The Little Disturbances of Man [Paperback]

Grace Paley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Viking Pr; Reissue edition (1994)
• ISBN-10: 999483469X
• ISBN-13: 978-9994834693
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,913,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling control of language, June 9, 2001

By 

Ethan E Bodle (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Disturbances of Man (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

These are stories of real-life love and relationships (ie: imperfect, strange and unexpected - not cheesy or sappy at all). Paley drops the reader into the heart of the character and creates for us a world so vivid, yet so different from what we know, that I felt dizzy the first time I read one of these stories. Her use of language is so perfect it makes me laugh out loud (on the subway) and I enjoy reading any given paragraph over several times. I use this book for inspiration every time I try (in vain) to write something creative myself... check it out!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Humane; Stylistic Economy, March 25, 2000

By 

wordtron (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Little Disturbances of Man (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

What makes Paley worth reading and important is her language, which is plain, simple english, but the order in which she places the words create sentences that burst with gut-life. Her sentences are like clever, immigrant hands--hard-won wisdom with an untiring lust for life. Most of the stories are set in a New York reminiscent of The Honeymooners, unfortunately due to my age my only point of reference. But ultimately, as the subtitle says, these are clear, gritty stories of men and women at love. This is writing that your mother would understand; and make you glad to be alive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, insightful stories, November 24, 2009

By 

Christina Vella (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Disturbances of Man (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

Grace Paley's stories are of a type--somewhat Jewish and feminist--but her style and wit is so sardonic and original that she escapes stereotyping. Whereas some of her collections are uneven, these stories are uniformly droll and wise. "Goodbye and Good Luck" should not be missed.