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What Members Thought
I was given this book in order to provide a blurb, but I can say without reservation that there is no coloring of my opinion because of that. The Poor Man's Guide is a powerful collection of short stories. Benson has a voice that is every bit as muscular and jarring as his more well-known peers (Woodrell, Palahniuk, etc.) but brings to bear a surprising amount of heart--and perhaps more importantly, a kind of truthfulness to the telling of these stories. There is no overreaching, no shock for sh
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All I can say is: "Got-damn!" I honestly can't remember a voice this thrilling and fearless since Barry Hannah. These stories sing out at the edge of abandon, at the very edge of catching fire and burning you up. Schuler Benson is the real thing, and you should read this book before it internally combusts.
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There is an authority and an honesty to this voice that will make you laugh and squirm at the same time.
One of the blurbs called it the spawn of Palahniak and Hannah, but for me it more conjured Daniel Woodrell and maybe even Cormac McCarthy. But the best part of all of that, is this is simply a fresh new voice. Another generation's turn.
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One of the blurbs called it the spawn of Palahniak and Hannah, but for me it more conjured Daniel Woodrell and maybe even Cormac McCarthy. But the best part of all of that, is this is simply a fresh new voice. Another generation's turn.
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Jul 28, 2014
Leah Angstman
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
a-list-of-good-fiction
I am the publisher of this book, so of course I'm biased, but the reason I published this book is because it is one of the most fantastic collections of stories I have ever read. Schuler's voice is vibrant and important and full of that honesty and intelligence that makes something really stick with you. He is writing about a world that he is mired in, and the experience and the details just pop to life right off the page. It is seriously an incredible book.
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A very forceful collection of stories. They hit hard and they hit fast in all good ways. Benson's characters are dark, and they revel in that--in turns depressing and hilarious. A quick read that is more than worthwhile.
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I read multiple stories from Poor Man's Guide before release to provide a blurb, but grabbed my own copy after release.
In the preface, Benson compares the structure of Poor Man's Guide to a music album. Many of the stories, with their short bursts of imagery, made me think of a punk show. The characters never overstay their welcome or leave too soon; like an intriguing stranger, you learn enough about their lives to want to know more -- or enough to know you don't. The longer pieces, like Ace Da ...more
In the preface, Benson compares the structure of Poor Man's Guide to a music album. Many of the stories, with their short bursts of imagery, made me think of a punk show. The characters never overstay their welcome or leave too soon; like an intriguing stranger, you learn enough about their lives to want to know more -- or enough to know you don't. The longer pieces, like Ace Da ...more
Brilliant, disturbing and written with a startling grace, this collection of short stories will change you. The Poor Man's Guide to an Affordable, Painless Suicide is not for passive readers. It is for readers who want to experience conflicting emotions and look at the world from a point of view they had previously never considered. It is for fans of classic storytelling and risk-taking style. With this collection, Benson proves that the short story genre has never been stronger.
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Authentic to the rural experience.
Jul 28, 2014
Joseph Michael Owens
marked it as to-read
Jul 29, 2014
Lawrence Gladeview
marked it as to-read
Jul 29, 2014
Hosho
marked it as to-read
Oct 13, 2014
Charles White
marked it as to-read
Apr 19, 2016
Will Mayo
marked it as to-read
