Misanthropic Alice is a budding eco-terrorist; Corvus has dedicated herself to mourning; Annabel is desperate to pursue an ordinary American life o...
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reviews
Feb 07, 2012
Mariel
rated it: 
I liked The Quick and the Dead a whole lot. I like it for the things that are hard to describe why I liked it a lot. Like, all of the characters, every single last one of them, speak as if they are in a novel where everyone speaks like they are in a novel. This could have irritated the fuck out of me. I hate it when authors use their characters to tell people about all of the stuff they wanted to say and never found one big place to do it all before. I really hate, pretty much more than anything
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5 comments
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(24 people liked it)
Jul 04, 2008
Amy
rated it:
The Quick and the Dead is a story of modern America and all its neuroses. There are a lot of characters in the story, and story lines that sometimes interact, but other times remain fairly isolated. Of the characters, the three teenage girls, Alice, Annabel, and Corvus are fairly memorable. Alice's environmental, vegetarian self-righteousness; Annabel's upper-class materialism and propriety, and Corvus' emptiness. From these characters, we are linked to Carter, Annabel's dad whose dead wife appe
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Jan 23, 2008
Adam
rated it: 
I discovered Williams from an intro she did for Jane Bowles, so this may color my review slightly. But Williams is the heir apparent to the twisted comic crown once (briefly) worn by Bowles (who someone once called “the Buxter Poindexter of prose”). But like Bowles she is sui generis, but they definitely travel in the same park. Insane characters revealing themselves with deadpan confessions delivered in stylized dialogue is the main show here. The elliptical “plot” or “structure” is as open end
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2 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 09, 2007
Edan
rated it:
The Quick and the Dead is easily one of the oddest books I've ever read, and one of the most inspiring: oh the glorious things language can do! This novel is fairly short, but it took me weeks to get through it as there's not much narrative drive to speak of. Once I understood this, I simply reveled in Williams' stunning imagination and her comic lovely prose. 3 teenaged girls, a bitch of a ghost, and the cruel, apathetic desert. Fuck, this is awesome.
"A truck tore by on the road More...
"A truck tore by on the road More...
6 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 16, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Well, I enjoyed this one. Williams has a wonderful cast of quirky characters, and the story certainly lives up to its title: the meandering narrative is more an exploration of living and dying than it is a proper plot.
WIlliams does all sorts of things that might piss off a more traditionally-minded reader. She doesn't pay much attention to character motivation (I can't figure out what Alice, the main protagonist, really wants); her pov bounces around between omniscient and third More...
WIlliams does all sorts of things that might piss off a more traditionally-minded reader. She doesn't pay much attention to character motivation (I can't figure out what Alice, the main protagonist, really wants); her pov bounces around between omniscient and third More...
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 15, 2009
helen
rated it:
in an interview with bob dylan on his songwriting process, i remember reading that for him, songwriting was about taking a story and "turning it on its head." i think that phrase aptly describes williams's writing as well. she has a knack for taking an ordinary phrase, turning it on its head, and crafting a truly beautiful sentence. i agree with the goodreads review where it says that her characters don't speak ordinary dialogue, but instead talk like prophets. and especially the retir
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(2 people liked it)
May 18, 2009
Tim
rated it:
Joy Williams’ The Quick and the Dead is unlike any novel I’ve read. What separates this book from a lot of writing is the ever shifting point of view, and the how characters enter and leave the narrative in ways that do not conform to any of the advice from the dozens of books on fiction writing.
If I had to pare down the prose for a blurb or a quick summary, I’d say this novel is about the boundaries between living and dying. The characters seem caught in a state where they are nei More...
If I had to pare down the prose for a blurb or a quick summary, I’d say this novel is about the boundaries between living and dying. The characters seem caught in a state where they are nei More...
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(1 person liked it)
May 16, 2011
Ryan
rated it: 
I hate giving up on books. I will usually trudge through one until the end, even if I'm not particularly enjoying it. But I couldn't make it with this one. Hence the one star. It's too bad because I actually think that the author is extremely talented. There were some passages or paragraphs that I reread a couple times because I thought they were brilliant. But there was no story. I made it about half way through the novel, and I had no idea why I was reading about these people. I felt like I wa
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 15, 2008
Jason
rated it:
This is the second book I've read on tao lin's recommendation (not personal, he just mentioned it in his blog), the first being Anagrams. Funnily enough, I've never read any of his books...
Anyhoo, both recommendations were excellent. I was in and out of this one, however. The main character, Alice, I adored, and the long introductory description of the big game hunter was excellent. But some characters were a bit over the top and simply too obvious, such as Ray with the monkey in his More...
Anyhoo, both recommendations were excellent. I was in and out of this one, however. The main character, Alice, I adored, and the long introductory description of the big game hunter was excellent. But some characters were a bit over the top and simply too obvious, such as Ray with the monkey in his More...
Nov 12, 2011
Carly
rated it:
This book is fun to read and surreal, the beauty is in the bizarreness of the situations in which the characters find themselves. Her style reminds me of Fanzen's, only hers is better, much better, which makes me wonder why I have never heard of her before.
IT could never be because she is a woman, could it?
But the book is hollow, there is nothing deep to attach to so I am left feeling like I am reading character sketches and fun scenarios.
IT could never be because she is a woman, could it?
But the book is hollow, there is nothing deep to attach to so I am left feeling like I am reading character sketches and fun scenarios.
Apr 04, 2010
Though this book was hilarious and very quirky, it was sometimes a little too strange with me, especially the story following Ray and his monkey. The character of Alice very much reminded me of the one in Alice, I think, Susan Juby's just as strange teenage series about a very "different" girl. The quality comparison doesn't exist, of course; this was an extremely well written book.
Dec 27, 2009
Carrie
rated it: 
death drone. desert hum. prose like a georgia o'keefe. beautiful. so beautiful. full of animal skulls, cacti, vaginas. it'll send you home with black eyes and you'll be sure you deserved them. you human you.
i'm usually a reader who says, who needs water when there's prose? but the plot's rough. character's pop in and out like deer along a highway at night. it's fine, but it's jarring, and it doesn't give you much time to care properly about what happens to them.
i'm usually a reader who says, who needs water when there's prose? but the plot's rough. character's pop in and out like deer along a highway at night. it's fine, but it's jarring, and it doesn't give you much time to care properly about what happens to them.
Sep 17, 2010
Carly
rated it:
Well, everyone in this book is crazy...some of them are alive, some dead, some barely conscious...but all freaking crazy.
You know how when you read Catch 22, and you think, everyone's crazy to show the craziness of war? Well, it's kinda that way here...but there is no war. Some sort of attack on society, perhaps?
In any event, there is some very funny stuff, very horrific stuff, very confusing stuff--but a fun overall book. :)
You know how when you read Catch 22, and you think, everyone's crazy to show the craziness of war? Well, it's kinda that way here...but there is no war. Some sort of attack on society, perhaps?
In any event, there is some very funny stuff, very horrific stuff, very confusing stuff--but a fun overall book. :)
May 11, 2010
This is the second time I have tried to read this book, given to me by a friend whose literary opinion I deeply respect. but man, i just couldn't do it. ended up skimming the last half. Williams is a good writer, technically. But the characters were all so unhappy or indifferent or simply unpleasant-- I had an instinctive repulsion for the book.
Apr 11, 2011
Ke
rated it:
There is more food in this book than a culinary magazine. They would make nice short stories, but I don't see it flowing into a novel narrative.
She doesn't seem to know anything about other places outside the US even if she tries to address them. She tells more than she shows. I don't know how this was a finalist for a Pulitzer.
She doesn't seem to know anything about other places outside the US even if she tries to address them. She tells more than she shows. I don't know how this was a finalist for a Pulitzer.
Jan 10, 2011
Book
rated it:
You start out reading The Quick and The Dead thinking, "I liked Edward Abbey. I Will enjoy this novel about eco-terrorism and southwestern misfits as well. Laadedaa." Then you come across passages of prose so beautiful you feel like you are the proverbial car dealership being blown up by a disenchanted tween.
-Leona, The Bookcellar-
-Leona, The Bookcellar-
Feb 15, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Very strange and wonderful book wherein Joy Williams pretty much jettisons narrative conventions, though not in a willful or systematic way. Seemingly major characters are introduced and forgotten, other major characters appear towards the end, but through all of it the voice of this strange, misanthropic teenaged girl.
Jun 14, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
I loved this book until the last 20 pages, and then something happened. It went from being funny-absurd to incredibly depressing. I had to force myself to finish it. I'll read more by Williams because her writing is phenomenal, but I may stick with her short fiction so I can get her in smaller, less wrist-slitting doses.
Jun 09, 2011
Joanna
rated it:
This book is perhaps the best example I've encountered of New American Weird. The lack of reliance on narrative motion and drive, the variously haunted characters, the shifting points of view - all of these elements combine for a powerhouse of eerie and deeply memorable story telling.
Aug 14, 2010
Andrea
rated it:
Well Joy Williams sure writes beautiful sentences. I don't know what I thought of this book ultimately because I'm not sure I understood what happened (probably the wrong question) but the language and the characters stay with me. I like how Williams is angry and funny but not whimsical.
Mar 25, 2010
Philip
rated it:
If books got standing ovations, I'd reserve it for works like this one.
Splendidly written, funny without undermining its seriousness & quirky in a way that never feels forced or divorced from real life. Where the first book I read by Joy Williams, Breaking & Entering left me rather cold overall, this was wholly engrossing.
Bravo! Doff of the cap, etc.
Splendidly written, funny without undermining its seriousness & quirky in a way that never feels forced or divorced from real life. Where the first book I read by Joy Williams, Breaking & Entering left me rather cold overall, this was wholly engrossing.
Bravo! Doff of the cap, etc.
Jun 13, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Another impressive Joy Williams piece of fiction. The philosophical insight and character interaction is thought provoking and endearing while simultaneously being hysterical and ironic. It's important not to put the common story restraints on such an uncommon author. Genius is unrefined, just check out Eistein's hairdo.
Jul 24, 2011
Olivier
rated it: 
A very strange book, both fascinating and boring at times. I am not a big fan of automatic (or creative) writing, and some of those passages are clearly falling in that category. The thread of the book is nonetheless very good, with surreal tones.
Aug 12, 2011
Billymojo
rated it:
Five star writing, one star story. Great set up, quirky characters but soon falls totally flat. No narritive to speak of. Forced my way to the finish. I'm reminded of the line from "This is Spinal Tap": "It's a fine line between clever and stupid."
Oct 03, 2009
Dylan
rated it:
This book had a strange mix of characters and settings, with poetic speculations on life and death. The way the characters think and express themselves is always surprising, different, and hilarious.
Jan 10, 2009
Eric
rated it:
The story was OK, but the book did not express any ideas. For me, it was hollow bits of narrative. Also, the humor, language, and tone remind me of most young adult fiction--like "Maniac McGee" or that variety.
Mar 03, 2011
RUSA
rated it:
This was one of the 2001 RUSA Notable Books winners. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/a...
May 13, 2009
Mackie
rated it:
Really amazing and quite different than anything I've read before. Would not recommend it if you are looking for anything upbeat or with a positive message. However, it does have some hilarious scenes, but is definitely sad at the same time.
Oct 05, 2009
Eric
rated it:
One of the cleverest books I've read in quite a while. It also manages to be bubbly and giddy and morbidly dark at the same time. Liked it a lot.
Dec 01, 2008
Patrick
rated it:
I love her writing but I feel a little distant from the characters. To the point I couldn't care less what happens to them.
