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Still, this is a collection that stands on its own merits, and requires no act of charity to purchase. In Roddy Doyle's "The Slave," for example, a 42-year-old family man discovers a dead rat on his kitchen floor, and this unwelcome incursion from the natural world plunges him into a midlife crisis. In "Last Requests," Giles Smith introduces us to a prison cook who specializes in, well, last suppers. It's both hilarious and shocking to encounter this egomaniacal chef on the job:
They can have what they like, within reason, up to a maximum of three courses, with coffee or tea and a piece of confectionary or a biscuit if they want it. No alcohol, for obvious reasons. Obviously, you'll get the jokers, like the one who said he wanted a whole roast pig with an apple in its mouth. Or the governor's head, one of them said he wanted.Elsewhere, in Hornby's own "NippleJesus," a skinhead bouncer becomes a museum guard and falls for the painting he's charged to protect, a crucifixion collage made up of thousands of tiny breasts cut out of porn magazines. The stories in Speaking with the Angel all feel up to the minute, abounding with references to politics and popular culture. Yet the obscenity and slang ultimately amount to a form of bluster, an acknowledgement of the intrinsic fragility that all 12 of these narrators share. --Victoria Jenkins
| AUTHOR: | Nick Hornby |
| CATEGORY: | Book |
| MANUFACTURER: | Riverhead Books |
| ISBN: | 1573228583 |
| TYPE: | Anthologies (multiple authors), Fiction, Fiction - General, First person narrative, Monologues, Short Stories (Anthologies), Short stories, Short stories, American, Short stories, English |
| MEDIA: | Paperback |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
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Customer Reviews of Speaking With the Angel
A Fine Collection of Work Nick Hornby's name associated with this project drew me to it and I was not disappointed. This book is a collection of short stories by some famous (Helen Fielding, Colin Firth, Melissa Bank) and not so famous writers. Hornby also contributes a piece. The stories run from the touching to the absurd to the bizarre. From the British prime minister caught up in a comedy of Clinton-like errors to the security guard charged with protecting a piece of controversial art, to the tale of life from a dog's point of view there is a wide variety of stories to interest the reader. And in their own way, each has a little bit to say about some social realization.
If you are one of those people who loves to read but who finds it hard to get the time to do so, Speaking with the Angel will help you fill that void. And if you purchase the book, you'll be doing your own little bit of social good. Proceeds from the sale of the book go to benefit an autism project, which is very near and dear to Mr. Hornby's heart.
A completely entertaining collection of stories
Author Nick Hornby has collected eleven first-person narrative short stories by mostly British writers (including one of his own) into a delightful, entertaining and almost completely satisfying addition to any short story library. First off is the cover art, of cake toppers and doll figures as personality icons. Inside are stories by authors made famous mainly by their novels, condensing their thoughts into short narrative prose.
Helen Fielding of Bridget Jones' Diary fame is short and sweet in the story Luckybitch. Actor Colin Firth proves a worthy writer in The Depth of Nothing. My personal favorites are Last Requests by Giles Smith, and The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank, which manage to encompass the most depth in the least amount of space.
I recommended this book for those who are both fans of the writers featured, or not familiar with their work, since this is a fabulous introduction.
Cool stories by hip writers
I think Nick Hornby is the coolest writer in the World today. This compilation was a way for me to find out other writers who are as cool as Nick. I wasn't disappointed. Here is my review of the short stories:
PMQ: Wonderful comedy piece about a Prime Minister's wild night out.
The Wonder Spot: Kind of too "New York Hipster" for me, but still a nice read.
Last Request: Great story. Mix of a serious topic with a light point of view.
Peter Shelley: Funny story about a boy losing his virginity. My favorite story in the book.
The Department of Nothing: Not bad, but a bit too sentimental for the tone of the book. This was my least favorite story. I wouldn't say Colin Firth should keep his day job, but hey, his day job is awesome.
I'm the Only One: Very short and a bit unsatisfying story about a kid's getting a visit from a super-tall friend. I still liked it.
NippleJesus: My second favorite story. A blue-collar man (a bodyguard) who admires an artsy-fartsy museum piece. Really funny.
After I was Thrown in The River...: I particularly didn't care much for this dog. My second least favorite.
LuckyBitch and The Slave: Both are about middle aged people. One seen from a woman's point of view and other from a man's. Both are equally a riot.
Catholic Guilt: My third favorite story, and being from Irvine Welsh, is also the edgiest. A homophobic hooligan gets his afterlife punishment. Simply hilarious.
Walking into the Wind: Just when I thought I couldn't laugh any harder comes this story about a mime to finish it off.