norb rated Fragile Things: 4 stars

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
This is a duplicate. Please update your lists. See openlibrary.org/works/OL679359W.
just a guy who reads sometimes
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16% complete! norb has read 2 of 12 books.
This is a duplicate. Please update your lists. See openlibrary.org/works/OL679359W.
Philip K. Dick was a master of science fiction, but he was also a writer whose work transcended genre to …
Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but …
Another great read. I like how the author has really thought pretty deeply about the idea of people leaving Earth, and what that might look like.
I also appreciate that the stories have weight, but the characters in a way don't? I do not mean that in any disparaging way. Just that these characters all have a certain humanity about them that is uplifting.
Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but …
What a great collection of stories. I am not sure if they were chronological or not, but they tended to get more "metaphysical" in nature as they progressed, which, from what I've read, is how his writing went as he aged.
The standouts to me were Paycheck, The King of the Elves, The Days of Perky Pat (maybe my favorite one of them all), and The Exit Door Leads In.
Philip K. Dick was a master of science fiction, but he was also a writer whose work transcended genre to …
This is a duplicate. Please update your lists. See openlibrary.org/works/OL679359W.
I love Neil Gaiman. These stores (and a few poems as well) were all entertaining (as expected). I feel like his writing seems very effortless, and when I'm done reading anything by him I feel like I could just sit down and write something too. Of course I can't, but it's still a good feeling.
This is a duplicate. Please update your lists. See openlibrary.org/works/OL679359W.
Love Gaiman and really into short stories at the moment. Looking forward to this one!
Wow breezed through this one. Loved the parallel stories/timelines that explored similar themes in different ways.
There was something relatable about a person who was uncomfortable in their environment or surroundings. But then to juxtapose that plot line with a plot about “someone” uncomfortable in their body was a really smart way to take an idea many people have dealt with (fish out of water) to something many of us have not (body dysmorphia).
Still stand by my original comment that it reminds me of Murderbot Diaries quite a bit!
@castlerocktronics Thanks for the well thought out reply! That first story you mentioned was also (I think) the first in the collection and stuck with me the most. There was something about both of those people looking at their relationship in two different but somehow similar ways? I also felt like it gave me an idea of Hemmingway’s own issues with women and relationships.
The bullfighting stories were great. My favorite was the kind of washed up fighter trying for one more big show right after getting out of the hospital. The ending seemed inevitable, but not in a trite or boring way. More so that it was exactly where the story needed to go. I also felt like it was a bit of a rumination on aging, pushing limits, and also how god awful people can be to each other. Definitely some layers to it.
Also the story about …
@castlerocktronics Thanks for the well thought out reply! That first story you mentioned was also (I think) the first in the collection and stuck with me the most. There was something about both of those people looking at their relationship in two different but somehow similar ways? I also felt like it gave me an idea of Hemmingway’s own issues with women and relationships.
The bullfighting stories were great. My favorite was the kind of washed up fighter trying for one more big show right after getting out of the hospital. The ending seemed inevitable, but not in a trite or boring way. More so that it was exactly where the story needed to go. I also felt like it was a bit of a rumination on aging, pushing limits, and also how god awful people can be to each other. Definitely some layers to it.
Also the story about the jockey who was a cheater and his son! That one made me sad.
Just a great collection overall.
I've never read any Hemingway, but I loved a lot of these short stories. His ability to have two people talk around something is impressive. These stories were also ... more modern ... than I expected. I'm often caught off guard by how modern old things can be, sometimes.
All in all, a good read and I might find my way back to one of his novels someday.