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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
 

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Vintage)

by Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers is a terrifically talented writer; don't hold his cleverness against him. What to make of a book called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Based on a True Story? For starters, there's a good bit of staggering genius before you even get to the true story, including a preface, a list of "Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of This Book," and a 20-page acknowledgements section... (read more)

Top tags: memoir,  nonfiction,  non-fiction,  coming of age,  fiction (all tags)

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Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Joe M
  • Rated 4 stars

“I've been meaning to read this book for years, and finally got around to it. After having just finished "What is the What," which I thought was great (though took me forever to read because it is so depressing and intense), I thought I'd finally read this one.

It was interesting and kept my attention, but I don't know that it lived up to the hype (that either I have heard, or created in my own mind). Eggers comes off as very human, at times very likable and other not so much, which...”

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Didn’t Like It

Karen S
  • Rated 2 stars

“Would've given it 3 stars but by the time I finished all those endless paragraphs (that turned out to be one long tedious sentence each) all I remembered was "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." I appreciate writers who know how to economize words in order to say a lot. Eggers needed a better editor.”

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Community:
  • Rated 3.851513 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3.5 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Laura W

    laura w said:

    “I feel bad that I didn't like this book more. Everyone I know who has read it thinks it's amazing, but I just wasn't really into it. It's decent, but not amazing. Eggers basically goes on long rants. I felt like I kept reading it to get to the good part, and when I finished the book, I still was left wanting to find it.”

    posted Sunday, March 30 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Brittany D

    brittany d said:

    “I thought this book was beautiful. It might have been more engaging to me than to other people because I was 17 when my mom died and left me and my 6 year old brother. I don't think it's self absorbed, but maybe you have to have had a loss at a younger age to completely understand the emotions and trials that he goes through.”

    posted Saturday, March 29 2008
  • heather c

    heather c said:

    “Brilliant language and touching story that had me captivated for about the first 180 pages and then the cycle of self absorption became so monotonous that I had to stop and I actually tossed it in the garbage. ”

    posted Saturday, March 29 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Julie E

    julie e said:

    “I've just started reading this book, and I'm enjoying it so far, although I was a bit annoyed with Eggers at first... he seemed a little pretentious, or maybe smug is a better word. But I'm enjoying it now. I was a little surprised that his description of his mother's illness has been so unemotional up to this point. It seems like her death is only important in that it provides background for the rest of the story, which is unusual.”

    posted Tuesday, February 19 2008
  • andyinabox

    andyinabox said:

    “One of my favorite books”

    posted Monday, December 31 2007
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