Laura's review
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 (Best American)
by Dave Eggers
Laura's review
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 (Best American) by Dave Eggers
Laura's review
rating:
Typically for an anthology such as this, I would just click my rating, maybe name-drop a few authors I thought were real standouts, and move merrily along with my life. I've really enjoyed other years of the "Best American Nonrequired Reading" I've read. But something struck me about this collection, as all the fiction felt at least tinged if not schmeered with melancholy and hopelessness so that I was continuously left with this lingering sense of despair -- not where you want your head to be when you pop your melatonin and turn off the nightstand light. On the other hand, I thought all the nonfiction selections were quite good -- if you choose to read this book, start with those pieces and feel no remorse about cherry-picking your way through the rest.
So, 2005: A good year for Burgundy region wines, a disappointing year for joie de vivre in American short fiction (if you trust Dave Eggers' taste). Well, I suppose if I wanted to read stories that compelled me to le...more
So, 2005: A good year for Burgundy region wines, a disappointing year for joie de vivre in American short fiction (if you trust Dave Eggers' taste). Well, I suppose if I wanted to read stories that compelled me to le...more
