Things You Should Know
by A.M. Homes
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 257)
Read in November, 2007
At some points this excellent collection teeters unevenly, but when Homes is good she's amazing, and the best of these stories makes the price of admission worth it. If you've not read her work, Homes is known for her terse and funny prose and her satirical bent (her most famous story, "A Real Doll," from the collection <i>The Safety of Objects,<i> is about a teenaged boy who date-rapes a Barbie doll). Her adults invariably behave and speak like children, and in this flatte...more
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Read in August, 2006
I should preface this by saying I can't not like anything A.M. Homes writes. I will list all of her books here eventually.
This wasn't my favorite of hers, but I still read it in its entirety in 4 hours. Her characters, no matter how distanced from reality or reason, still draw me in. I think I relate to her books and characters so well is that I feel like I'm actually reading an account of me, you, your neighbor, anyone.
We're all fucked up & she just makes it a little more easy to ...more
This wasn't my favorite of hers, but I still read it in its entirety in 4 hours. Her characters, no matter how distanced from reality or reason, still draw me in. I think I relate to her books and characters so well is that I feel like I'm actually reading an account of me, you, your neighbor, anyone.
We're all fucked up & she just makes it a little more easy to ...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who feels like they are alone.
One of my favorite authors, this is a collection of short stories that really explores situations that might seem abnormal. It really goes deep into the dark side of the domestic life which friends an neighbors wouldn't notice on first or second glance. I think this is a great book to read for anyone who feels abnormal themselves or feel like they are experiencing something that no one else has. It opens your eyes to things unseen. Makes sense to me...
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I am a fan of the short-story, in general. Homes pushes limits and takes unpredicted turns, as usual. She is amazingly creative and creepy in a "real" way. She doesn't have to create monsters because there are so many in human form. I think that what she toys with is that we all are monsters in our own way. She finds this human-monster is the common or uncommon things that people try to hide.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2008
I wonder if any of you has heard of this book, or even the author? This book flew in under the radar and I'm glad that I picked it up. Lucky actually, because I choose it randomly at Myopic Books. Eventhough I've had little experiance reading short stories, I can say in confidence that this book deserved a little more praise than it got.
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Read in February, 2002
This is Homes at her warped best. She really impressed me with this collection, especially with the brilliant short story "Do Not Disturb" which later was included in the O'Henry Awards anthology. Homes has a vibrant imagination and her subjects and characters always shine on the page.
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Read in August, 2008
A very strong collection, full of alienated voices that ring very American and very true. The standout for me was definitely the closing piece, an account of Nancy Reagan's life with RR after his decline into the hazy shroud of Alheimer's. Funny, unexpected, and tragic.
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I bought this because of her story in The Better of McSweeney's, which was amazing. There were maybe one or two other stories that were alright...The rest might be okay for mindless reading in the bathtub. Probably not worth purchasing unless you get it used.
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yes, she is morbid. yes, this is depressing. but she is a fantastic writer who crafts characters with such edge and pain. and she does it without even pretending to have endured such pain herself (see James Frey and/or JT Leroy).
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Read in September, 2005
Another A.M. Homes success. This collection is a bit darker than Safety of Objects, a bit less funny and a tad more serious in its revealing of human nature's hidden quirks. I liked it nonetheless.
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totally, absolutely wonderful. i can't think of many times when a book has actually brought me to tears, but this one did. and it made me laugh out loud too. this is a good thing.
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I didn't know that this is what I thought about alienation in our culture until I read this.
It's like Homes translated Edvard Munch's "The Scream" into a novel.
It's like Homes translated Edvard Munch's "The Scream" into a novel.
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3 comments
Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
no one!
I haven't finished this but...currently sucks and there's nothing you need to know in this. I might actually opt out of reading since it's stories...ugh...the pain.
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
sam
This book is soooo morbid. But there is one good morbid story, the last one, about Nancy Reagan and how she is dealing with her husband losing his mind to dementia.
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Definitely NOT my favorite Homes read. Honestly I barely remember these stories. For the best of A.M. Homes please see "the safety of objects."
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Read in August, 2007
A.M. Homes is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her collection of short stories is excellent!
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Read in April, 2006
I read "Georgica" from this short story collection when I was desperate to become pregnant and felt oddly comforted.
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Read in May, 2003
This one might not have lived up to expecattion, given what I heard about it. Might have to re-read to verify...
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Read in January, 2007
Yikes! Does EVERY story in a collection have to freak the hell out of the reader? A.M. Homes thinks so.
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she makes me want all of her stories to continue on for volumes and volumes...really incredible.
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