Speaking with the Angel

by Nick Hornby (editor)

Nick Hornby wäre nicht Nick Hornby, würde er nicht gleich im Vorwort so ganz nebenbei einen Kübel Galle über sein Lieblingshassobjekt Bono von U2 auskippen, nachdem er erfahren hatte, dass der irische Messiasanwärter mit seiner "Jubilee 2000"-Kampagne nichts Geringeres als einen Schuldenerlass für die Dritte Welt erwirken wollte und bei den Industrienationen bereits 100 Milliarden Dollar herausgeschlagen hatte!

100 Milliarden! Neben solch kosmischen Wundertaten nimmt sich Hornbys eigene Spendenaktion für Tree House, ein kleines, aber ambitioniertes Schulprojekt, in dem schwer autistische Kinder (so auch Hornbys Sohn Danny) fachgerechte Betreuung erfahren, wie ein Gang mit der Sammelbüchse aus. Da Tree House keinerlei Subventionen erhält und auch vor Bonos suchendem Helferblick bislang verborgen blieb, hatte Hornby die Idee, einige seiner SchriftstellerfreundInnen kurzerhand zur Feder zu bitten, um vom Verkaufserlös die Schule zu unterstützen. Hornby rief -- und bekam zwölf Kurzgeschichten geliefert, die mit zum Feinsten gehören, was die Insel schriftstellerisch derzeit zu bieten hat.

In schönster, schwärzester und witzigster britischer Manier eröffnet Robert Harris den Reigen mit der Parlamentsrede eines leicht verwirrten Premierministers über seinen ominösen Toilettenfenstersturz. Patrick Marber beschert uns in "Peter Shelley" einen Satz heiße Ohren, indem er uns zu Zeugen der liebevoll-ungelenken Anstrengungen eines Punkpärchens bei der Entjungferung macht. In Hornbys eigenem Beitrag "NippleJesus" verliebt sich ein pflichtvergessener Museumswächter in ein pornografisches Jesusbild und dessen Schöpferin, bis der Eklat da ist.

Short-story-Asse, soweit das Auge reicht: Zadie Smith, derzeit in aller Munde dank ihres Sensationserfolges Zähne zeigen, Irvine Welsh, Helen Fielding, Roddy Doyle, die komplette Oberliga britischer Schreiberlinge überrascht hier als Meister der kleinen literarischen Form. Vergessen Sie Bono, Mr. Hornby. Der garantierte Erfolg Ihrer Kurzgeschichtensammlung dürfte dem Tree-House-Project auch so gewaltig auf die Sprünge helfen. --Ravi Unger

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Contemporary, British Literature, Humor, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Nicholas Peter John Hornby is an English writer and lyricist. He is best known for his memoir Fever Pitch (1992) and novels High Fidelity and About a Boy, all of which were adapted into feature films. Hornby's work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists. His books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide as of 2018. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, Hornby was named the 29th most influential person in British culture. He has received two Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nominations for An Education (2009), and Brooklyn (2015).

Reviews

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't buy Anthologies as at best they're like Mix Tapes with a few bum tracks, this one went for a good cause though and was put together by Nick Hornby so I figured hey why not it's got a few bum tracks but it's still pretty strong. A Bit of a Breakdown.

-PMQ, Robert Harris: Very funny very British FPS Account of a Prime Minister having a nervous breakdown, a bit dry but I dug it.

-The Wonder Spot: Mellisa Banks- Look I know Chick Lit is an unseemly putdown that dismisses the work without engaging it. I don't like to use it. That said this is fucking Chick Lit at its navel gazingiest worst. Bollocks

-Last Request: Giles Smith- Creepy story about an old spinster who cooks the last meals for prisoners on Death Row in a seemingly semi Orwellian future Britain. Like Good Shirley Jackson.

-Peter Shelley: Patrick Maber- I really liked this one, though I don't expect everyone to. After all 13 pages of Teenagers fucking is probably not everyones idea of great literature. But to me this really captures the heat of clumsy eager Teenage sex in away that most works dealing with the subject don't. And it's punk rock and tea fueled first encounter was similar enough to my own first few trips around the block to give me a warm feeling of affection and nostalgia. Of course I could also just be a big old dirty perv, so we can't rule that out. Surprisingly warm coming from the author of Closer.

-I'm The Only One: Zadie Smith- The Anorexic Supermodel of the bunch. Looks fine from far away but get up close and you realize a strong breeze could blow it away. Indulges Smith's worst habits allowing her to write a florid slice of life that doesn't feel like much of a slice or very life like and adds up to nil.

-Nipple Jesus: Nick Hornby- Solid Hornby. Real solid.

After I Was Thrown In The River And Before I Drowned- David Eggers: Well It's David Eggers which Means it was either A) Brilliant or B) Twee Pretentious Shit. Please choose accordingly. Given your foamy mouth bias.

Luckybitch- Helen Fielding- See this is Chick Lit I like.

The Slave- Roddy Doyle- Look I love Roddy Doyle but not when he decides that he needs to be James Joyce.

Catholic Guilt- Irvine Welsh- Wonderfully funny shaggy dog story with a pitch black sense of humor. Like Peter Shelley this one might piss alot of people off but I loved it. The story of a homophobe who gets a very unique Purgatory from St. Peter is more or less the definition of Love it or Hate it. It does after all feature a Priest getting anally violated by The Rape Ghost from Robot Chicken. Makes very good use of Welsh's trademark gutter poetry and keen sense of the obscene.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not that this book is bad (honestly I think GoodReads should add an 'eh it was whatever' rating to their scale so that we could correctly classify books that just sort of 'exist') ...it's just that I'm not entirely confident that anyone put their best foot forward with this collection. At times it almost feels like the authors sat around a table with a hat full of topic ideas and drew slips of paper.... Marber will write the "lose your virginity" story, Smith writes the humanizing prisoner story, Eggers decides to write from the POV of a dog (yes...), Welsh beats us over the head with an epiphany, and Colin Firth writes about a dying grandmother (not to worry, none of these are spoilers as all of these conclusion can be drawn from the first two sentences of each piece). Granted, there are some slightly unique takes on cliche'd concepts here...but I was really hoping for some better judgement by our editor (even Hornby's contribution is missing almost all of the human quality usually found in his writing).
In the end all I really take from this book is that you should never become a mime...or something...

[SHUiZMZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting and varyingly eclectic subject-matter for short stories, some more interesting than others. My favorite story was young teenagers fucking their brains out for the first time to the Buzzcocks. Go figure. It was dirty, raw, and graphic. I loved it. I wish it reminded me of the first time I lost my virginity. Sadly enough, my experience was nothing like it.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vedle předních britských autorů se literárně blýsknul i Colin Firth alias Mark Darcy;-)

[Alec Downie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets an extra star for being a good cause.

A light read with some interesting shorts.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few hits, many misses. This is kind of like the movie Grown Ups, where you get all these comedic geniuses together and you think it's going to be an uber-comedy and it just ends up falling flat because everyone's trying way too hard. I have read writing by nearly all of the authors in this collection of short stories, which are by an all-star cast of (mostly British) modern writers, including Nick Hornby, Zadie Smith, Melissa Bank, Helen Fielding, Patrick Marber, Dave Eggers, Irvine Welsh, and Colin Firth, whose The Department of Nothing was surprisingly delightful and well-written. I've never encountered Helen Fielding's writing, but I immediately disliked it along with Roddy Doyle's The Slave and Irvine Welsh's Catholic Guilt, which I couldn't even get through. The rest of the stories ranged from good to mediocre. I guess I'm not the biggest fan of the British voice - British colloquialisms are way overused. Also, the discontinuity of theme makes me think this collection wasn't thought out very well (Nick Hornby just asked the writers that all the stories be in the first person). Overall: nothing really stuck with me; except maybe Colin Firth's because, well, it's Colin Firth and I was surprised in the first place that the man is a published writer.

A particularly great paragraph from Colin Firth's story, The Department of Nothing (the only part of the book worth quoting, really):

"What I reckon is: everyone's a loony. However normal anyone seems, deep down inside they're actually mental, every single person in the world and the whole of your life you have to learn not to seem mental to other people, who are all mental, too. Deep down you speak this different language-you talk in a loony language which doesn't talk in your voice, I don't know. Maybe it screams really loudly or something. I mean we're all born mental, aren't we? If you think how babies act-we really don't stop being like that. Everyone wants to scream loudly, and grab things without asking and break them, but it's not allowed, is it? So what you have to have is a kind of anti-mental translator-device, which translates all your mentalness into normal speech-and you've got to learn to use it, and it's got to be working properly-or you get found out for being a loony."

[Courier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starting the year of with... This? It wasn't great but like, a quick read (at least for my standards lol)
Some stories were at least a little interesting, while some others... Well, borderline offensive to a queer person like me (looking at you catholic guilt story)

[Cheryl Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories. I really enjoyed all of them until the last three which just seemed to go too dark, and it’s not as if the others were all fun and farce.

[Jan Priddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about these stories. There was two or three I liked very much, several were downright offensive, and one from the viewpoint of a dog I simply refuse to read (seriously, another one?).

The introduction by Nick Hornby is the only memorable contribution. Hornby edited this book as a fundraiser to support autism education, and his story is wonderful and worth the price.

[Bito Teles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ganhei esse livro de presente do meu irmão em 2002. Desde então, quase todos os anos eu volto a ler os contos deliciosos desta coletânia. Jesus Mamilo e Depoimento Ministerial são os meus preferidos e excelentes exemplos de como o humor britânico funciona muito bem também na literatura.

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

So let me make sure to point out, this is EDITED by Nick Hornby, though he does contribute 1 story himself. It's 12 different authors putting out short stories. Some are good, some are OK, and some are awful.

PMQ - Robert Harris - Hornby's brother-in-law, this is actually one of the funnier ones, about the British PM getting into a big misunderstanding with a reporter, a 15yr old girl, and reads like a Monty Python skit.

The Wonder Spot - Melissa Bank - If I were a feminist, I would be insulted by this. As it stands, I was just completely bored instead.

Last Requests - Giles Smith - interesting story about the cook at a prison who makes last meals for men on Death Row.

Peter Shelley - Patrick Marber - 14 year olds into the Buzzcocks have their first sexual experience. Surprisingly decent read. (hope that doesn't make me come off as a perv)

The Department of Nothing - Colin Firth - Yes THAT Colin Firth. Story about a boy and his grandma who tells him great stories, then of her death and how it leads him to overcome fears and make new friends. Surprisingly deep in an odd way.

I'm the Only One - Zadie Smith - I'm really not sure on this one...dude has a tall black friend, and his sister wants to put him in a movie. That's literally it.

Nipple Jesus - Nick Hornby - the best of the bunch in some ways, thought-provoking, interesting, and for a short piece, memorable.

After I was Thrown in the River and Before I drowned - Dave Eggers - The carefree life from a dog's POV, running with other dogs, enjoying life, until he drowns and discovers the nature of God. As odd as it sounds, this was somehow rather moving.

Luckybitch - Helen Fielding - This is the same woman who wrote Bridget Jones' Diary. Nuff Said. Ugh.

The Slave - Roddy Doyle - Interesting piece about a man's midlife crisis being brought on by finding a dead rat in his kitchen, and how it leads him to refocus on enjoying his life through his family, music, and books. Enjoyed this one.

Catholic Guilt (You Know You Love It) - Irvine Welsh - Author of Trainspotting; written in lovely Scottish dialect, tells of a bit of a homophobic asshole, who ends up dying and being eternally punished for his hatred...or is it a punishment at all? Very interesting, thought-provoking as well, and definitely the best twist ending (also the only one I think).

Walking into the Wind - John O'Farrell - very very dry piece about 3 friends, one of whom becomes a mime, the other 2 go into insurance, and how their roles reverse over time until one of them has completely lost the plot.

There are some good ones (Hornby, Welsh, Doyle, Eggers) - the ones I expected to be good, and no disappointment there. However, the rest I can take or leave, mostly leave and never want to see again thanks very much.
However, this collection came about to help raise funds for Autistic children's education, so I can't be that negative.

Don't be afraid to take Hornby's advice, and skip the ones you don't want to read.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am usually very wary when buying anthologies, because more often than not, you always get at least one or two fantastic stories, while the rest are mediocre, or terrible even. And after my experience with Nick Hornby's "About a Boy" - my first for him - I really didn't know what to expect, and I was looking forward to his story the least (yes, you must have deduced by now that I hated About a Boy).

However, this book pulled me in from page 1, with Hornby's very moving introduction. Hornby dedicated this book to his son Danny who is an autistic child, he then went on to describe very eloquently the plight of autistic children and what his experience as a father to one is like.

Now, I admit I did not like every story in the book, however out of 12 short stories, there were only 4 that I didn't quite enjoy as much as the rest of them. The stories are all first-person narrations written by a range of British authors, with completely different styles of writing who take you from a bizarre dog narrating his story, to a disgraced prime minister, to a security guard, to a death-row chef.

I will only mention my favourite stories in this review, and that includes the first story of the book "PMQ" by Robert Harris, who tells the story of what happens when Britain's Prime Minister goes AWOL and ditches his security guards to have a night out on his own leading him to a series of unfortunate events. It was such a great start to the anthology, it put a huge smile on my face, not only because it was wonderfully funny, but because of how well-written and cleverly executed it was.

My second favourite story was "Last Requests" by Giles Smith, which portrays a prison cook who prepares last request meals for death-row inmates. Smith takes us on the journey of this wonderful old woman as she contemplates preparing those last meals and puts everything she has into making it a meal that counts for them.

My third favourite was "NippleJesus", by Hornby himself. This was one of the most entertaining and interesting reads I've had in a while. In this story, Hornby examines what a simple controversial work of art can have on people. It is narrated by the security guard who was assigned to watch this piece of art and make sure no harm comes to it, and we are taken on the journey of this man who at first hates it, but then slowly grows attached to it and becomes very protective over it.

My least favourite stories were "Peter Shelley" by Patrick Marber, "I'm the Only One" by Zadie Smith, "The Slave" by Roddy Doyle and "Catholic Guilt" by Irvine Welsh. The rest of the stories were also very enjoyable reads.

This is definitely a book worth buying and reading. Highly recommended.

[D.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are by their nature a mixed bag, most especially when they come from such a diverse mix of creators. Hornby has managed to collect a very solid variety of stories here, though, from a striking cross-section of some of the (at the time) brightest lights of fiction. There is hardly a misstep here, the length of the stories (average about 20 pages) and the size of the collection (only twelve authors with twelve stories, plus an introduction by Hornby) probably doing the book a great service.
The mood herein is mostly light, with even the heaviest concept handled with a touch of humour (sometimes more than a touch). Hornby also makes good use of his editorial position by linking the stories in subtle ways, providing a thematic flow where one would otherwise not be evident.
The weakest of the bunch is far and away the offering from Zadie Smith, 'I'm the Only One,' a fairly pointless little confection peripherally about race and youth, followed by Robert Harris silly Prime Minister confessional 'PMQ.' At the other end of the spectrum are (much as I hate to admit it) Helen Fielding's delightful near-death 'Luckybitch' and (surprisingly) the Gaimanesque 'The Department of Nothing' from actor Colin Firth. Strong, typically entertaining stories from personal favourites Hornby, Irvine Welsh and Roddy Doyle more than justified the (second-hand) price of admission.
This paperback edition also includes brief author biographies by Hornby, a testimony from a parent whose child was helped by cover-price charity-beneficiary Treehouse and a donation plea from same.

[David Bril · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speaking with the Angel is a fantastic collection of short stories that is edited by Nick Hornby, that was created to help raise awareness and funds for TreeHouse a school that Hornby helped create, that works with severely autistic children. It has stories from, Robert Harris, Melissa Bank, Giles Smith, Patrick Marber, Colin Firth, Zadie Smith, Nick Hornby, Helen Fielding, Roddy Doyle, Irvine Welsh, Dave Eggers and John O'Farrell. All the stories are funny, and sweet and this entire book is well worth the read. Dave Eggers story is a real standout and a great starting point for anyone to start with that authors work.

I will focus on Nick Hornby as he is my favorite author and I am working at building his entire collection and helping others who are trying to find everything he has done. He writes a lovely introduction for this collection that gives a history of the TreeHouse school, as well as a touching insight into how hard it can be for parents who are dealing with an autistic child. Hornby says it is meant for the writers who have contributed to the novel, but anyone who reads it will be moved I am sure.

Hornby also includes a short story for this collection, called Nipple Jesus. I believe Nipple Jesus to be Hornby's absolutely best short story to date and a must read for all Hornby and non Hornby fans a like. It tells the story of a security guard at an art museum, who is assigned to watch a controversial pieces of Jesus Christ on the cross, that is made of thousands of mini pics of female's breasts. It is a laugh loud funny piece that kept me completely engrossed the entire time. Hornby digs deep into elements of media sensation, controversial art works, the way we are gaining fame nowadays and personal thought. It is a brilliant piece that ranks right up their with the very best of Hornby's works.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 5 Question Review

Share a one sentence synopsis, please?
A collection of adequate McSweeney-esque short stories by the young literary elite of the early aughts.

What did you like?
The opening story about a runaway Prime Minister was pretty cute (“PMQ”), I appreciated the vulnerability of “The Wonder Spot”, and for an story with 'nipple’ in its title, “NippleJesus” was surprisingly enjoyable and thought provoking. Well done on that count, Mr. Hornby.

Dislike?
Can’t really knock this book too hard as proceeds went to the charity school for severely autistic children which was attended by NH’s son. Although someone should have explained to Colin Firth that the ‘short’ in ‘short story’ isn’t just a kicky prefix. Also what exactly was the message of Irvine Welsh’s “Catholic Guilt” because to me it was like some weird “are homophobes born that way or is it a choice” question. Oh, and c’mon Dave Eggers with your precious telling-a-story-from-a-dog’s-perspective-but-then-killing-him-off-though-it-wasn’t-a-surprise-because-it’s-in-the-title-so-we-shouldn’t-act-all-upset-about-it. The cleverness is exhausting.

Why this book?
Well, I have had an unread Nick Hornby book on my shelf for more than a decade. It’s about mix tapes and I stopped reading it part way through because I was jealous that I didn’t think of it first, even though I’m not a writer. I picked up this book (also on my shelf) thinking it was that book. But it’s not. I have no idea where this book came from even though it has my name in the cover. I sincerely hope I bought it new so the funds supported Treehouse School.

Did anything stick?
"NippleJesus" and the whole “what is art?” question stuck around for about a week and some change. And I’m still mad at Dave Eggers. I’m so glad it’s not the year 2000 anymore so he isn’t being witty and smart all over everything all the time.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had my eye on this collection since it was published some 15 years ago. First, I'll say that the two pieces from Nick Hornby are the stars of the collection: the volume's introduction/mission statement and his story "NippleJesus". The mission of the book was to raise funds (and a bit of awareness) for schools that teach essential life skills to autistic children. It's a personal cause for Hornby and he is well-positioned to have a strong showing of friends/colleagues (and even a brother-in-law) that were interested in contributing to the volume.

Ultimately, though, I have to fall back to the same phrases that can be used for any collection of writing by a group of authors (or even a single author). It is tough to find a collection where an individual reader loves every single story. Generally you find a few that rise to the top (based on personal preferences and what strikes a chord with you at that moment in time). If read another time, the favorite contributions would likely be different. Though there are also a few that just don't connect with you...and might never connect.

All that is to say, that overall, this is probably a 3.5 star volume, but then Hornby's pieces are 5-star essential pieces of writing. And the rest fall all over the map.

I'm glad to take the few days to connect with this volume. Since I picked it up from the library, I need to take one more follow-up step and make at least a small contribution for the cause. I'm sure that help is still needed even if 15 years have passed since this volume was published.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Speaking With the Angel is a collection of short stories edited by Nick Hornby. Since I'm a big Hornby fan I had to pick this up.

The book started really strong. It had some good, funny and memorable stories. One of my favorites is the first one - PMQ by Robert Harris. It's about an English politician who goes on a wild romp through England and then has to justify his actions to the court. It's funny - a bit of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride for adults. Another favorite was Last Requests by Giles Smith. This is a story about a woman who is a cook in a prison. She's in charge of cooking death row inmates final meals. It was captivating - I wished this story was longer. Hornby's own contribution - Nipple Jesus - was a story about a security guard charged with protecting a painting of Jesus made of nipples. It pulled me in, which, given the subject manner seemed like a feat to me.

There were also some surprising duds. I hated the Dave Eggers story. Catholic Guild and Walking into the Wind were both unfinishable.

I'd say that Hornby started strong, and ended a bit soft on this collection. I'm just grateful that the majority of the stories weren't about super-depressing things. I've noticed a depressing trend in the short story genre and was glad for a respite from it.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

i honestly picked up this book because i was fascinated by the cover. Those little plastic doll heads really spoke to me. But enough about my particular psychosis.

i found this collection of contemporary short stories surprisingly enjoyable. The voices all seemed fresh and original and some of the stories have really stuck with me. That's the way it goes with short fiction collections i think. For example, i find most of Bradbury's sci/fi short stories forgettable but each of his well known collections, R is for Rocket and S is for Space have an unforgeable, standout piece. Pillar of Fire in S and Fire and Frost in R (in my humble opinion.) But this is a review about ...Angels...

NippleJesus, by the book's own editor Nick Hornby, was that standout story for me. (It's not actually about nipples or Jesus or Jesus' nipples.)

Yeah. Three stars though. Most of the stories were just ok and there's no way i'd ever get into a full-length novel by any of those writers.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dedicated to editor Hornby’s son Danny, $2 of the cover price of this collection will be donated to Treehouse, a school for autistic children. Hornby’s explanation of why this collection came about in the introduction is in itself a heart-felt piece of writing. And then he’s topped it with NippleJesus, a story about a nightclub bouncer turned art gallery security guard and his reactions to a controversial work called, you guessed it, NippleJesus.

My other favorite was PMQ by Robert Harris whereby the Prime Minister is making a statement to the House regarding the incidents of the previous evening. Helen Fielding, Melissa Bank and Roddy Doyle, among others make thoughtful appearances here as well. The most fun, however, was trying to figure out, in Colin Firth’s The Department of Nothing, if being “the pants” was a good thing or bad. As in, “he hated me because I was the pants at football.”

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like short stories. In fact one of best stories I've ever read, including comics and full length novels, is 'The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains', a short by Neil Gaiman. A good short story is like a fling. You meet, smile at each other, embrace, kiss and kiss and kiss some more and all the happy chemicals explode in your head and just when you're beginning to catch your breath, it ends. It's a little supernova in a few thousand words and it impregnates the mind with endless worlds.

Short stories are also a good way to discover writers, taste them and try them on for size. I had no idea Colin Firth could write but 'The Department of Nothing' is my favorite story in this collection. I hope he writes a few more.

The diversity of styles in this collection is a marvellous feast to be savoured long after the final full stop.

Enjoy!

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to see the lit circle Nick Hornby pulled together, for a good cause sure, but also to show off some short story skills: Robert Harris' PMQ must have been written while researching for the Ghost. Nick gives his brother-in-law and a few others (like John O'Farrell & Colin Firth) room to impress while filling in the gaps with fluffier, aren't-we-naughty material from other writers. Hornby's own NippleJesus seems caught between these two tendancies, and it's his playfulness with inner monologues that makes it a good read. Also surprising to think how relevant a story like Last Requests has become, when it was written sometime before September 11th.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Egger's short story "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" is included in this collection. It's one of my favorites--it's written from a dog's POV and he captures the dog's rhythms and (what a human might guess to be) the dog's mindset so so well. It's storytelling that leaves me awestruck. And, truthfully, it's the one (and only) story that stuck with me long after I read this collection. So, really, I need to just pick up more of Egger's short story collections and novels, eh?

[Lalaine David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book benefits the TreeHouse foundation for autistic children, which Hornby's son attended. In the introduction, Hornby starts off by saying he owes nothing to the readers, only to the contributors of the anthology, which seems like a haughty thing to say for someone who is doing charitable work.

This collection of stories is okay. Some stories are good, Hornby's NippleJesus being the best (he's editor, after all)

Runners Up:

PMQ
Last Requests
Luckybitch
Catholic Guilt
Walking into the Wind

[Marcus Wallis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a bad read but it wasn’t a great read either.

A book of short stories needs to have one cracker of a story. A story that is so good that it makes people feel that it was worthwhile reading the book for that story alone.

This book doesn’t have a story like that. It has 12 quite readable stories but nothing to knock your socks off.

I want to say something positive so I’ll add that the story Lucky Bitch by Helen Fielding was quite good and my pick of the bunch.

Sorry Colin Firth….I just didn’t get your story.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, perhaps a little too much. I bought it on a whim and it introduced me to Helen Fielding and Zadie Smith, gave me more from Hornby and Welsh and instructed me to steer clear of Eggers in the future (I know many love him, I'm just not there yet.) But I became smitten w/it when I read "Peter Shelley" by Patrick Marber, so much so that I attempted to hunt down his other works which only consist of plays (and I'm not one for plays).

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall entertaining collection of contemporary short stories by mostly British authors such as Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Giles Smith and Helen Fielding. I mean, come on, one of the stories is titled "NippleJesus", how can you resist that?

[Tracy Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story, PMQ, was very fun. Loved it. A bit hum-drum throughout the rest of the book until my man Irvine Welsh popped up on the scene. The man can do no wrong. Colin Firth's story was my least favorite :(

[Tiffany Manning · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best story in the set is narrated by a cook in a prison's kitchen, who has the chore of preparing last meals for the condemned. But many of the rest are poor.
Buying this book contributes to helping autistic children. For that reason alone, I'm glad I made the purchase.

[Andrew Dolby · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the back page of this book a previous owner wrote:

Some of the stories were really good, others not that good. Overall pretty good.

I would agree, but with the caveat that some of the stories were terrible, adding a third category.

[Shawn MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this book for ages and just now got around to reading it. It's a decent collection of short stories, but there are a few that were a little blah. I actually read Dave Eggers' story someplace before, maybe it was in McSweeney's? I don't know. Anyway, on to the next book.