See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

9 used & new from £0.68
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (Alex Awards (Awards))
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (Alex Awards (Awards)) (Hardcover)

by ZZ Packer (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


8 used from £0.68 1 collectible from £28.30
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 3 used & new from £12.97
Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £5.99 53 used & new from £0.01
Library Binding (Reprint) 8 used & new from £18.31
Unknown Binding 5 used & new from £20.81

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

No One Belongs Here More Than You

No One Belongs Here More Than You

by Miranda July
4.1 out of 5 stars (10)  £4.79
Drown

Drown

by Junot Diaz
5.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £4.79
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

by Barack Obama
4.5 out of 5 stars (123)  £4.49
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Diaz
3.9 out of 5 stars (16)  £4.79
The White Tiger

The White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga
3.7 out of 5 stars (108)  £3.84
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Riverhead Books (Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1573222348
  • ISBN-13: 978-1573222341
  • Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.6 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,207,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #40 in  Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Families & Parents > Raising Children > Social & Personal Issues > Alcohol

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

O: The Oprah Magazine
ZZ Packer is a writer whose voice sounds thrillingly new and different. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The New York Times Book Review
Superb. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
short stories
maggi

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Packer packs a punch, 7 Jun 2004
By Is (Tokyo) - See all my reviews
It's no surprise that they have got a Zadie Smith quote at the back of this book - ZZ Packer (cool name or what!) hasn't just got zeds in her name, she's also a young, black woman who has graduated from an elite university. But that's about it when it comes to similarities between the two of them. ZZ Packer writes tense little stories about people on the outskirts, and she's got that gift of making you believe in everything she tells you. I caught myself thinking "this must be autobiographical" during most of the stories - which is of course impossible, unless ZZ has been reincarnated as a whole bunch of people.

Normally, I wouldn't read short stories, but this book has made me change my mind. The different stories form a whole - they transmit an atmosphere of run-down West Coast US cities that is so real, it almost plays like a film.

The language is mostly straight-forward - she doesn't do all those sorts of twists and gimmicks that Dave Eggers or Jonathan Safran Foer or Zadie Smith (sorry, her again) play around with. It's far from being boring though: every so often, the language is shot through with spot-on metaphors or vivid imagery. The mini-storylines don't have a really clear structure and still they keep your interest throughout, which I thought was brilliant. I mean, life doesn't really have a clear-cut structure, does it? So why should stories about life do? The fact that ZZ doesn't hammer in her point makes it only more effective - you know, understatement rather than hyperbole.

The first story, about a girl-scout camp, is probably the most conventional one in the book. Highlights for me were Our Lady of the Peace (a young woman trying to teach in a inner-city school), Geese (down and out in Tokyo), Speaking in Tongues (a religious small-town girl goes to Atlanta in search of her drug-addict mum) and... OK, better stop before I mention them all.

What can I say? Read this book, just do, it's a great experience. Oh, I almost forgot, here's my little joke: ZZ won't give you the zeds. Hehe.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars read this now!, 13 May 2004
By Mr. S. N. Barton "Dirkfrangipan" (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (Paperback)
These are a collection of wonderful and unpretentious stories. They are so lucid, and don't ooze with metaphors and similes like other novels, but are embellished by them, seamlessly woven in by this fantastic energetic new writer. This is one of those few books that defies genre, not in its obtuseness but in its simplicity, it seems that writers are learning to just tell good, clever stories again
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sky-high expectations and it did not disappoint, 29 Nov 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (Paperback)
I had heard/read nothing but good things about this book and so, inevitably, expected to be let down. It would be too hard for it to match up to the glowing praise it had received.
But, no, it is superb. Brilliant. I read the first fifty pages after opening it to read the acknowledgements... didn't even notice I was turning pages. It sucked me in from the start. It is incredibly easy to read - not due to simplicity but due to the writer's unforced facility with language.
I hope ZZ writes more. Much more.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting stories
DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE is one of my personal favorites. ItS exploration of the characters, fascinating plots and smooth flow make for an excellent read. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2006 by Mikhail

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates