In paperback at last: the exuberantly praised collection of short fiction -- welcomed on the cover of The New York Times Book Review -- that has fi...
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Dec 16, 2009
Oh man, I HATED this book. In this short story collection, Rick Moody artfully applies all of the worst elements of fiction to create saccharine, predictable stories about character that are flat and unsympathetic. I was thrilled when bad stuff happened to them. This is one book I didn't even bother to finish - I got through the 100+ story right in the middle and then threw the book across the room, resolving to flip this guy off if I ever meet him. I think Rick Moody has singlehandedly soured
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Dec 16, 2009
Justin
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I haven't always been a big a fan of short story collections.
My main criticisms is that it's hard to form a coherence among the pieces. A short story is something that needs to be able to exist outside of a collection.
When you gather a group of them together in a single book, it's like that first day of kindergarten class: some are going to mesh, some are going to clash and a scarce percentage are going to grow up to realize that they were conceived in the wrong time More...
My main criticisms is that it's hard to form a coherence among the pieces. A short story is something that needs to be able to exist outside of a collection.
When you gather a group of them together in a single book, it's like that first day of kindergarten class: some are going to mesh, some are going to clash and a scarce percentage are going to grow up to realize that they were conceived in the wrong time More...
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Apr 25, 2008
Christy
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Finally finished this book and all I can say is it certainly brought out the demon in me, because I strongly disliked it.
While some of the short stories were interesting, many of them were so jumbled and inconsistent that I was unable to make heads of tails of their purpose.
Some of the ways in which the stories were written were interesting; for instance one story was written as a track list of songs through years and each list had a column to the left explaining why certain s More...
While some of the short stories were interesting, many of them were so jumbled and inconsistent that I was unable to make heads of tails of their purpose.
Some of the ways in which the stories were written were interesting; for instance one story was written as a track list of songs through years and each list had a column to the left explaining why certain s More...
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Jan 31, 2012
Jacob
rated it:
Fucking terrible. And I thought Chuck Palahniuk was a bad writer. Sorry, dude.
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Nov 09, 2011
Melissa
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In Demonology, Rick Moody has compiled a book of unrelated stories, unlike anything I have ever read. Unfortunately, Moody’s wide range of style, mood, and topic give readers the impression that the pieces in this book were just randomly pasted together. There seems to be no invisible thread binding these short works together, making it extremely difficult to read one after another. Despite the lack of unity, readers cannot deny Moody’s mastery of language and his ability to keep readers guess
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Sep 17, 2010
Chantal
rated it: 
I can’t remember which literary publication called, last spring, for submissions for their upcoming list-themed issue. The editors were inviting lists of all sorts, anything from grocery lists to bucket lists that might be entertaining to read, claiming that we all love a good list. Lists as literature; surely, Rick Moody is at the foundation of this. Approximately one third of his almost three hundred page collection, Demonology, is a list of some sort or other.
I scribbled More...
I scribbled More...
Nov 23, 2009
Kendall
rated it:
Rick Moody is an excellent writer. No doubt about that. I liked Garden State- The Ice Storm- and Purple America even though they were all gloomy. Which brings me to an important point about Rick Moody's writing: don't read it if you�re the slightest bit depressed because you'll be suicidal by the time you're finished. That's one of the problems I had with Demonology. I'd just lost my job- my grandmother died recently- my estranged father had a stroke and major heart surgery over the last fe
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Dec 02, 2010
Charlotte
rated it: 
Enjoyed most of the short stories in this book. I did a class report on "Boys", and actually got Rick Moody to comment on the story:
Hey Charlotte,
Thanks for your note, and for reading "Boys."
The story came in this way: at the time of its composition there was a vogue in writing circles for "short short" stories. That is, stories under 1500 words or so. I had not written a piece this short before, really, but I was eager to try. I was at More...
Hey Charlotte,
Thanks for your note, and for reading "Boys."
The story came in this way: at the time of its composition there was a vogue in writing circles for "short short" stories. That is, stories under 1500 words or so. I had not written a piece this short before, really, but I was eager to try. I was at More...
Apr 17, 2009
Heather
rated it:
What can I say except that I am unashamedly in love with the work of Rick Moody? He rocks the short story like few others. This book was a feast for those who enjoy his detailed observations, fabulous ear for dialogue, dazzling use of language (word-smitten he is, I am), and well placed humor that touches the funny bone with a cattle prod, the sort of of humor that has you laughing even as you're about to go to a funeral--unsure how you can laugh and cry at the same time, with such intensity i
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Jan 16, 2012
John
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Once again Rick Moody demonstrates that he is one of our finest writers in this fine collection of short stories. He is now one of our most astute observers of suburban life in the northeastern United States, crafting richly textured vignettes on despair with his sparse, lyrical prose. Not every story in this collection succeeds, but most show Moody at the top of his form. Indeed, the title story of this collection is one of the most amazing, emotionally gripping tales I have read on how a dysfu
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Apr 05, 2011
Brad
rated it:
A Pack of Smarties for the Salinger
Moody, Rick. Demonology. Back Bay Books, Boston: 2001.
“The Chicken Mask was sorrowful, Sis,” (3). This first line, the first sentence for “The Mansion on the Hill” the first story from Rick Moody’s short fiction collection Demonology, creates a tone that the rest of the book follows: madcap mourning. It’s the class clown, who, even after the death of a parent, still cracks a few jokes in the middle of a lecture.
Every story, ranging fro More...
Moody, Rick. Demonology. Back Bay Books, Boston: 2001.
“The Chicken Mask was sorrowful, Sis,” (3). This first line, the first sentence for “The Mansion on the Hill” the first story from Rick Moody’s short fiction collection Demonology, creates a tone that the rest of the book follows: madcap mourning. It’s the class clown, who, even after the death of a parent, still cracks a few jokes in the middle of a lecture.
Every story, ranging fro More...
Apr 24, 2008
Steven
rated it:
His use of italics gets really annoying after awhile. In an interview he said it was one of the hallmarks of his style, although he didn’t say why he did it. It must mean something to him, but I have to say that most of the time (the only exception being when he uses it to indicate dialogue) I don't see what that emphasis accomplishes for him, especially when he overuses it so much. Not sure, but—with the possible exception of the novellas—I don't think there's a single story in this collection
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Jun 04, 2008
Rachel
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I feel I was meant to read this book because of two coincidences: One, I had just finished Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and had no idea about the connection between the two authors when I began the book. (Eggers is even thanked by Moody at the end of the book.) Two, I was eating a bowl of lentil soup when I read the sentence in "The Carnival Tradition" about the girl buying lentil soup. I don't take these things lightly.
I checked out this book beca More...
I checked out this book beca More...
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Oct 10, 2011
Samantha
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I met him and he performed "The Boys" from this book. I happen to love him, and I understand why most struggle with some things because he seems to be very experimental in his stories. Although I deeply respect him. He has a dark and delightful quality, and one can't help but feel infected by his delightful self-pity. He's a funny guy, I still need to read his novels, but I had to read this collection after hearing him read that story.
Dec 17, 2009
Evan
rated it:
after having read The Ice Storm and Garden State many moons ago (the late 90s), I had lost track of Rick Moody. Not that he went anywhere. I even have a copy of Purple America that I have never read. But I just never found myself drawn back to him. Recently I had to read Demonology for a class and also had the chance to meet Moody at a reading. I have fallen into his post-Ice Storm work with much enthusiasm. It doesn't always work ("Hawaiian Night" is conceptually interesting but almos
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Jul 18, 2010
Robert
rated it:
I hate the people who gave this book a bad review. You are philistines. Rick Moody is wonderful and the title story of this collection physically gives me chills. It's beautiful when Moody ends that one story with the endless chain of corporate restaurant names and also in the bookseller one it's great when the guy calls his fake long-lost love a condition of the universe.
Jul 31, 2008
MissFidget
rated it:
Ehhh, not so hot.
Someone send this dude a card that says "congrats-you are now one of the rich and established people you idolized from afar as a kid."
New England settings and voice left me flat. I repeatedly thought "Who gives a shit?" and "Don't I have something better to do?" Only good story was the one about the dude who worked in the Catering Hall/Wedding Factory. Most of the stories had obtuse open endings that felt like smarmy cop-outs. More...
Someone send this dude a card that says "congrats-you are now one of the rich and established people you idolized from afar as a kid."
New England settings and voice left me flat. I repeatedly thought "Who gives a shit?" and "Don't I have something better to do?" Only good story was the one about the dude who worked in the Catering Hall/Wedding Factory. Most of the stories had obtuse open endings that felt like smarmy cop-outs. More...
May 29, 2011
Laura
rated it:
The collection was a bit uneven - a few of the stories (like "Surplus Value Books: Catalogue Number 13" and "Wilkie Fahnstock, The Boxed Set") were almost unreadable, while some other stories (like "Boys", "Demonology", "Mansion on the Hill", and "Forecast from the Retail Desk") are among the most beautiful stories I've read in my life. Definitely a must-read.
*The 5 stars is because I can forgive the misses based on the brilli
*The 5 stars is because I can forgive the misses based on the brilli
Jul 07, 2007
Lee
rated it:
The title story I think is top-dog awesome. I saw him read it and everyone was crying and he ran off afterwards crying - he'd never read it in public because it's about his sister's death. I taught this story and it went over well -- like that Lorrie Moore story with the baby with cancer ("People Like That Are the Only People Here"), this is one of those stories that states, while proceeding in totally conventional fictional form, that this shit ain't close to fiction and it's only pre
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Aug 28, 2009
Jeremy
rated it:
An abuse of Elkin's influence.
Certainly not the worst book on earth, but irritating to me personally because of Moody's obvious intention to adopt a flowing, stacking, over-worded style like Elkin's. He doesn't fail, but his success is a bit gruesome.
Certainly not the worst book on earth, but irritating to me personally because of Moody's obvious intention to adopt a flowing, stacking, over-worded style like Elkin's. He doesn't fail, but his success is a bit gruesome.
Nov 13, 2011
Beth
rated it:
I was really excited to read this book after reading its reviews, but I couldnt finish it. Maybe I just dont like short stories, I'm not sure, but the stories seemed to build and build and then just end. I guess I just enjoy long, twisting novels.
Apr 09, 2009
Mike
rated it:
Damn the tyranny of the GoodReads star system. As if the most appropriate response to literature is to become little Eberts?
I liked most of the stories here. A few of them made me all tingly in my nether regions. A couple were lame. Such is life.
I liked most of the stories here. A few of them made me all tingly in my nether regions. A couple were lame. Such is life.
Aug 25, 2008
Eric
rated it:
I'm not usually a fan of fiction, but a lot of these stories read more like extended poems than a typical narrative, so the usual tediousness of reading a whole novel is avoided. Some of the stories are a bit drawn out/monotonous, especially when Moody starts page-long lists (one story is simply a list of mix tapes made at different points of a character's life), but the last one, "Demonology," from which the compilation gets its name, is probably my favorite short story ever. The inte
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Nov 29, 2010
Jason
rated it:
An amazing collection of stories. The title tale alone, about this death of his sister, is probably worth the price of admission all by itself. Another standout is "Boys," which reminds me so much of my brother and I as we were growing up.
Jul 08, 2010
William
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I enjoyed most of the stories in the book, but after a while, I started to feel overburdened by the characters. They seemed too self absorbed and though I tried, I couldn't muster up much sympathy. I was expecting more.
Jan 03, 2010
Yn
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Not the most upbeat stories, but the writing is beautiful. I was pleasently surprised to find the story boys in the book. B.D. Wong did a wonderful reading of that story on selected shorts.
Nov 09, 2010
David
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I like these stories. Fairly complex, though straightforward. Psychological. Moody can be funny at times and breathtakingly emotional at others. At no time, however, does he lose sight of the story.
Sep 10, 2010
Ron
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Almost got 5 stars. Intense, affecting stories; I'd call them the bastard children of John Barth and David Foster Wallace. A couple made me nearly weep and a couple others had me laughing out loud. Recommended.
Sep 27, 2010
Chip
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This is my second book by the author; I'm glad I had a chance to read it. I'm staggered by the wide scope of writing styles the author demonstrates. I find myself wondering about the volume of material that went into the dustbin while this collection was sorting itself out. Some of the style experiments work; others not so much. The title story of the book was good, but I liked "The Carnival Tradition" much better.
"Demonology" is a great book for a student o More...
"Demonology" is a great book for a student o More...
May 24, 2009
Bean
rated it:
Upon completing The Mansion on the Hill, the first of the short stories contained in the pages of Demonology, I found myself completely hooked. Moody's stories depict normal people living through depression, trauma, and even temporary insanity. The characters are messed up in the way Palahniuk's, Dunn's, and Hempel's characters are messed up. These are normal people in strange circumstances, just doing the best they can.
It's kind of touching, darkly funny, but mostly I'm engaged b More...
It's kind of touching, darkly funny, but mostly I'm engaged b More...
