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This book is a little weaker respect previous books of Sedaris. Themes are the same, tone is the some, humour is the same. So maybe this is getting a little repetitive.

The theme of European and specifically Italian immigrants in US has been treated many times, so I had some doubts about what this book could add.
In reality, this book is highly original, it tells interesting stories of an interesting period. Some of the moments are pretty are to read, while other are uplifting. The prose is good and the author speaks from the heart.

The book is very powerful and there's a lot of craziness in it. Some is due to real mental illnesses, som is due to the madness of the stories and situations and some is just due to not being able to see the reality without some pretty thick educational lenses. Anyway, good for you Tara. You came out from a very strange place a wrote a landmark book.

The book was not what I expected, mostly because I didn't do my homework beforehand. I was expecting something more focused on fascism and persecution of the Jews, but these things are just in the background, while the book focuses on the “questione meridionale” that is a way to describe the long standing issues related to the south of Italy. Levi explores this complex matter through a series of episodes.
The style is very varied, there are flashbacks, philosophical and historical mini essays throughout the book and so on.
Certainly an original book but maybe a little cold in some places to really merit 5 stars. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading it.

So far I have not enjoyed Baricco's books that much. Silk is one of the few that I actually liked. I don't think that the quality is even and there are significant drops in style here and there, but the story is cute and the tone is not pretentious.

3.5 stars... TL,DR: This would have been a great book if it wasn't too long. The story is interesting and written in elegant Italian. The research behind this is impressive and the tone in describing something difficult is always on point. Having said that, the author goes a little too far in adding historical context and side stories, such that the book feels a little dispersive and some parts are a little bit of a chore to get through.
Still, there are some very deep social meanings in this book that the author is not scared to bring forward.

Better than previous books. A lot of other readers find Sedaris “hilarious”, but at most I had a few chuckles, but I found this book a little less cynical than his other books and this made it more enjoyable.

Lots of characters and lots of story. Maybe too much. The book is well written and takes you to cool places all around Barcelona, with interesting collisions with real Spanish history, but overall, the book is too long and the story loses steam along the way because of it.

There is certainly an underlying sad tone about this book. The premise is grim, the whole aura surrounding this book is grim. But the writing turned out not be heavy, it was actually a smooth read, and of course you root for the hero, but this is real life...

I'm a “constant reader” and I'm all caught up. That means that I read everything SK wrote, and I've been an SK reader for 30+ years. This is to say, that for people who haven't read everything from SK, this book might come out really strong, but for me is just nice, because most of the themes have been explored before in other books of his.

Mr. Harrigan's Phone: Classic King, nothing new under the sun, but it was like being visited by an old friend, maybe with different new clothes. So a nice evening remembering old times. Overall, very enjoyable.

The Life of Chuck: This is the most original of the stories in this book, too bad it feels unfinished, or maybe I didn't get it :-)

If It Bleeds: There's no doubt that “The Outsider” has been a full package success and gave us great hours of entertainment, so why not getting into Holly's world one more time? No reason not to!

Rat: Solid, classic King once again. Nothing new, but well written.

There are some interesting things here and there and a lot of other things that are just common sense. The author tries so hard to make his examples conform to the framework he created, that that the tone of the book is too forced. Overall it is an easy read and it doesn't add much to your knowledge, if you already read a lot of self improvement books and regularly listen to popular podcasts.

Easy easy read. A reminder of simple things that everybody should already know. Most of the book is decent, then it gets a little too spiritual for my taste, but overall good suggestions that might resonate with some people more than others.

Fun, not particularly deep, but well written and an enjoyable way to pass the time while working out.

An history lesson and a medicine lesson all wrapped up in an engaging family drama. Great book!

I'm not sure how to actually review this. So many things have been said about this book and I'm definitely not worth to add anything more. But I will say that the depictions of human imperfections and of how grit defies aging are quite something.

The book is very short. In audio form is like a long podcast. Having said that, it comprehensively outlines a minimalist philosophy about small businesses and small size enterprises. While, taken one by one, all these observations are also found in other sources, I have not found a single place where they are all integrated together like in this book.
The only real downside is that for some of the “guidance” no counter arguments are analyzed to show where the limits are and where the methods break. In the end this is in line with the spirit of the book, something quick and actionable, not an all-encompassing academic book on business.

Tabucchi has superior style. He could write just about anything and still capture you. This book is another beauty, but, to some extent, it ended up being too short for me. The author is clear in saying that this was the objective, but the choice didn't resonate with me. It doesn't get 5 start because of this plot choice.

There's nothing wrong with this little book, but a lot of things are very well known by now, so I don't think it is groundbreaking or that enlightening in 2020. It is an extremely short read or you can listen to it during a short gym workout or run and it will entertain you a little bit, but if you read other self improvement books in your life, chances are that you will not find anything new...

The social and historical background is very interesting. Unfortunately, the story is not.

It is always with a mix of sadness and excitement that I approach a book from Michael Crichton that I haven't read. The books are always superb and riveting but thinking that this wonderful author has gone too soon and, selfishly, that I have not that many of his books left to read, makes me a little sad. This story is fun, goes fast without slumping and makes you smarter and more aware. The technology described is of course outdated, but this only adds to the vintage appeal of this book.

Oscillating between 3 and 4. There's no question that, in my opinion, this book is less “grand” or original than the previous two books. A lot of ideas are repeated and recycled from Sapiens and Homo Deus. I was a little disappointed by the first 3rd of the book but the second part turned out to be more original and convincing.

It took me a little bit to get into the rhythm of this book with so many characters. By the end I was really enjoying it and learn quite a few things. It is a little grim for sure...

Nice small story set during an important period of Italian history, the post WWII. The most interesting part is that this story, for once, recounts Italy from a Sardinian point of view and that is not common to read.

This books is great. Deep, inventive, full of science and feelings and written with passion. Highly recommended.

This is quite a book. A long epic story with complex historical backgrounds. In a lot of ways it reminds of the style of Garcia Marquez.