AltWeeklies Wire
Enemies Foreign and Domesticnew
Dave Eggers and Ben Fountain have written two of the best novels of the year (so far).
The Stranger |
Paul Constant |
08-08-2012 |
Fiction
Favorite Books of 2009 (Yes, We Still Read Books)new
"What? Reading?" In a year when we were all too busy tweeting on our iPhones to cook a meal, even the ever-present Kindle-coma is preferable to no reading at all. So, if you're willing to stop playing Farmville for a minute, here are a few books worth skimming at the local bookshop.
Dig Boston |
Rachael Katz |
12-30-2009 |
Books
'Where the Wild Things Are' Left Me Out in the Coldnew
It's standard practice to praise children's movies by saying they'll be enjoyed by parents and children alike, but in this case I suspect that some parents will sink blissfully into a reverie watching the characters throw clods of dirt, while their offspring tug on sleeves to ask when they can go outside and throw clods of dirt.
Willamette Week |
Aaron Mesh |
10-14-2009 |
Reviews
Spike Jonze Sincerely Adapts 'Where the Wild Things Are'
Jonze's no-nonsense movie expands gently on Maurice Sendak's elegant 20-page kids' book to address children, acknowledging their primal impulses -- which they must eventually control.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
10-12-2009 |
Reviews
'Away We Go': Turbulence and Travelnew
The dialogue is prone to the same sort of meandering "look at me" monologues that pepper Dave Eggers' books. The monologues work here, mostly because of the excellent cast and because they are voiced by different characters, but they occasionally threaten to beat you over the head with "no-duh" messages about love and family.
Boise Weekly |
Jeremiah Wierenga |
07-02-2009 |
Reviews
'Away We Go': A Journey Through Life With Baggagenew
See it for the many lovely performances, although the film's vision of Gen-Y nesting is liable to leave you up a tree.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
06-19-2009 |
Reviews
'Away We Go' Takes the Long Way Homenew
A smart, warm date night at the movies, but not exactly a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
06-18-2009 |
Reviews
Natural Performances Save Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida and Sam Mendes from Themselvesnew
Its opening scene, a deadpan discussion of "vaginal flavors" during oral sex, threatens 90 minutes of the sort of self-satisfied wise-assery that too often intrudes on Dave Eggers' fiction. But Away We Go soon settles into a less strident pace, driven less by its authors' whims than by the casual airs of its leads.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
06-16-2009 |
Reviews
'Away We Go' Is an Unaffecting Work of Staggering Vacuitynew
Not surprisingly, in Dave Eggers' first original screenplay, Away We Go, the characters never shut up.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
06-05-2009 |
Reviews
Surviving Sudan: 'Out of Exile' Chronicles Displaced People's Tragic Talesnew
Exile is the fourth book in Dave Eggers' Voice of Witness series, and it shows that McSweeney's admirable project has improved along the way.
Las Vegas Weekly |
John Freeman |
01-08-2009 |
Nonfiction
'McSweeney's 24': Gorgeous, As Alwaysnew
One half of the new McSweeney's consists entirely of a tribute to the postmodern master of short fiction, the late, great Donald Barthelme, with recollections by friends, colleagues, and admirers such as George Saunders, Ann Beattie, Robert Coover, and Lawrence Weschler.
The Portland Mercury |
Chas Bowie |
11-01-2007 |
Fiction
Bankruptcy Won't Hurt Eggers's Fundraisingnew
Scores of independent publishing houses have been hurt by the bankruptcy of the corporation that owns Publishers Group West, including McSweeney's, which publishes Eggers's new book, the proceeds from which are to go to charity.
Portland Phoenix |
Christopher Gray |
03-02-2007 |
Books
Tags: Dave Eggers, What is the What
On Art and Animal Testiclesnew
You have staggered into his genius and you have known his velocity; this time, Eggers gets candid about shady horse dealerships and edible testicles.
Dig Boston |
Sue Bell |
05-05-2005 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Dave Eggers, How We Are Hungry
My Blank Pagesnew
The lack of pre-release hype and author sightings on the media radar have made it possible to appreciate the writing in this short-story collection without getting bogged down in the Dave Eggers cult of personality.
Boston Phoenix |
Nina MacLaughlin |
04-14-2005 |
Fiction
Tags: of, a, Dave Eggers, How We Are Hungry, McSweeney's, Know, You, Genius, Heartbreaking, Our, Shall, Staggering, Velocity!, work
His Velocity: Keeping Up With Dave Eggersnew
While Heartbreaking Work fried Eggers' grief over his parents' death in a vat of irony -- a necessary tic, no doubt, in de-sanctifying the memoir -- these stories do not have their guards up. They are raw, unfiltered and have the quivering texture of lived experience.
Missoula Independent |
John Freeman |
10-29-2004 |
Fiction
