- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday; 1st Edition edition (4 Nov 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385605196
- ISBN-13: 978-0385605199
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 875,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Not The End Of The World
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am an ardent admirer of Kate Atkinson's work, but must confess to being a little reluctant to read a collection of short stories as I most love her ability to expand and deliver storylines form the smallest intrigue within her novels. I should not have been so reticent to read this work however as the stories beautifully collide with characters, themes and much more. Never before have I been lead to re-read a book immediately after finishing it the first time, but this I have done with Not the End of the World with great relish. Not only would I wholeheartedly reccommend this book to anyone but I have just bought copies for many friends and relations for Xmas!
58 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Kate Atkinson is one of the most daring, intelligent and gifted women writers around, but after her remarkable debut, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, she veered a bit too far into post-modernism for me. With this collection of 12 interlinked short stories inspired by Greek myths, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Apocalyse she's not just back on form but better than ever. Yes it's still post-modern, but the playfulness and irony work as they didn't fully in Emotionally Weird. My favourite, Unseen Translation, is about the son of a ghastly pop-star who gets Artemis as his nanny. They made me laugh, shiver and cheer. Can't wait for the next novel.
73 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read much of Kate Atkinsons other stories and as with this book I found that the real pleasure to be had is in the telling rather than the story itself. Her language and sense of humour are wonderful, her metaphors and descriptions are original and stick in the mind long after you have finished reading them.
However the only drawback I would say is you do get the feeling often that she has come up with a wonderful idea for a story, started off writing, got halfway through and then not known how to finish it (and it was highlighted here in the short stories where presumably she had to get in, tell the story and get out again in as few pages as possible!!)
If you can suspend the need to have a neatly tied up ending and can just enjoy the way the story was told these short stories are an interesting way to pass a few minutes without demanding too much headspace to follow a plot and I would say go for this. If you hate stories that just hang at the end, or suddenly take a turn for the absurd then best opt for something else!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not the end of the world....
Kate Atkinson is a brilliant writer - I have been reading her books for many years. This book arrived promptly, and was well packed - no problems
Published 6 months ago by G. STEMBRIDGE
hmm
I love Kate Atkinson but this book was just not for me. Some of the short stories were very interesting and I wished they were longer however some were not my cup of tea. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. B. Renton
clever but weird
Some of the stories were very weird but the book is very clever and the majority of stories leave you wanting to know what happens next.
Published 10 months ago by Barbara Cottier
Fantastic stories
I really enjoy Kate Atkinson's writing, especially the Jackson Brodie novels. When I started this I wasn't sure what to make of the first story. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ms. Mary H. Smith
Disappointed
I was really disappointed with this as I have loved the Jackson Brodie stories. I simply couldn't get into the mindset and gave up after trying only a couple of stories. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Liz F
Slightly surreal!
I have read several of Kate Atkinson's novels, and must admit that I found this collection of stories rather surreal! Read more
Published 20 months ago by rach
Beguiling
I really enjoyed the intelligent but kooky nature of this book. It's a 5 star read for me.
I don't think I understood enough of the references to ancient Greek/Roman... Read more
I don't think I understood enough of the references to ancient Greek/Roman... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Allhug
A good read
This book appears at first to be a collection of short stories, but the further you get into it the more you realise it isn't. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Margaret L
Such a good read...
I loved this book: read it in the space of twenty-four hours, and then went back to dip into all my favourite bits again, and make some more connections. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2006 by Sally Douglas
Simply Brilliant
This is one of my all time favourite books. While many of the stories have little substance or even a proper ending, the entire book is masterfully told. Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2006 by J. Thomas
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