Peering into the often unnoticed corners of life, Kevin Brockmeier has been consistently praised for the originality of his vision, t...
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Oct 05, 2008
Carolee
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As often happens, I began this book completely enchanted. Brockmeier's The Brief History of the Dead was one of my three books of the year, last year, and I figured this collection of short stories would please me similarly.
The first and title story, about a housecleaner named Olivia, is written in a style that I cannot really describe but absolutely love--where every word comes to you gently, rhythmically, in an almost fairy-tale way. It's almost as though the writer is deliberately More...
The first and title story, about a housecleaner named Olivia, is written in a style that I cannot really describe but absolutely love--where every word comes to you gently, rhythmically, in an almost fairy-tale way. It's almost as though the writer is deliberately More...
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Apr 20, 2008
Trish
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There's something magical in each of these stories. Definitely the best thing I've read since Joe Hill.
"If only she had known when she was growing up how hard the rest of her life was going to be, how diminished, she would have been so much more joyful, so much more daring. She would have done all the things she had failed to do."
"She had the same responsibility as everybody else did: to live as softly as she could in the world."
Warning: Si More...
"If only she had known when she was growing up how hard the rest of her life was going to be, how diminished, she would have been so much more joyful, so much more daring. She would have done all the things she had failed to do."
"She had the same responsibility as everybody else did: to live as softly as she could in the world."
Warning: Si More...
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Apr 18, 2010
Kate
rated it: 
I really enjoy Kevin Brockmeier's writing. He depicts sensory elements incredibly well, and the conceits for his more imaginative stories don't come off precious, as you'd expect.
But I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this as much as I did Things that Fall from the Sky. A couple of the stories in that collection knocked me over a bit, whereas none of the Seventh Layer stories really did. But "The Lady with the Pet Tribble" made me laugh, and "The Air Is Full of Little More...
But I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this as much as I did Things that Fall from the Sky. A couple of the stories in that collection knocked me over a bit, whereas none of the Seventh Layer stories really did. But "The Lady with the Pet Tribble" made me laugh, and "The Air Is Full of Little More...
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Dec 21, 2010
Jason
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This is not a perfect collection of stories. For instance, "The Air is Full of Little Holes," a story about the finding of "The Afghan Girl," reads like a story about a thing. Nothing feels much added. Likewise, "The Lady with the Pet Tribble," a rewriting of "The Lady with the Pet Dog," by Anton Chekov from the point of view of Captain Kirk is cute and amusing, but after ten pages of the twenty something page story, the novelty has worn off and you are re
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Dec 28, 2008
El
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The problem I have with good short stories is that I always walk away feeling like I've just found my new favorite author ever. Kevin Brockmeier's The View From the Seventh Layer is a collection of really good short stories.
I have only read Brockmeier's A Brief History of the Dead which I had also really liked, though I remember sort of waffling because I have this serious brain-block when it comes to new writers that is a throw-back to unresolved issues I have with Dave Eggers, but More...
I have only read Brockmeier's A Brief History of the Dead which I had also really liked, though I remember sort of waffling because I have this serious brain-block when it comes to new writers that is a throw-back to unresolved issues I have with Dave Eggers, but More...
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Dec 29, 2008
Trin
rated it:
Short stories. For the most part, amazing short stories. Brockmeier is an astounding writer; his prose is full of complex, gorgeous images, but with enough playfulness, too, to keep it from being unbearably pretentious. These are stories you can get lost in—literally: I don’t know how long I spent exploring the pathways of “The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device: A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story,” but it was a long time.
Some of it, however, I have to admit flew whoosh, right past More...
Some of it, however, I have to admit flew whoosh, right past More...
Jul 18, 2008
Darlene
rated it:
This is an amazing collection of short stories from Little Rock's own Kevin Brockmeier. These are stories that cause you to visit places in your inner thoughts that you might never have gone before. Unique and provoking with threads of loss and what ifs, I couldn't put it down and am planning on reading his two novels. One of our bookclub members thought that he may well be the "Virginia Wolf or Wm. Faulkner" of his generation!
Dec 06, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Kevin Brockmeier came to my school this past fall and did a reading (Which is where I got this book, and can I just brag for a minute? It's signed. Cue squeals from the lit nerd girl writing this review), and as such I heard the entire text narrated in his voice. Not that I minded. He's very soft-spoken, and that worked well with his writing style, I thought.
The interesting thing about his style is that even though every story is about something different, they all feel the same. His writin More...
The interesting thing about his style is that even though every story is about something different, they all feel the same. His writin More...
Dec 15, 2009
Peter
rated it:
It's hard for me not to love Kevin Brockmeier. I think he has one of the most human approaches to supernatural materials of anyone out there. Whether he's writing a ghost story, a sci-fi love story, or a fable, it's all ultimately about the complexities of the human heart. The highs were really high for me in this collection. There were a couple that didn't hit, but overall, the stories felt so different from what I usually read, it was hard not to be enticed and drawn in by them. A sexy ghost!
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Jan 16, 2009
Julia
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"And because they loved what they sang, no matter how painful or melancholy, a note of indomitable happiness ran through their voices like a fine silver thread (1)."
"There were times when the silence was close to perfect ... We came to know ourselves better than we had before, or if not better, then at least in greater stillness (69)."
"The city where no one looked anyone else in the eye produced its fair share of human happiness, but it was a cau More...
"There were times when the silence was close to perfect ... We came to know ourselves better than we had before, or if not better, then at least in greater stillness (69)."
"The city where no one looked anyone else in the eye produced its fair share of human happiness, but it was a cau More...
Mar 09, 2009
Ebony
rated it:
You know how you've always wished that someone would write a grown-up version of the choose your own adventure stories? Well, Kevin Brockmeier has gone ahead and done this for you and it appears mid-way through this collection. The story itself is pretty good, or at least quite fun to read (and re-read). The rest of the stories range from great to just okay. The book is certainly worth checking out, especially if you like his subject matter. There is no question that he is a talented writer. His
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Apr 11, 2010
Lauren
rated it:
An astoundingly diverse collection of stories but all with a gentle kindness behind them. Some are realistic looks at life—a man looks back at his relationship with a girl he loved, a man struggles with his dissertation and his inability to accept his coming, unplanned fatherhood; some touch on the supernatural or add Borgesian twists—A city is periodically struck by silence as if by lightening, a man buys God’s overcoat in a second-hand shop. Only his “do-it-yourself” story “The Human Soul as
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Aug 16, 2009
Peter
rated it:
This is a book for writers, with language so careful and beautiful it's as if the book was transcribed by monks — fitting given Brockmeier has an angel's powers of observation. As for the subject matter of the stories, well, think Chris Adrian having coffee with Kelly Link in Italo Calvino's cafe, and you'll have an idea. Just a few examples:
- A man finds God's overcoat and discovers people's prayers written on notes in the pockets.
- Strange silences descend upon a city, and th More...
- A man finds God's overcoat and discovers people's prayers written on notes in the pockets.
- Strange silences descend upon a city, and th More...
Nov 13, 2009
Wyndie
rated it:
It is nearly impossible for me to give a collection of short stories 5 stars. Out of the thirteen stories, I would give them a range of 3 to 5+ stars.
The first two stories "A Fable Ending in the Sound of Thousand Parakeets" and "The View from the Seventh Layer" were deliciously written. It was like being at a museum or art gallery where you are walking by each piece when suddenly something so inspiring forces you to sit down for a moment and soak it in. If craf More...
The first two stories "A Fable Ending in the Sound of Thousand Parakeets" and "The View from the Seventh Layer" were deliciously written. It was like being at a museum or art gallery where you are walking by each piece when suddenly something so inspiring forces you to sit down for a moment and soak it in. If craf More...
May 31, 2009
lnb
rated it:
75% of this book is kind of perfect, of course. the titular story was really hard for me to get through and don't really know why; maybe i'd like to think i am a reader undaunted by paragraphs that take up more than a whole page of text, but it bothered me. my favorite stories came all in a row, towards the very end of the book -- "home videos," "the air is full of little holes" and "andrea changes her name."
there isn't really that much else to say about More...
there isn't really that much else to say about More...
Jul 27, 2011
John
rated it:
When I began this book I thought that the author's blend of speculative fiction, fabulism and quasi-historical re-imagining was too derivitave of Steven Millhauser and Jim Shepard, respectively. The later stories in this collection are more original and strike harder at an authentic emotional core. His story which takes the form of an existential Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story is especially appealing as is his imagining of the story of the Afghani girl whose picture was on the cover of the Jun
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Mar 17, 2009
Therese
rated it:
The words he fits together, seriously, they're like magic. The strangest feelings a person can have, Brockmeier can find the right words for them. So if you're reading to enjoy perfect beauty in language, this is your book.
Also, his concepts are unique. No regular old, coming-to-terms-with-abusive-parents/cheating wife/middle-aged-angst here. This guy is using a chunk of his brain most of us just don't.
But...they just aren't very compelling plots. It's just, a bunch of lo More...
Also, his concepts are unique. No regular old, coming-to-terms-with-abusive-parents/cheating wife/middle-aged-angst here. This guy is using a chunk of his brain most of us just don't.
But...they just aren't very compelling plots. It's just, a bunch of lo More...
Jan 30, 2011
Kristen
rated it:
I wanted to give this 4 stars, but ultimately the collection was too uneven.
Loved (a lot):
- A Fable Ending in the Sound of a Thousand Parakeets
- The View from the Seventh Layer
- The Year of Silence
- Father John Melby and the Ghost of Amy Elizabeth
- The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device: A Choose-Your-Own Adventure Story
Didn't so much love:
Everything else
Brockmeier, at his best, writes stories that feel like mu More...
Loved (a lot):
- A Fable Ending in the Sound of a Thousand Parakeets
- The View from the Seventh Layer
- The Year of Silence
- Father John Melby and the Ghost of Amy Elizabeth
- The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device: A Choose-Your-Own Adventure Story
Didn't so much love:
Everything else
Brockmeier, at his best, writes stories that feel like mu More...
Jan 01, 2011
David
rated it:
I read Kevin Brockmeier's novel The Brief History of the Dead earlier and felt the whole time I was reading this "this is a short story writer doing a novel". He has two short story collections that are well regarded; I decided that The View from the Seventh Layer was an excellent place to start.
The collection for the most part is excellent. His writing and prose is delicate and precise at once. The collection opens and leads you in and announces that ideas are going to More...
The collection for the most part is excellent. His writing and prose is delicate and precise at once. The collection opens and leads you in and announces that ideas are going to More...
Sep 04, 2011
A disappointing short story collection from an otherwise remarkable writer.
There are a couple standout stories such as "The Year of Silence," a story I still think about and which you can also check out in The Best American Short Stories (the year edited by Salman Rushdie...whose authorial prowess has a weird celebrity cachet, don't you think? He made an appearance in that Scarry Jo music video of the Tom Waits cover. Rushdie whispers into Scarlet's ear. What could they possibly hav More...
There are a couple standout stories such as "The Year of Silence," a story I still think about and which you can also check out in The Best American Short Stories (the year edited by Salman Rushdie...whose authorial prowess has a weird celebrity cachet, don't you think? He made an appearance in that Scarry Jo music video of the Tom Waits cover. Rushdie whispers into Scarlet's ear. What could they possibly hav More...
May 18, 2008
Lawrence
rated it:
Quirky stories that often lie between the real and the fantastic, skillfully mixing both. Generally, the technique does not get the best of the story, allowing the pain and joy of human emotion through. But, while the story "The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Device" initially intrigues, it ultimately irritates because the story's technique dominates here. Yeah, we get it, short or long it all ends up the same in the end. But it's kind of uneventful getting there in this one. It's
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May 04, 2009
Ned
rated it:
A collection of short stories interspersed with short fables. I enjoyed some (including a lengthy existential Choose Your Own Adventure story) but others seemed a bit derivative (a Star Trek fanfic, a story based on America's Funniest Videos, another based on the Afghan National Geographic cover woman).
The two strongest stories ("The View from the Seventh Layer" and "The Lives of the Philosophers" are so good that they redeem the rest of the somewhat lackluster co
The two strongest stories ("The View from the Seventh Layer" and "The Lives of the Philosophers" are so good that they redeem the rest of the somewhat lackluster co
May 09, 2008
Rob
rated it:
I read Brockmeier's "breakout" book, Brief History of the Dead, which I really enjoyed, but found it kind of petered out at the end. The setup was original and the world well-conceived, but nothing seemed to really happen. This seems a theme with Brockmeier as Seventh Layer struggles with the same lack of conflict and tension. That being said, the man can flat out write prose. Often times, when writers try and "freestyle" in the same manner as written in these pages, what
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Jan 10, 2009
Jess
rated it:
I don't know why I took this out at the library because short stories and I just don't get along at all. Until I read this book. All I can say is, "Wow". Really amazing stories. He even wrote one in the form of those chose-your-own-adventure stories, which was a fun surprise. I can't believe I'm giving a book of short stories 5 stars, but I guess there's a first for everything.
Feb 28, 2011
Rae
rated it:
I read this book after loving "A Brief History of the Dead". This book is a collection of shorter stories, varying from great to mediocre. Brockmeier always impresses me with the imaginative bases for his books and stories. He manages to conjure ideas that are entertaining, interesting and beyond the realm of my day-to-day daydreams. Several of the stories in this collection stand out from the others.
Brockmeier is easy to read and easy to finish.
Brockmeier is easy to read and easy to finish.
Feb 27, 2009
Heather
rated it:
Most of the time, my feelings about short stories mirror other people's feelings about poetry. I don't get it as a form and I don't care if I ever do. This book, though, was sad and wonderful. Somehow even the gimmick of a choose your own adventure story read with a beautiful melancholy rather than seeming like some cheap workshop deadline trick. Please do read this book.
Sep 11, 2008
Novac
rated it:
This is an interesting collection of short stories, most of which have a somber tone. Many revolve around characters who are morning in their own way about missed opportunities. Though most of the stories carry this common theme, the characters and settings are completely different between stories. For instance, there is a Star Trek-esque fan fiction, a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story, a fable about a mute man who lived in a world where everyone else sang melodiously, and a story about a man who
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Nov 12, 2008
Sarah
rated it: 
A friend described Kevin Brockmeier as an author who has his characters make love, rather than fuck or even have sex. She is correct. I would like to like him more than I do. His conceits are interesting and the title story of this book has a lot of symbolic weight carefully constructed behind believable--if mortally fey--characters, but this is the third of his books I have read and he strikes me as an author who gets right up to the line, but can't make himself slip over it, even for a second.
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Feb 01, 2012
Jadepen
rated it: 
While Kevin Brockmeier is, in terms of mechanics and style, an extremely good writer... that same style and choice of approach just doesn't do it for me. In particular, I felt cheated by his 'choose your own adventure' story, which soured my impression of the book as a whole.
May 18, 2010
Dave
rated it:
I had high hopes after I read "Brief History of the Dead" by Brockmeier. This was a disaster in my estimation. I found none of the stories compelling, or even readable for that matter. I put it down halfway through and I doubt I will ever bring myself to finish it.
