A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

I'm sure peoples' tastes on this vary a lot, but... I listened to "Consider the Lobster" a while ago, which is a similar book of essays by DFW, but that book is narrated by DFW. This book is narrated by Paul Garcia. The reading style is vastly different between the two books. DFW's reading style is pretty restrained, like a lot of authors. By comparison - Paul Garcia brings a lot of expression to the reading - his reading of the book sounds sort of like a dramatic monologue, at least compared to the comparatively straightforward approach taken by the author, which sounds like, well, like someone reading from a book. I prefer DFW's reading immensely. I find Paul Garcia's reading here really distracting, and it interferes a lot with my enjoyment of the book. Again - I'm sure this is a matter of taste, and some people will prefer it. But if you are the sort of person who prefers a more affectless reading style, this may bug you as it bugs me.

David Foster Wallace is a genius and an excellent writer - I have respect for his talent, his articulate mastery of the English language and his ability to paint a picture. That said, this book was just way too much of him at once. I can see how his articles would be big hits on an individual basis but as a collection they just fall flat and I had a hard time soldiering through each anecdote and exhausting train of thought trying to get to the next subject. I was amused at times - just nothing here to LOL about (at least the 3/4 that I listened to before setting it aside). Those of you who long for seriously intelligent commentary and sophistication will probably love this - it's got class - maybe just too much for my lowbrow sense of humor and common tastes.

Yes. I would like to experience a few of the essay's topics then listen to these essays again.

The author's attention to details. He has a way of writing a mundane occurrence in a way that makes you feel like you too should be getting more out of how you view life.

I really appreciated a theme mentioned in at two of the essays of how millions of people are being sold the concept of individualism.

I waited a little too long to write this review, but here we go: I'm from Indiana and grew up playing basketball, and I enjoyed Wallace describing his years travelling the Midwest and the dodgy style of gritty tennis he played. He relished the heat, the bugs, and the surprise gusts of wind while others complained of their foul luck. Memorable pieces on the IL state fair and a trip on a luxury cruise liner. Listened to this as I read Michael Martone's The Flatness and Other Landscapes. A good pair.

It's great.

N/A

I enjoyed the state-fair piece and the opening tennis essay the most.

Laugh. A lot.

I would. Maybe in a few years. I would listen to some of the articles I liked better than others but they were dense enough and entertaining that they could require multiple listening if you liked them the first time around.

I would have to say the combination of his razor sharp observations combined with his critical sense of self awareness. Also, the variety of the articles.

That doesn't really apply here. There are a few characters throughout but no stand-out favorites.

Hard to say. There's a lot of information here as each piece is quite long.

An overall strong collection of David Foster Wallace's articles from the early to mid 90s, including a great piece on David Lynch’s set of ‘Lost Highway’, a Canadian tennis tourney, the Illinois State Fair, and aboard a luxury cruise ship. Wallace’s style of razor sharp, surgical precision, that can oft times come off as harsh, combined with his critical sense of self awareness is on full display here. Paul Garcia does a great job of capturing DFW's voice and spirit.