About this title: A stellar group of writers explore the cornerstone of fiction writing: creating character. There are as many ways to develop character as there are writers, and this anthology features a rich assortment of exceptional examples.
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Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0143038184 Ex-library book with stickers and stampings. Overall good condition with clean text and good binding unless otherwise noted. Most items ship within 24 hours. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2008-01-02
ISBN-13:9780143038184ISBN:0143038184
Description: New in None as issued jacket. New, unread copy with publisher's inventory mark. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780141029320ISBN:0141029323
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Date Published: 2008-01-02
ISBN-13:9780143038184ISBN:0143038184
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780143038184. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780143038184ISBN:0143038184
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: PENGUIN BOOKS LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780141029320ISBN:0141029323
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 304 pages. Features twenty stories by writers from both sides of the atlantic. full colour interleaved (Paperback) read more
Edition: First US edition-First printing.
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin Books, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780143038184ISBN:0143038184
Description: Fine original paperback. Full color insert by Chris Ware. Signed on full title page by Zadie Smith and at contributions by Aleksandar Hemon, Jonathan Lethem and Jonathan Foer. 23 brand new stories. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: softcover
Publisher: Penguin, (NY)
Date Published: (2007)
Description: The first American edition of this anthology of original stories edited by Zadie Smith and with contributions by George Saunders, Vendela Vita, Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, Edwidge Danticat, Aleksandar Hemon, A.M. Homes, Nick Hornby, Jonathan Lethem, A.L. Kennedy, Hari Kunzru, David Mitchell, Colm Toibin, ZZ Packer, Heidi Julavits, Toby Litt and others. For the writers, the assignment was to "make somebody up. " The proceeds from the book benefitted 826 New York, part of the chain founded ... read more
Description: Good. Minimal damage to cover and binding. Pages show light use. With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, Best Prices. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group Usa
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780143038184ISBN:0143038184
Description: New. A stellar group of writers explore the cornerstone of fiction writing: creating character. There are as many ways to develop character as there are writers, and this anthology features a rich assortment of exceptional examples. read more
"So far, it's amazing! I love the characters, especially Judith Castle, the uppity, overly-dramatic, manipulative Judith.
Every day I go to read one of the short stories and end up reading 3 or 4. It's addicting. I haven't come across any I hated and only a few that left me indifferent.
I enjoy the varieties of characters from the eccentric to ordinary. I identified with Miranda July's what-ifs, Judge Gladys Parks-Schultz's blame game, and Gabrielle's ingenuity in saving her father from a temptress in Vendela Vida's "Soleil." "Puppy" makes us question our judgments of what is right and wrong. "Frank" allows us to live the horror of losing a child along with the protagonist who blames himself for his child's death but is also blamed by his wife for the death.
I have heard that men cannot correctly write from a woman's perspective. I was skeptical of this generalization, but I came across 2 examples of authors' sex superseding their narrator of the opposite sex. For example, in Danticat's (a woman) "Lélé," I was almost finished with the piece before I realized that the narrator was a man. He has a very emotional relationship with his sister and even places his head on her lap to cry at one point. It just seems rather improbable between a brother and sister, though possible between two sisters. The voice definitely seems female.
I had the opposite experience when reading Jonathan Safran Foer's "Rhoda." Even though the main character's name is Rhoda, the voice seemed so masculine that it was not until the last sentence that I realized she was a woman.
So I guess the phenomenon works both ways, at least in these pieces. It's something to pay attention to, anyway.
A wonderful book. I love being able to read a short story before bed. It's so much less daunting than a long novel."
"I really enjoyed this book as an introduction to contemporary writers (whom to which I may have not been introduced) and a study on character.
There are some excellent submissions that, although this may sound cliché will move you to laughter then to tears (with sometime the fewest of words. It's an easy read - but one to savour (my advice is to read each story separately and return to the book later).
Selected Favorites: Magda Mandela by Hari Kunzru ("I know you!), Soleil by Vandela Vida - the way the story is told through Gabrielle's (a little girl's) eyes and the insight this gives and her mimicry of her adults.
Lele by Edwidge Danticat has to be my favorites of the stories - I am currently following up on this author.
What the book most of all has to offer is a range of cultures and writing skills - one not to be missed and one that once read will with stay with you."
"This turned out to be a largely fantastic collection of stories. It's always going to be difficult to please one reader from start to finish in a book like this with so many authors and different styles and voices. But I was loving it more than I wasn't throughout. The concept, put forth by editor Zadie Smith, was "make somebody up". So the book is a study in characters and all of the different ways they can be introduced and presented to readers. I found myself drawn into so many different worlds and fascinated and concerned by a variety of characters. At the end of more than one story I would find myself slightly frustrated because I wanted to continue following the life of that particular character. But then I would turn to the next story and be caught up once again in another character's life. Some of my favorite stories were written by David Mitchell, Zadie Smith, Edwidge Danticat, Adam Thirlwell, Heidi Jualvits, George Saunders and Jonathan Lethem. On top of being a collection of great stories, the book is also a charity anthology, the proceeds of which go to 826 New York, a non-profit orginization that helps students 6-18 develop creative and expository writing skills."
"The Book of Other People is a compilation of short stories from twenty-three different authors. The stories are as varied as the authors who wrote them. They range from really bad to really good, to funny, to sad, to weird and two of them are cartoons. There is definitely something for everybody in the Book of Other People. I'm the kind of person who reads a book from start to finish and even thought this is a book of many short stories I forced myself to read them one by one in the 'right' order. That did make the book a bit hard to get through when I slugged my way through the less interesting short stories. I could just have skipped the ones I didn't like but I wanted to get the whole picture. I think I've discovered and author or two that I'll look up other books by after having read this. It's a nice little read for those times when you don't feel like spending your entire time reading one long story. In the end it did have many more good stories than bad in it and was well worth buying. If you're interested in short stories or just want something to escape to when whatever long book you're reading is getting to you then I really recommend this one."
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