Speaking with the Angel

Book Description

Critics

• Recent audio books

  various readers, 4 cassettes, 6 1/2 hours, unabridged THE LETTER AND OTHER STORIES by W. Somerset Maugham, read by Tony Britton and Clive Francis, Penguin Audio Books, 2 cassettes, 3 hours, unabridged, £8.99. TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED by Roald Dahl, va ... (read full critics)

  spectator published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

• Thirteen of the best

  These short stories are the work of 13 of 'the most exciting and popular writers around', all of whom seem to be friends of the editor. The book is sold in aid of the Treehouse Trust for Autistic Children, which runs a remarkable new school attended ... (read full critics)

  spectator published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

• *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  It’s a collection of short stories. Nick Hornby invited several writers he admires to each contribute a story to the book and all the proceedings will go to charity.

  The one by Giles Smith, yes, the Giles Smith who loves bantering the scouse every now and then, was Last Requests. The writing ... (continue)

  It’s a collection of short stories. Nick Hornby invited several writers he admires to each contribute a story to the book and all the proceedings will go to charity.

  The one by Giles Smith, yes, the Giles Smith who loves bantering the scouse every now and then, was Last Requests. The writing, unlike his usual sarcastic tone, was done rather plainly.

  I always thought that a good ending is hard to come by; therefore, I’m often soft on bad endings and joyous when I see a decent one. I myself have often written something (I deem) smart or intriguing but stumbled at the end. However, there are some people whose stories seem tedious all the way, but somehow they manage to wrap everything in the last paragraph or even the very last sentence, to give it a twist, a revelation, or a closure which brings a bigger meaning to the entire story. And sometimes it’s so powerful that you can’t get your mind off of it.

  Last Requests is that kind of story.

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  Ashley H. said on Feb 21, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  I loved this anthology, and some of the short stories included are still in my heart, even years after reading them. In fact, I could say they are in my all time top 10 of short stories (to put it in Hornby's words, as in High Fidelity).
  Enjoy all these short stories, but in my opinion, the fol ... (continue)

  I loved this anthology, and some of the short stories included are still in my heart, even years after reading them. In fact, I could say they are in my all time top 10 of short stories (to put it in Hornby's words, as in High Fidelity).
  Enjoy all these short stories, but in my opinion, the following deserve a second (and a third) read - always enjoyable:
  NippleJesus - Nick Hornby
  Last requests - Giles Smith
  Walking into the Wind-John O'Farrell

  For every copy sold, 1 pound will go to TreeHouse, a London trust for severely autistic children.

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  Nanopausa said on Aug 16, 2007 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Paperback 256 Pages
• Edition: 1
• ISBN-10: 1573228583
• ISBN-13: 9781573228589
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade
• Pub date: Feb 01, 2001
• Dimensions: 1290 mm x 839 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Audio Cassette
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani

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