10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but Gravely Overrated, May 27, 2003
When Six Feet Under was first released, it got loads of press and great reviews. The combo of funeral-home lore and insights into off-kilter characters proved irresistible to critics and eventually viewers.This seems to be what Strauss is drawing on: the shock of death, inside info on the funeral industry and decidedly on-the-edge female characters all populate these stories.
Yet, somehow, where Six Feet Under makes you care about its characters both dead and alive, The Joy of Funerals feels like a parade of circus freaks. While the women who populate these stories sound morbidly fascinating-a recent widow who beds strange men near her husband's grave, a lesbian obsessed with finding her lover's killer-they come across as thinly drawn wackos. In attempting to say "everyone has a dark side" and "look at how deeply grief affects people," Strauss has come up with something that seems to trivialize both black humor and sadness.
Also, though the characters have different stories and different names, in the end, they all come across as having nearly the same voice. This bleeding together of narratives and mood continues in the last story, a novella that strings all of the tales together. It's heroine, Nina, who obsessively attends funerals in an attempt to be less lonely, ends up connected to all of the other "obits" in the book. It's an interesting idea, but it ends up not working. The other women's stories have become so indistinct at this point, that I ended up constantly turning back to the earlier chapters.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Good You'll Read it Twice, January 9, 2007
This is a book that's meant to be read twice. On first reading, it's a smart and engaging collection of stories, with fully drawn characters and beautiful sentences. On the second reading, all the pieces come together and you realize the meanings behind all you so lightheartedly enjoyed first time around. I envy those who haven't yet read this book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tragically beautiful novel ... both twisted and achingly familiar, August 3, 2007
This review is from: The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories (Paperback)
Alix Strauss'
The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories is a wonderful book that weaves together the stories of nine women who are all searching ... for love, loss, fulfillment, life, connection, or just something different. The stories are both twisted and achingly familiar; the women's loneliness and desperation is poignant and their longing for connection and love is something that I think everyone can relate to. The manner in which Strauss ties all of the stories together was refreshing and I really enjoyed the common thread - the novella which closes the book,
The Joy of Funerals. The novella provides you with a deeper understanding of the characters you've met in the preceding short stories. It's truly a tragically beautiful novel.
BASICS:
The stories within are: "Recovering Larry," "The Way You Left," "Shrinking Away," "Addressing the Dead," "Post-dated," "Versions of You," "Swimming Without Annette," "Still Life," and the novella "The Joy of Funerals."
SUMMARY (from the back cover):
"A widow who lusts ... a daughter who aches ... a lover who obsesses ... a shopaholic who hungers ... a funeral-junkie who needs. "The Joy of Funerals" is a riveting collection that explores the lives of nine restless, rootless young women, each willing to take drastic measures to fill the voids created by loss, longing, and loneliness. Embodying a 'Sex and the City' spirit, these women are unfulfilled party girls who have momentarily slid over to the dark side, hell-bent on finding love and connection. The stories are tied together by the novella 'The Joy of Funerals,' which follows the life of Nina, a single thirtysomething woman who attends the funerals of the deceased characters in the previous tales, all in the hope of bonding with others. With raw wit, mordant humor, and a penetrating voice throughout, talented newcomer Alix Strauss offers a clever and provocative take on life in the big city."
BOTTOM LINE:
I would definitely suggest buying this book, as it's one you'll want to revisit. It made me laugh and feel lonely and loved at the same time; I don't usually cry at books, but for some of you it may also bring tears.
P.S.:
The summary above (from the back cover) is good in giving a basic description of the novel and is very accurate in portraying it as witty and clever and etc., but in some ways I think it almost sells it short (example: I wouldn't compare it to "Sex and the City," which is a show I love - by the way - but which I don't think is equivalent to these beautifully written stories).
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