TBR

Book Description
"I think this book is kind of malleable. I've never really wanted to put it away and be done with it forever -- the second I first 'finished' it, I wanted to dig back in and change everything around. So I'm looking forward to getting back into the text, and straightening and focusing and deleting. Most of all, I'm thrilled that Vintage will be letting me include all the cool chase scenes, previously censored." -- Dave Eggers

The literary sensation of the year, a book that redefines both family and narrative for the twenty-first century. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is the moving memoir of a college senior who, in the space of five weeks, loses both of his parents to cancer and inherits his seven-year-old brother. Here is an exhilarating debut that manages to be simultaneously hilarious and wildly inventive as well as a deeply heartfelt story of the love that holds a family together.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is an instant classic that will be read in paperback for decades to come.

PAPERBACK EDITION -- 15% MORE STAGGERING - Eggers has written 15,000 additional words for the Vintage Canada edition, including an entirely new appendix.

it's a book ring!
participants:

luv2sewtjr-PA (?)
butlin-NH (no pref.)
Miss-R-England
ahythloday-WA
arugh48187-MN
kymberlie-TX
BecFromMD
back to me---->weeblet (VA)

Release planned for Friday, November 07, 2003 at Bookcrosser's home in postal release, postal release USA.

I just got this in the mail today. Since I'll be finishing my other bookring tonight, I'll be starting this right away.

Thanks!

Heartbreaking?? At times.

Staggering genius?? Not sure.

I just finished this and I'm having a hard time rating and reviewing it. The story wasn't terrible, but seeing that Pulitzer Prize Winner really raised my expectations (and the book didn't really meet them).

The honesty (of the emotions) in this book is its strong point, in my opinion. I didn't care for the writing style and felt that it was too long. That extra 15% didn't help things. I also felt that the book was a little too contemporary, for lack of a better word.

I'll be sending this to arugh48187 before the end of this week. I'm anxious to read others' opinions.

This book arrived today in the mail. I have a few bookrays in front of it, but I am a fast reader and will get to it soon.

Released on Monday, January 26, 2004 at Post Office at 153rd and Garrett in Apple Valley, Minnesota Controlled Releases.

I am sending this out to the next person on the list without reading it. I am off to India in a week or so and don't think it should have to sit in my house until I get back in March. Perhaps it will pay another visit when it gets closer to the end of its journey.

Just received...3 book rings in front of this one. Will journal once I read. Thanks.

I thought I was going to really enjoy this book. It started off good but went to wordy and boring very quickly. I couldn't even finish it. I have too many other books that I really am looking forward to reading to spend time with a book I am not enjoying.
Off to Miss-R.

Got this a couple of days ago-really, really looking forward to reading it!

Neither heartbreaking, nor genius. I found this dull, self obsessed and actually rather annoying. A huge disapointment.

i am almost done with my current bookring book and this one is next!

i don't understand why the author thought that confessing his need for approval would make us approve..its an old tactic that never worked. he seemed to think we would say, "well! he's honest about it so suddenly all this self-deprecation is really cool!" yeah...how 'bout no. self-deprecation can be a wonderful technique but very few can pull it off without being so whinny. but i guess eggers wanted to be whinny. he mentioned several instances in his life when he wanted approval but didn't want to seem to be wanting approval. well good, i don't approve and won't act like it either! hehehe...oh i'm so clever.....

the only thing i really liked about this book was the writing style. it flowed (except at the end, good god!) and was humorous. also commendable was the desire, while not the ability, to describe twentysomething existence. unlike most on the list, i did finish the book. thats what i get, having nothing to do this week! i was able to finish it within three days but maybe i was just pushing myself...i hate to not finish something...anyway, i was going to say that like most others i was surprised by its being a finalist for the pulitzer prize. i've read some pulitzers i don't like but this book was, overall, quite common. why did they pick this book in particular?

autumn

This one has finally returned to me. I have a few bookrings in front of it, but I am a fast reader and will get to it shortly.

Good God am I glad this book is finished. I could not wait for it to be over and don't really know why I even bothered to finish it. In essence this book was about nothing, meant nothing, and I have trouble figuring out why it exists. I will be passing it on early next week. I hope others enjoy it more than I did. Thanks for sharing and sorry for keeping it so long.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to BecFromMD. Kymberlie was a little late to respond and so she will be moved down the list (per weeblet).

I am last in line for this book and I already warned weeblet that I will hold onto it longer than I would like to because I have two bookrings ahead of it! Feel free to give me a nudge if it's taking too long, but otherwise I hope to get to it within the next month or so.

1/4/05 update:

Well, yes, this took a bit longer than I had hoped. This book had my attention from the minute I opened to the unconventional copyright page and even less conventional "acknowledgements"! It is a brutally honest memoir, full of bravado and self-doubt, prejudices, fears, endless self-conscious reflection, and quite interesting stories. This author has had a very unusual life, and he portrays it well (if a bit long-windedly).

My main complaint is his overabundant use of "the F-word." Not only is it disturbing to read that he said it so much around his then-seven-year-old brother, but it is just plain disturbing to read that word SO much. It seems this is part of the brutal honesty I and several others have mentioned, but I don't know if he needed to be THAT brutal.

I am heading out to visit the Bay Area this week, and may be moving there next summer, so I enjoyed the book as a bit of a tour guide. My only regret is not being able to wild-release it on my trip!

got it back! this is my first (to date) successful bookring. thank you all for taking such good care of it, even tho the majority didn't care for it....
that said, it's a little lower on my TBR, but i appreciate all of your input :)