Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Penguin Books, 2007.
Description
From the Publisher: A stellar host of writers explore the cornerstone of fiction writing: character. The Book of Other People is about character. Twenty-five or so outstanding writers have been asked by Zadie Smith to make up a fictional character. By any measure, creating character is at the heart of the fictional enterprise, and this book concentrates on writers who share a talent for making something recognizably human out of words (and, in the case of the graphic novelists, pictures). But the purpose of the book is variety: straight "realism"--If such a thing exists-is not the point. There are as many ways to create character as there are writers, and this anthology features a rich assortment of exceptional examples. The writers featured in The Book of Other People include: Aleksandar Hemon; Nick Hornby; Hari Kunzru; Toby Litt; David Mitchell; George Saunders; Colm Toibin; Chris Ware, and more.… (more)
Media reviews
In the end the reader of this volume will most likely hopscotch through this collection, skipping over the less satisfying entries to focus on its few gems. Indeed, the strongest stories in “The Book of Other People” should serve as introductions to their authors’ oeuvres, enticing the reader
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to investigate further the work of writers like Edwidge Danticat, Jonathan Lethem and Colm Toibin. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member sarasalted
A real mix of blah, okay, good, and two stunning short stories.
My top pick is George Saunders 'Puppy'
My top pick is George Saunders 'Puppy'
LibraryThing member ChazzW
Well, I picked this up first and foremost because it was a Zadie project. Second, because I thought it might introduce me to some new writers that might be on interest. Glad to say there was a Zadie Smith story included and that it did not disappoint. In fact, it was probably the best thing in the
The best of the lot were by people whom I’ve read at least some, or extensively: David Mitchell’s (Ghostwritten, Number9Dream, Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green) Judith Castle about a self-delusional, lonely woman whose ‘fiance’ fakes his own death to avoid her entanglements; Jonathan Safran Foer’s (Everything Is Illuminated) Rhoda, in which a young man interviews his grandmother for posterity; Dave Eggers’ (What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng) rather whimsical Theo, a tale about when giants awaken; Jonathan Lethem’s (The Fortress of Solitude, You Don’t Love Me Yet) Perkus Tooth could be the response to “write a short story on the most memorable person you’ve ever met”; Colm Toibin’s (Blackwater Lightship, The Master) Donal Webster is a raw, wrenching story about coming to terms with the death of a parent whom one never came to terms with in life. Can’t say I enjoyed it, but it may just stay with me awhile. Aleksandar Hemon’s (Nowhere Man) would be Jesus parable, The Liar, irritated the crap out of me for some reason.
And what of those whom I’ve never read? Well, maybe Vendela Vida’s Soleil might get me to page through something else by her. Or ZZ Packers Gideon. Chris Ware’s Jordan Wellington Lint was kind of innovative, but I just don’t think I can get into the graphic novel thing. And I was a comic book kid, too.
Disappointments? George Saunders’ Puppy. Edwidge Danticat’s Lele.
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collection. Sad to say that there was no one new for me here that struck my fancy. Too many of the stories had a throw away quality to them.The best of the lot were by people whom I’ve read at least some, or extensively: David Mitchell’s (Ghostwritten, Number9Dream, Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green) Judith Castle about a self-delusional, lonely woman whose ‘fiance’ fakes his own death to avoid her entanglements; Jonathan Safran Foer’s (Everything Is Illuminated) Rhoda, in which a young man interviews his grandmother for posterity; Dave Eggers’ (What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng) rather whimsical Theo, a tale about when giants awaken; Jonathan Lethem’s (The Fortress of Solitude, You Don’t Love Me Yet) Perkus Tooth could be the response to “write a short story on the most memorable person you’ve ever met”; Colm Toibin’s (Blackwater Lightship, The Master) Donal Webster is a raw, wrenching story about coming to terms with the death of a parent whom one never came to terms with in life. Can’t say I enjoyed it, but it may just stay with me awhile. Aleksandar Hemon’s (Nowhere Man) would be Jesus parable, The Liar, irritated the crap out of me for some reason.
And what of those whom I’ve never read? Well, maybe Vendela Vida’s Soleil might get me to page through something else by her. Or ZZ Packers Gideon. Chris Ware’s Jordan Wellington Lint was kind of innovative, but I just don’t think I can get into the graphic novel thing. And I was a comic book kid, too.
Disappointments? George Saunders’ Puppy. Edwidge Danticat’s Lele.
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LibraryThing member figre
Any time you dive blindly into a short story collection (that is, with no idea or pre-conceived notions about the stories, not even a hint of genre) which is a compilation of various authors, it is usually with equal parts trepidation and excitement. This collection held the added trepidation that
And, in general, I was happy to have visited. To start with, it was well beyond the third or fourth story before I said, “Well, that one didn’t work.” And, while any collection should start with the strong stories, it was apparently just serendipity in this case as the stories were delivered in alphabetical order by the title of the story (character.) And, even though there were disappointments in this collection (I have to specifically point out a story that was about [spoiler-alert] Jesus which I specifically point out because it violated the rule about making someone up), there were interesting and intriguing approaches to the challenge and the stories.
One in particular I want to point out - Jordan Wellington Lint to the age of 13 (by C. Ware), a graphic-novel approach whereby each page was a year in the life of the character. It is written from the perceptions of that character – so the early pages show next to nothing. At first, it just seemed a one-trick pony of a story. However, the author’s use of space and changes in the perceptions cause more than a cursory glance and a solid inspection into the content.
There are good stories in here. As with most collections there are others that are just not as good and some that are good but predictable. In other words, as you will find in many collections, a mix of tastes and results from which you are sure to find something for your enjoyment.
And now I'm going to do something I try to never do. Make comments based on other people's reviews. (I write my review - then read what others say.) After reading the other reviews posted for this collection, I think it makes my final point. It is interesting to note that some people like the ones that others hate. And some feel blah about ones others rave about. I stand by my assessment - you probably will not like everything you read in here, but you will find things you like. (And they will be different than the popular choices of others.)
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I did not recognize most of the authors. However, there was the enticing premise of the book – “make somebody up”. You would think that making somebody up is the basis for any story (isn’t that what characters are for?), yet it was evident from the titles (just people’s names) and the introduction that it led to something different.And, in general, I was happy to have visited. To start with, it was well beyond the third or fourth story before I said, “Well, that one didn’t work.” And, while any collection should start with the strong stories, it was apparently just serendipity in this case as the stories were delivered in alphabetical order by the title of the story (character.) And, even though there were disappointments in this collection (I have to specifically point out a story that was about [spoiler-alert] Jesus which I specifically point out because it violated the rule about making someone up), there were interesting and intriguing approaches to the challenge and the stories.
One in particular I want to point out - Jordan Wellington Lint to the age of 13 (by C. Ware), a graphic-novel approach whereby each page was a year in the life of the character. It is written from the perceptions of that character – so the early pages show next to nothing. At first, it just seemed a one-trick pony of a story. However, the author’s use of space and changes in the perceptions cause more than a cursory glance and a solid inspection into the content.
There are good stories in here. As with most collections there are others that are just not as good and some that are good but predictable. In other words, as you will find in many collections, a mix of tastes and results from which you are sure to find something for your enjoyment.
And now I'm going to do something I try to never do. Make comments based on other people's reviews. (I write my review - then read what others say.) After reading the other reviews posted for this collection, I think it makes my final point. It is interesting to note that some people like the ones that others hate. And some feel blah about ones others rave about. I stand by my assessment - you probably will not like everything you read in here, but you will find things you like. (And they will be different than the popular choices of others.)
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LibraryThing member Cariola
Written mostly by well-known writers (Smith, Edwidge Danticat, David Mitchell, Jonathan Zafran Foer, ZZ Packer, Nick Hornsby, etc.), these stories are a pretty mediocre bunch overall. Each writer was asked to submit a story (well, two of them are graphic stories, I guess) about one character, and
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the proceeds go to a charity. Good premise. The characters and styles are diverse, but most of the stories left me flat; the best are perhaps "Frank" by A. L. Kennedy and "Donal Webster" by Colm Toibin--but they aren't exactly "uppers." A few years ago I read a similar charity collection edited by Hornsby, and that one was even less successful. (Hopefully these authors aren't donating work that hasn't been accepted elsewhere.) Show Less
LibraryThing member edgeworth
There's a common consensus amongst booksellers, publishers and authors that short story anthologies don't sell nearly as well as novels. J.G. Ballard called them the "loose change in the treasury of fiction;" George Orwell thought that most modern short stories were "utterly lifeless and worthless,
I used to disagree with prevailing opinion, but I've read quite a few anthologies this year and I'm starting to realise I was wrong. Whether it's "Stories," "The Complete Short Stories of J.G. Ballard," or "The Best Australian Stories 2010"... none of these books grabbed me. They all suffered from the weak links in the chain. I can count the number of short stories I have read in my entire life that I really, really enjoyed on the fingers of one hand.
I suspect I even suffer from the common bother of disliking short stories simply because, as Orwell pointed out, they're so truncated; you don't get a chance to unwind and stretch out, to really get to know the characters. The Book of Other People opens with a story by David Mitchell, my absolute favourite author of all time, yet it didn't really do anything for me. That didn't bode well for the rest of the collection, which mostly featured writers I'd never heard of.
I started reading short story anthologies in order to practice my own (a short story being a much quicker way for a young writer to achieve the validation of publication), but I think I'm getting fatigued from the constant disappointment. This is not to say that short story collections are usually bad - indeed, The Book of Other People isn't bad - but they are almost universally average and forgettable. I suppose an anthology actually subverts the purpose of a short story, which is supposed to be a quick dose of fiction, standing by itself and read in a single sitting. An anthology is an attempt to collate short stories into something more like a novel, and the stories suffer for the comparison.
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far more so than most novels." I've quoted Michael Chabon's perfect description on contemporary short stories so often on this blog I can't do it anymore in good consciensce.I used to disagree with prevailing opinion, but I've read quite a few anthologies this year and I'm starting to realise I was wrong. Whether it's "Stories," "The Complete Short Stories of J.G. Ballard," or "The Best Australian Stories 2010"... none of these books grabbed me. They all suffered from the weak links in the chain. I can count the number of short stories I have read in my entire life that I really, really enjoyed on the fingers of one hand.
I suspect I even suffer from the common bother of disliking short stories simply because, as Orwell pointed out, they're so truncated; you don't get a chance to unwind and stretch out, to really get to know the characters. The Book of Other People opens with a story by David Mitchell, my absolute favourite author of all time, yet it didn't really do anything for me. That didn't bode well for the rest of the collection, which mostly featured writers I'd never heard of.
I started reading short story anthologies in order to practice my own (a short story being a much quicker way for a young writer to achieve the validation of publication), but I think I'm getting fatigued from the constant disappointment. This is not to say that short story collections are usually bad - indeed, The Book of Other People isn't bad - but they are almost universally average and forgettable. I suppose an anthology actually subverts the purpose of a short story, which is supposed to be a quick dose of fiction, standing by itself and read in a single sitting. An anthology is an attempt to collate short stories into something more like a novel, and the stories suffer for the comparison.
Show Less
LibraryThing member diovival
As a whole this book was not a fun read. I would recommend skimming until you happen upon something you like. I did appreciate the exposure to writers I've never had the pleasure to read before. My favorites were (in order of appearance):
"Gideon" - ZZ Packer
"The Liar" - Aleksander Hemon
"Magda
"Puppey" - George Saunders
"Rhoda" - Jonathan Safran Foer
"Soleil" - Vendela Vida
"Roy Spivey" - Miranda July
"Cindy Stubenstock" - A. M. Homes
"Theo" - Dave Eggers
"Gideon" - ZZ Packer
"The Liar" - Aleksander Hemon
"Magda
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Mandela" - Hari Kunzru"Puppey" - George Saunders
"Rhoda" - Jonathan Safran Foer
"Soleil" - Vendela Vida
"Roy Spivey" - Miranda July
"Cindy Stubenstock" - A. M. Homes
"Theo" - Dave Eggers
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LibraryThing member MMFalcone
Some fantastic writers contribute to this anthology of short stories and vignettes. The proceeds are going to Dave Eggers’ 826NYC charity focused on helping children and teens develop their creative writing skills. Some of the stories I found thoughtful, thought provoking, entertaining and
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poignant, but I also found some flat, dull and overworked. Colm Toibin’s contribution is used as the opening story in his book “The Empty Family.” Nick Hornby gives us the evolution of a writer in his bio blurbs. Dave Eggers’ character is a lovelorn giant, and George Saunders wrote a story exploring two sides of devotion and love. The stories I did like--I really liked, so I found the book worth it. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
229 p.; 23 inches
ISBN
0143038184 / 9780143038184