The music of the Smiths and their iconic frontman Morrissey is beautiful, witty, melancholic--music that makes outsiders feel as though they are... read full description
reviews
Apr 09, 2010
Christina
rated it: 
I was excited to win this book from Goodreads; I love the Smiths, and I've enjoyed selections from the stories-inspired-by-music genre in the past (for a good example of this type of thing, check out The Last Rock Star Book: Or Liz Phair, a Rant). When I started to dig into the stories therein, however, I was extremely disappointed.
I dragged myself through the first 100 pages, but I couldn't get past that point. The stories (and the writing overall) were just dreadful, as though More...
I dragged myself through the first 100 pages, but I couldn't get past that point. The stories (and the writing overall) were just dreadful, as though More...
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Jun 20, 2011
DeEtte
rated it: 
Maybe closer to 2.5 stars...difficult to review.
Warning, I am going to make myself sound even more like a spazzy nerd than people already think I am, but there's no other way to describe how I felt about this book. I love music. And I don't mean I enjoy listening and humming along to background noise. I mean, I LOVE MUSIC! I was raised on The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel and my life has been one long musical journey that will never end. I absolutely love the way music can trans More...
Warning, I am going to make myself sound even more like a spazzy nerd than people already think I am, but there's no other way to describe how I felt about this book. I love music. And I don't mean I enjoy listening and humming along to background noise. I mean, I LOVE MUSIC! I was raised on The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel and my life has been one long musical journey that will never end. I absolutely love the way music can trans More...
May 17, 2010
Hollowspine
rated it: 
This was a very interesting anthology and although I wouldn't consider myself a huge Smiths fan I did feel like the writers in the anthology were well chosen. Most of the stories really captured the Smiths sound in the writing, some with greater effect than others.
My favorites would have to be, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," by Kate Pullinger and "Cemetery Gates," by Mil Millington.
I particularly enjoyed some of the 'lighter' works, because in t More...
My favorites would have to be, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," by Kate Pullinger and "Cemetery Gates," by Mil Millington.
I particularly enjoyed some of the 'lighter' works, because in t More...
Feb 16, 2010
Lori
rated it:
ARC copy
Peter Wild, an editor and journalist, worked with multiple authors to create Please - a collection of short stories that were inspired by the songs of The Smiths, which releases in March.
Being too young to appreciate The Smiths when they broke into the music scene in the early 80's, and subsequently disbanded in the late 80's, I was a late Morrissey bloomer. I clearly remember walking into our local Gallery of Sound music store, and browsing the racks of c More...
Peter Wild, an editor and journalist, worked with multiple authors to create Please - a collection of short stories that were inspired by the songs of The Smiths, which releases in March.
Being too young to appreciate The Smiths when they broke into the music scene in the early 80's, and subsequently disbanded in the late 80's, I was a late Morrissey bloomer. I clearly remember walking into our local Gallery of Sound music store, and browsing the racks of c More...
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Apr 06, 2011
Catherine
rated it:
One word for this:
Brilliant.
Why then, you might ask, did I only give it 4 stars?
Well the thing is, I didn't fully enjoy every single story, so I couldn't possibly give it a full 5 star rating. To be honest, I even skipped one story 'cause the whole thing was written in very heavily accented Scottish and my tired eyes/brain just couldn't comprehend then (I shall try and go back and read it at some point).
But on the whole it was well worth it's 4 s More...
Brilliant.
Why then, you might ask, did I only give it 4 stars?
Well the thing is, I didn't fully enjoy every single story, so I couldn't possibly give it a full 5 star rating. To be honest, I even skipped one story 'cause the whole thing was written in very heavily accented Scottish and my tired eyes/brain just couldn't comprehend then (I shall try and go back and read it at some point).
But on the whole it was well worth it's 4 s More...
Jun 03, 2010
Jessi
rated it: 
Meh.....The Smiths... lying around in bed moaning, emotional ventilation, bittersweetness, non-iversarys, sympathetic suffering, crying over spilled milk, self indulgence just happens sometimes. moments of healing, so long as you don't live there all the time... Anyhow, this collection is pretty hit or miss. Some of the authors nailed it and some of them didn't. At least one of them doesn't even like the smiths. Heck, just put on a smiths record instead. cry your eyes out, then get over it and p
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Mar 23, 2011
Mariel
rated it:
Embarrassing. That's all I really want to say about this.
Remove all humor and wit from The Smiths. Pour in wallops of self-pity and drudgery...
I don't get where they got off putting The Smiths name on this.
Wasn't there a cry baby '90s band to attach this to?
Bashing this on goodreads should have made me feel better. It hasn't. What is wrong with me?
HORRIBLE. Cringe inducing festival of mediocrity and whiney... something.
Remove all humor and wit from The Smiths. Pour in wallops of self-pity and drudgery...
I don't get where they got off putting The Smiths name on this.
Wasn't there a cry baby '90s band to attach this to?
Bashing this on goodreads should have made me feel better. It hasn't. What is wrong with me?
HORRIBLE. Cringe inducing festival of mediocrity and whiney... something.
Apr 08, 2010
Laurie
rated it:
4/10: So my first giveaway didn't go so well. I'm a sucker for anything Morrissey & Smiths-related and usually it probably doesn't take much to delight me if the Mozzer is involved somehow. This collection of short stories had tremendous potential, but the stories were so boring I couldn't even finish the book. Full disclosure: I don't read short stories regularly, although I have in the past & have absolutely nothing against them. I've read about half, and with the exception of "Oscilla
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Nov 12, 2009
Alisha
rated it:
I really love the Smiths music, but the stories in this collection wallowed in self pity just a little too much.
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Apr 19, 2010
Mawgojzeta
rated it:
Yes, the stories were hit-and-miss, but I found even the worst stories in the book were not so terrible. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and "This Charming Man" ended up being the stories I liked best. I am not a big fan of the short story, but am a big fan of The Smiths. I am glad to have a copy of this book on my bookshelf now.
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