The Paris Review Book of People with Problems by The Paris Review

The Paris Review Book of People with Problems Reviews

• 
  Suzanne

  Problems indeed---that's putting it pretty mildly for some of the people in these stories. The stories are quite varied, but a few of them are just plain disturbing. Especially the last one---Crystal River by Charlie Smith. There are a few scenes in it that just kept me from sleeping, and I don't think the literary value of the story is high enough to make that worth it. I liked a few of the stories a lot---The Wamsutter Wolf by Annie Proulx is one. It's the first work by Annie Proulx I've read, and I think I'll seek out more by her. Another standout was the story by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'd say to approach this collection with caution. There's good reading here, but this is a true mixed bag in terms of quality, tone and content.
• 
  Erin

  I bought this book several years ago but felt no inspiration to read it until a few weeks ago. Some of the short stories were totally off-the-wall and wonderful, others were kind of lackluster. I'm very happy to have read short stories by so many notable authors, several of whom are Guggenheim fellows, and others who have won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and the Booker Prize. After getting a taste of all these different writing styles, I'm pretty excited to read more by Annie Proulx, Elizabeth Gilbert, Charles Baxter and Richard Stern.
• 
  Stephen Dorneman

  Oh, Paris Review. Beautifully written short (and long) stories, too many of which have unsatisfying endings and center around people that don't actually do things that real people would really do.
• 
  anna

  I could more easily rank the stories in order I disliked rather than liked.
• 
  T P Kennedy

  Might more aptly be titled the book of authors with problems. I anticipated depression, tragedy and so on - I didn't anticipate some bad writing and a general sense of hopelessness. There are some amazing contributors such as E Annie Proulx and Ben Okri but even their contributions are poor and are far from their best writing. A generally unpleasant and forgettable volume.
• 
  Jackie Mondi

  I give this book five stars because it truly lives up to its name. Any problem I thought I had paled into insignificance when compared to the problems experiences by the people in this book. I am halfway, the point is made, I can read no further.
• 
  Chelsea Jennings

  I enjoyed most of this book. I enjoyed some of the stories less than others, but this is pretty typical for an anthology with various authors. Some of the stories did have me laughing out loud, multiple times!
• 
  Tim

  Short fiction by various authors. Definitely a mixed bag, with strong, heartbreaking contributions from Elizabeth Gilbert, James Lasdun and Miranda July.
• 
  Teresa

  I bought this book on recommendation of a local writer and found it to have wonderfully written short stories! Great reading for the bedside to the beach!
• 
  Cynthia

  Concise and sweet stories. I'll surely look out for other publications by a few of these featured writers.
• 
  Kristine

  even more depressing than I had anticipated....
• 
  Lindsay

  More uneven than their "Book for Planes, Trains, Elevators, and Waiting Rooms," but there were some great stories in here, including one by Charles Baxter that I hadn't come across previously.
• 
  Eva

  This is a really great collection of new short stories-Annie Prolux, Miranda July, Wells Tower...it's depressing but overall a lot of fun. I really recommend it.
• 
  Hannah Garden

  Sufficiently if not extravagantly awesome.
• 
  Philip Shaw

  Deftly curataed and a gas to read. Not a boring or disappointing one in the bunch.
• 
  Margot

  Ci sono alcuni gioielli.
  
  [Il lupo di Wamsutter
  Il racconto dell'eremita
  Il quinto muro
  Sogni di treni
  Il famoso trucco della sigaretta accesa spezzata e riaggiustata.]
• 
  A Poste

  stories are not exceptional, although I only read a select few.
• 
  Jason Robinson

  3.5 stars
• 
  Barbara

  Summertime is made for short stories, and this edition of the Paris Review comes highly rated.
• 
  Benjamin

  Good stories, all, but the introduction by Stephin Merritt alone makes this worth reading.