Customer Reviews

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Apt. 3W

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some people might find the stories in this book difficult to digest in terms of plot, but that does not diminish its literary value in terms of the writing. Gabriel Brownstein's writing style is unique and thoroughly enjoyable. He writes with a very sharp wit that the reader would find both humorous and thought-provoking.

I was not completely taken in by the stories themselves, but I would be willing to read more of Brownstein's writings. Undoubtedly, he has a tremendous amount of talent, but it just was not displayed well in this book. In sum, there are better stories to be told than the ones in this book, but his writing makes the book worth a glance.

A very well written book that keeps one interested and leaves one thinking. The other Amazon "Reviewers" who disparage this book serve as a warning to me about trusting reviews on Amazon-- I agree with the professional literary reviews that acclaimed this book. If you are not familiar with 70s Manhattan, this book may introduce you to a new (or simply different) world.

I loved Brownstein's take on some classics--they were fresh and imaginative.

New York for Gabriel Brownstein is full of some very odd characters, and he renders each of them awfully well, but I'm very glad that I don't have to live with his particular cast and crew. Too creepy! Too bizarre. But the writing sings, it jumps, it keeps you reading, and what more can you ask from that hardest of forms, the short story cycle? "The Bachelor Party" is chilling, and "A Penal Colony All His Own, 11E" does a masterful job taking on the impossibility of certain kinds of friendship. But that sounds pedantic...who cares what I thought it was about? The question is, what will you, gentle reader, make of these magical, unfettered tales?

When I finished this collection, only two of the stories stayed with me. The title story, a man who lives his life in reverse, is an affecting and fascinating examination of an unreal situation presented realistically with all the pains and emotions that such an existence would have in the "real" world. "A Penal Colony, All His Own 11E" about visiting a friend, who is slowly slipping away into schizophrenia, also possesses an emotional resonance that hits with a force only the best short fiction can supply. The other stories tend to meander through a series of events that smack of pretense and lack the power of these two tales. A collection like this will always be a risk for the reader; the short story is limited to accomplishing its goals in a limited time. This collection was a little lacking in value for me, although when taken separately the two stories I enjoyed have merit, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this one.

This collection of stories is good if you're bored and don't have anything else to read (i.e. don't buy it, borrow it from a friend or the library). I wasn't incredibly impressed, and I'm not sure how this book was awarded the PEN/Hemingway award. It's good writing, but I didn't find it to be quite as incredible or inventive as some of the magazine reviewers did. It was okay.

It looked like a great read but was dissapointing. There is weird sexual problems and psychosis, but not well written. One never seems to be able to "relate" to the outlandish characters and feeble story lines.

I was absolutely disgusted by the content of this mediocre, mundane attempt. I found the one story about the boy's older brother to be obscene and offensive. I have no problem with the provocative but this was just smut. I lost valuable brain cells reading this book. I am astounded by the fact that the reviews hailed this book as a Salingeresque masterpiece. I see no relationship whatsoever. If you notice the sales rank of this book, the only people who have read this novel were relatives of the author. I feel awful for those people. For the sake of humanity, I hope that he is never published again.