Customer Comments

As I came to the end of the novel, one of the questions I took away with me was whether or not the unnamed protagonist's successes were worth the inevitable losses -- extending that concept outward I find myself hoping that this country will survive the downsides of its rapid growth and rise. The powerful and continuing love story between the unnamed character and the pretty girl holds the key to existing with a measure of peace and stability among the chaos; that's all I'll say about this right now and leave it to you to read it for yourself. Highly recommended.

Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins was one of my favorite books from last year. I loved the dreamy, magical way it captivated a struggling seaside town in Italy, and a young hotel owner, riled up by the arrival of a Hollywood actress. Walter's new story collection, We Live in Water, is more gritty than dreamy, but his amazing storytelling ability shines through any setting. The main characters in each of these stories are men who are struggling with one thing or another��"addiction, relationships gone wrong, professional failure, etc., and many of the stories have left me thinking about them even after I finished. Highly recommended.

This book really resonated with me -- though i found it hard at moments to separate the fiction from the fact - wondering often what was real and what was made-up? the style of the telling very much lends itself to just hearing a doctor speak about cases/people she has known. This collection of short stories is really wonderful. Aronson writes in a way that complex emotions and ideas are addressed via memorable characters and tight prose.

I really love this book. It grabs the reader by the throat from page one and does not let go! It is different from anything I have ever read, and I like that. It is beautifully written; the characters rise up from the page and come alive. The author has crafted the diction and dialogue with such precision the the prose sings. One of the best books I have read in a very long time, and I found myself thinking about this book weeks after reading it. I am greatly anticipating Wiley Cash's next book.

I picked this book up at random at the library and was very pleasantly surprised. The writing is incredible and I've added the author to my list of people to keep an eye out for... the story was good as far as the characters go. At the same time, this is one of the most purely transporting novels I've ever read, as in it really does transport you to another place and time--and what a time and place! I have read many, many books, but it is safe to say I have never read anything set in an American oil company's residential compound in the middle of the Arabian desert in the early 1960s. Definitely recommended if you like lush depictions of distinctive or exotic settings.