Customer Reviews

Pieces

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this book a while ago and just started reading it, I picked a random story in it (Petty Theft) and it turned out to be really good. These writers are very talented and this book is worth reading!

Being somewhat anti-MTV and someone who prefers tried and true authors, I admit I approached this book with perhaps an overly critical eye.
It turns out I was in for a big shock. It was worse than I could have imagined. This collection features some of the worst, most cliched PIECES of garbage I have ever had the misery to read.
Everything about it screams second-rate and pretense. Not one story was compelling in the least, especially not stories such as the thinly veiled (...) that is PINBALL. Nevertheless, if you prefer hackneyed and boring stories then by all means buy this book and be happy.

Pieces isnt a bad book at all! I had some low expectations for it due to some of the other reviews, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised with most parts of the book. It isnt very reminiscient of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" if you're expecting that.

Overall, I give it a B, some of the stories were horrible (Mother, White Carousel Horse) and then, some were marvelous,(Roam, Forbidden Fate). Others were mediocre.

Dont listen to the people saying this book is "too much to take" because I am 16 and a high school junior. I found it to be a good read that kept me interested and entertained.

A great selection of stories, edited by the author of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. This collection of stories really grew on me -- and I recommend it! Fun and entertaining. Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

when i read a collection of short stories, i like to pretend that i am the teacher in a creative writing class and give the stories and their authors a grade. this helps me decide which authors i am going to pursue further (i use collections to find new authors). i decided to publish my grades on this collection after seeing other assesments here that were grossly out of line with mine. and my grades are.....

scoring - B minus
polaroid - C
day of the dead - B
the white carousel horse - F
first snow - B
the carnival - F
petty theft - C minus
next time - B
black cowboy - A
pinball - C
mother - F
respiration - C minus
a fortune - D
forbidden state - C minus

notice the nice distribution all averaging to a C. by the way, any editors or english departments that read these and decide to do the same and come up with the exact same grades as i, and realizing my undiscovered genius wish to employ me, i am available.

to those authors who got bad grades, its just one man's very subjective opinion. you should be chuffed that you got published and dont give up. to carmen elena mitchell, i am awaiting more with great anticipation.

this book has about 10 fiction stories dealing from teenage troubles, to life and death situations. some of the stories were definetly disturbing and not something appropriate for a teenage girl of 15 years old to read. others were truly heartfelt. some of them were very inspirational to read. most, left me with a greater understanding for something. a lot of the stories were cliffhangers, and i didn't really know what to expect or think afterwards. I wasn't sure what happened to the characters, but the amazing thing was i wanted to know. This book captured me. it made me think about some of the truly messed-up things happening in this world. i hated this book for its filthy stories about sexuality, but i liked this book for the stories that truly made you think and believe. overall, i would recommend this book to those of you who are in for a slap of realism. it is a fiction book, but more times than not, it seems like reality. like your living it, and it's the truth.

This book is a collection of stories from different people about fictional experiences. My experience with the book was that some stories can be very intense, even disgusting, for a 16-yr. old girl to be able to handle. Other stories in the book can be pretty average. The feelings and thoughts that I had while reading, and even afterwards, went to the extremes. There are quite a few stories that can make the reader think, and some that can make the reader feel like they don't want to read on. There are the stories that made me say, "Why is this happening?" or "What is going to happen next?" I can honestly say that this book was not all that exciting but I can also say that my eyes have not seen all that is happening in the world. This book has opened my eyes and my mind a little more; I now know there is more to life than what I do and think.

This book has fifteen stories. Among those fifteen, one ending has yet to be found. The stories have no sense of finality. Some of the stories were just plain awful, whereas some could have been salvaged if the authors had wrapped things up and given the story a true ending.
The best part of this book was the introduction by Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Sadly, the introduction only lasts three pages, leaving about one hundred and fifty more to wade through. I wouldn't even recommend this book to an enemy, let alone a friend.

there is only one thing that i can say about this book:

beautiful

Though some of the stories may seem cliche, it's interesting to get a glimpse into the creative mind of people that we normally may not have experienced. There are silly, blaring metaphores that don't evoke thought like I feel that some authors wanted, but, all in all, it's a good collection. A little MTV-ey (drugs, sex, drugs, family problems, drugs...), but an interesting read.