.
So, basically, this feels like a collection I'll return to again and again, along with (presumably, hypothetically) the rest of The Collected Stories, which I'll get to in a bit. I'm very happy to have heeded the buzz.
An impressive and unique collection, for sure. I may not have LOVED it, but Davis is an incredible writer, and all of these pieces show a command of tone and word choice that is all the more impressive considering this is her debut. Like small anecdotes told by a poet. It all appears quite simple, but the way a single word or phrase can make a single story into something profound/hilarious//heartbreaking reveals the care Davis puts into her writing and the depths that the smallness of these stories hides.
The main highlight: the title story, which is now one of my all-time favorites. I've read it about four times now. Other highlights? I don't know. The whole book, basically. "Story," "In a House Besieged," the Auden piece. These are all stories I'll continue to think about and for a while. But I could say the same for many of the others.
So, basically, this feels like a collection I'll return to again and again, along with (presumably, hypothetically) the rest of The Collected Stories, which I'll get to in a bit. I'm very happy to have heeded the buzz.
nicoleipi's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. It's slice-of-life, (a bit dull, tbh, hence the 4 stars), the ideas aren't revolutionary, but her words have a nice rhythm and that's all I really wanted.
I'll remember a quirky line or two, the contents of the stories I'll probably forget. Reading this was similar to engaging in conversation with co-workers during downtime--nothing substantial comes out of the conversation. However, it's still satisfying and I leave work feeling content.
"One day she sees an apartment she is willing to take. It is not very pretty, but she is ready to take it because she wants to have a home again, she wants to be bound to this city by a lease, she doesn’t want to go on feeling the way she does, loose in the world, the only one without any place."
I'll remember a quirky line or two, the contents of the stories I'll probably forget. Reading this was similar to engaging in conversation with co-workers during downtime--nothing substantial comes out of the conversation. However, it's still satisfying and I leave work feeling content.
"One day she sees an apartment she is willing to take. It is not very pretty, but she is ready to take it because she wants to have a home again, she wants to be bound to this city by a lease, she doesn’t want to go on feeling the way she does, loose in the world, the only one without any place."
everydayfrog's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting so much. After all, it is Lydia Davis. Lydia Davis, I knew, was important, big, canonical.
But Break It Down was boring. Simple. Where's the catch? What emotion am I supposed to feel? Give me something!
Although, I must admit, these stories did light up something in me:
The House Plans
Sketches for a Life of Wassily
City Employment
What an Old Woman Will Wear
For these, I give 3 stars. For these, I will come back to you, Lydia Davis.
But Break It Down was boring. Simple. Where's the catch? What emotion am I supposed to feel? Give me something!
Although, I must admit, these stories did light up something in me:
The House Plans
Sketches for a Life of Wassily
City Employment
What an Old Woman Will Wear
For these, I give 3 stars. For these, I will come back to you, Lydia Davis.
nathansnook's review against another edition
3.0
Break It Down (1986) by Lydia Davis is a collection of whimsical and melancholy short stories surrounding different, faceless people suffering in the quirky depths of neuroticism. I read a review once that made the person check to see if Lydia was still alive. You worry for these characters and even a little bit for Lydia after reading these stories. Recommended.
kewlpinguino's review against another edition
4.0
Davis has a good voice. She can make anything seem simultaneously human/comforting and anxious/alarming. The ones that really got me on the first read were "The Fears of Mrs Orlando", "The House Plans", and "Two Sisters". A lot of them were just okay as far as entertainment value but were great as literary works. For instance, "French Lesson I" is fairly strange to read, but if you analyze it enough you can see that it's very well-executed. "Break It Down", the title story, was interesting but it almost seemed to be trying too hard. I'm also not sure how much Davis has affected the really bad, MFA workshop-style short story writers of today. I know that David Foster Wallace has complained about those types since around the time of the release of Break it Down.
So if you like crafty stories, try this one. If you're looking for an entertaining read, don't.
So if you like crafty stories, try this one. If you're looking for an entertaining read, don't.
vaticanscientist's review against another edition
2.0
I’d rate it lower if it wasn’t for the titular story. Sorry.
failedimitator's review against another edition
2.0
The title story is incredible. And there's another one about fish that I particularly like. But the rest mostly all blend into each other that I couldn't tell you which is which.
hannahgadbois's review against another edition
4.0
“I thought that since I was better, my therapy should end soon. I was impatient, and I wondered: How did therapy come to an end? I had other questions too: for instance, How much longer would I continue to need all my strength just to take myself from one day to the next? There was no answer to that one. There would be no end to therapy, either, or I would not be the one who chose to end it.”