Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays

Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's deal, anyway? And what happens when adult video starlets meet their fans in person? David Foster Wallace answers these questions and more in essays that are also enthralling narrative adventures. Whether covering the three-ring circus of a vicious presidential race, plunging into the wars between dictionary writers, or confronting the World's Largest Lobster Cooker at the annual Maine Lobster Festival, Wallace projects a quality of thought that is uniquely his and a voice as powerful and distinct as any in American letters. more

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1-10 out of 58

From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-27-2009

Missing one key piece...

DFW's content is not the object of this review. Rather, I am reviewing (and objecting to) the Kindle version of the book, which does not include the marvelous essay, "Host." Although I (now) understand that the article in its original form used sidenotes that cannot be duplicated in the eBook...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-17-2009

Refreshing ...

David Foster Wallace's, "Consider The Lobster," was the type of book I find myself drawn to. It is a collection of essays that DFW wrote without coming across as trying to force feed to his audience. He has a keen understanding of the world around him and a writing style that never felt forced or...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Jul-08-2009

Semi-Ugh (updated)

I gave this one star, but I should update it to 2. The essay that attracted me first was on English usage, but it seemed daunting to tackle it. But once I got into it, that alone lifted my rating slightly.The rest of my early review went like this and is somewhat the same (unless I revise it...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Jun-29-2009

Amazing writing style

You may or may not enjoy the topics he writes about - the first chapter chronicles his experience attending the Adult Video Awards - but the writing style is superb. Definitely worth reading.

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From: Amazon
Posted: Apr-28-2009

Is Harold Hecuba author and DFW friend Evan Wright?

Just finished re-reading this, AFTER reading Hella Nation by Evan Wright Hella Nation: Looking for Happy Meals in Kandahar, Rocking the Side Pipe, Wingnut's WarAgainst the GAP, and Other Adventures with the Totally Lost Tribes of America. Given Wright's introduction and "Life in Porn," AND DFW's...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Apr-24-2009

a tragic loss

i just finished reading this book. i only started reading dfw after reading about his death. after reading this book, i feel so sad that he's no longer here. his essays are extremely insightful, and he's such a brilliant writer and person. his probing curiosity about every aspect of the world...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Mar-07-2009

this lighted genius does not go faintly into the night

When reading DFW it feels as if I'm on a round the clock rendezvous and always coming up short; racing around corners just to catch a glimpse of his genius. And now, sadly, the rendezvous has left our solar system. "Certainly the End of Something" is so hilarious and pocketed with truisms that it...

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From: Amazon
Posted: Jan-19-2009

Facinating read!

This book was my introduction to David Foster Wallace and it was so good that I'm now reading some of his other books. While his vocabulary required keeping a dictionary or thesaurus handy, the extra effort was well worth it, as his unique vision seems to require an arcane verbiage at times. He's...

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