Girl With Curious Hair

What is not to love?

DFW is obviously brilliant. The last story had me in rapture, the story about David Letterman was perfectly written, and the first story left long lasting traces on me. That being said, DFW has no idea how to end a story and often, doesn't know when to stop writing. But his characters are memorable and he knows how to change voices with the best of them. Damn shame to lose a great writer.

I'm discovering that people either love or distain DFW. I am among the former, and have yet to be disappointed by any of his writing. I get that it's definitely not for everyone though (especially if you prefer a direct and distinct plot trajectory or nice neatly tied up conclusions...) but I got almost as much satisfaction from these short stories as I did from his epic novels. If you got through Infinite Jest and didn't want to throw yourself off a high bridge, then you'll probably enjoy these stories. Alternately, if you were unable to finish Jest because you found it tediously inaccessible, but dug the language and/or subject matter, then give these shorter pieces a try: you might be pleasantly surprised.

Not my favorite piece of Wallace's work. Interesting to see certain ideas that he would explore in later novels, but the short stories often come off as written insincerely. Like the smart ass at the back of the classroom more concerned with trolling literature than actually writing a decent story. "Little Expressionless Animals" is lovely however.

Worth buying the book for this story alone . " John Billy " deserves to be read aloud in the streets by performers dressed in character , and or but at least read aloud . The hallucinatory "okie" language Wallace has invented is daring , maybe a little challenging , but he pulls it off . Part of my love of his best work is due to the way he , like Pynchon , demands something from the reader . ( comparisons , btw stop there ) . Mindful ( open ) readers with a bit of patience will find themselves inclined to discourse in "john Billy" long after finishing the story. Nearly as addictive as the " infinite jest " . A roller coaster drop into the surreal . Like Tom Robbins turned up to 11 . Just let go, and but hold on !

Shipped promptly in condition as described. Highly recommended!

I love this book, and I seem to have lost more than one copy since I first purchased it, so I finally got myself another one, and reread it recently. Gosh, the stories are really quite excellent. Mr. Wallace's writing feels visceral to me. The stories (all but the last one, which left me saying aloud, when I first read these, "No way are you doing this to me, David Foster Wallace.") are so different, yet the voice is clear and bright and sticks around in one's head. I usually prefer Mr. Wallace's non-fiction, and maybe it's sentimental, but I do love this book, and this time, I will be holding onto my copy.

I like Infinite Jest and DFW's non-fiction work. The rest of his fiction (Broom, Brief Interviews, Pale King) leaves me cold. One story in this book is entertaining ( the title story,) but the rest of it reads like a high level caffeinated autistic person trying to show us how smart he is. Great literature (Tolstoy, DeLillo, Conrad, some Pynchon, e.g) possesses warmth and humanity. A story like "Here and There" leaves you wondering, why did I read this?

This is a first for me! A DFW book where I didn't actually love every chapter. But I think that's sort of the point of this collection of short stories. DFW was showing off his exceptional range of writing styles and the sheer diversity here means that you are not going to like every story. You'll remember every one though.

Ho letto questa raccolta di racconti di DFW dopo la raccolta di saggi "Consider the Lobsters" (consigliata, fra l'altro) prima di addentrarmi nel famigerato "Infinite Jest". Che dire, si tratta di scrittura di grande livello, con una notevole varieta' di stli, spesso sperimentali e un po' cervellotici, persino nei titoli. Le storie vere e proprie sono interessanti, ma assai anomale, talvolta senza nemmeno un finale definito (vedi la storia eponima). Alcune sono effettivamente scorrevoli e affascinanti (la storia su Lyndon Johnson e quella sul talk show) altre molto contorte e un po' auto-congratulatorie.Mi aspettavo che tutto questo fosse una presentazione indolore alla prosa di questo interessante scrittore, ma in realta' e' piu' simile a una lotta, che mi ha lasciato pesto e dolorante, ma tutto sommato vittorioso. Credo che continuero', e penso che valga la pena provare anche per altri.

consegna veloce e puntuale, assolutamente consigliato, di piacevole lettura. Bello buona edizione e prezzo giusto. che altro aggiungere consigliatissimo a

There will be many people who just don't get what David Foster Wallace is about, and I often think I am one of them. Depending what I am reading (Interviews With Hideous Men, Consider the Lobster, A supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Infinite Jest, yes I do totally get it; The Broom of the System, and this one, Girl With Curious Hair, which includes a novella called Westward The Course of Empire Takes Its Way, well - I am undecided that I even want to get it).DFW is sometimes very hard work and even more difficult when the stories, as here, are hardwired into American culture. One, My Appearance, is all about a middling-famous actor going on a David Letterman show. Not having ever seen a Letterman show, I am only vaguely aware that the actor, having an ear-piece inserted in her ear so that her husband and his friend can help her make a good impression on the audience, is funny. Nevertheless, it seemed to me the lamest exercise in flabby satire. Sorry, but there is an enormous ocean between the BBC and American TV.Another offering, Here and There, was a dialogue between a man and his girlfriend in which the man got to explain his ennui and nihilism and the girl got to talk about make-up and love. Though my heart wasn't in it, I found it restlessly, urgently, readable. The rest of the collection was equally patchy but did include a superb sub-Faulknerian pastiche and the marvellous Lyndon, about Lyndon B Johnson, Lady Bird and love. This hits all the right buttons and is surprisingly sympathetic.Readers have to work hard with DFW, and the pay-off is sometimes bafflement, but often the shattering genius of the man gets through - and even in the least loveable of offerings, the light shines down on us heedless, struggling mortals.

The story "Luckily the Accountant Representative knew CPR" struck me intensely; one of the best short stories I've ever read.