American Gods (American Gods, #1) in DC Public Library

Jan 08, 2019 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-novels-plays-stories, fun

This book was not at all what I expected in the best way possible. Yes, there are gods and magic but there’s also so much joy with language, beautiful imagery, humor, and nuanced characters. I was enchanted by the idea that gods live in America’s small towns and that roadside attractions and diners are this nation’s holiest sites. It’s clever and thought provoking at the same time.

I read through it very quickly over the course of about a week and wish I’d savored it more. I waited far too long ...more

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Sep 28, 2008 Alison rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, bookclub

I feel like I should have liked this more. That's not to say that I didn't like it, but I think the jury is still out, a little bit.

Recently, I seem to be reading a lot of books with an absurd or scifi/fantasy bent, all of which have treated the absurd/fantastical parts as perfectly normal. As in, they're not even remarked upon by the characters. I really enjoy that kind of treatment, and that was the case with this book as well, though mostly because the main character gives up on his life shor ...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Rasika rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Part of me wants to give this 4 stars to give it the benefit of the doubt that my currently terrible attention span made me miss a lot. Or perhaps I needed to brush up on my mythology from everywhere around the world. Or maybe it was just not what I wanted it to be.
That said, I think that the concept was great, I just don't know about the execution. The loose threads or narrative and mythology of Sandman were more coherent, though ostensibly this was based in more actual mythology. Still, I lov ...more

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Jan 21, 2008 Marie rated it liked it

I enjoyed this one especially after about 50 pages in to it. Gaiman is a good story teller, and makes me want to fill in my gaps of mythology. It's the story of a man caught in the middle of a fight between old (fading) gods brought over from immigrants and Native Americans,and the new fangled gods we sacrifice our lives to today. The ending did seem to wrap up a little too quickly but overall a likable, fast read. ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 martha added it

Shelves: year-2004

[Review from 2004.] I liked this more than Stardust, less than Neverwhere (which is definitely his best novel, imho). It was fun trying to pick out the allusions to gods and legends, especially if, like me, you were the kid who devoured the mythology section of the library. (Mr. Nancy, I had you at hello.) If I have a complaint it's that it dragged a bit in places, the length didn't seem entirely justified. ...more

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