Mercy, this was good. There is a great harmony here between form and content; each is simple and straightforward, but simple certainly doesn't mean shMercy, this was good. There is a great harmony here between form and content; each is simple and straightforward, but simple certainly doesn't mean shallow. It's amazing how engaging this is given how little plot there is.
I just couldn't get into all the horsey stuff and cowboy drama in 'All the Pretty Horses.' Less plot, more existential ire, please. (Maybe 'No Country for Old Men' should be next.)...more
Some of these short stories--"Openness," "Excerpts from the New World Authorized Dictionary," and the story after which the book is named--resonate deSome of these short stories--"Openness," "Excerpts from the New World Authorized Dictionary," and the story after which the book is named--resonate deeply in their imagined futures and commentary. Others seemed to fall flat, like there was a good idea that was only half-developed. I kept comparing this to "Tenth of December" and noted that Saunders's characters are so much more richly imagined and interesting; in Weinstein's stories, there seems to be one generic male narrator who's explaining the weirdnesses of the future. I enjoyed these stories but don't know how many of them will stick with me. ...more
I usually stay away from NYT bestseller lists, and this book is why. The hype just didn't pay off. Mandel introduced so many characters and plot linesI usually stay away from NYT bestseller lists, and this book is why. The hype just didn't pay off. Mandel introduced so many characters and plot lines without drawing them together in a cohesive way. The world after the flu pandemic seems like the world before the pandemic, but with far fewer people. The imaginative possibilities of life without any infrastructure were left unexplored. I wanted to be hooked but never was. The writing itself was decent....more
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