cpk

Excellent book that lives up to its title.

Reviewed: 12-16-24

This is a comprehensive, but plain-language treatise on "short writing", which covers everything the title describes, including epitaphs, emails, any form of text, tweet, or sound bite you care to name, journalistic accounts, safety instructions, advertisements, political and commercial "pitches", song lyrics, you name it. For me, the section on poetry, which is short writing par excellence, is an outstanding non-technical introduction to the subject. Another virtue of the book is that, despite being "short", it is not short in attribution, because it is thoroughly documents every point the author makes with a thickly knit network of examples and literary references that are not just attention-getting to the very point. Finally, the section about misuses of short writing at the end is well worth as a stand-alone piece. Can't say enough. Will re-read this one because it's worth it..

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A master class in the interpretation of ancient texts.

Reviewed: 11-29-24

Socrates is like many other figures of ancient times in that he is known to us pretty much totally by what other more or less contemporary people said about him, read or wrote about him, did about him, what he himself is reported to have said or done about various contemporaries and current events - or not. There is no actual documentary "first edition" to refer to. The process of interpreting the evidence, weighing the confirmations and contradictions, and picking out what is totally unknowable from his time to ours is - extremely arduous and tentative - however intriguing or fascinating any conclusions might be. This book pulls no punches about that.

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Buen contenido, pero una narración mas animada sería mejor

Reviewed: 11-29-24

La narracion es un poco monotona y falta de enfasis, lo que es un problema con un tema abstracto de por sí, ya que es un resúmen detalladamente puntualizado de la retorica de Aristoteles. Adormece un poco al auditor cuando tiene que mantenerse alerta a cada vuelta del argumento.

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narration was surprisingly good

Reviewed: 11-20-24

This gives pithy, but still usable review of a thorny and vvery complicated topic. Well done.

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True to the title this is a very short introduction

Reviewed: 09-12-24

Reviews very quickly some of the different ways ethical questions have been posed and can be posed. It is not a "deep dive", and even though it has uses numerous "quotable quotes" and also refers accurately to original sources, it is still only an introduction to thinking ethically.

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Creepy-scary

Reviewed: 07-09-23

Supernatural staker story told through a series of voicemails. The small talk, greetings, and interruptions add to the suspenseful pace.

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Outstabding short story.

Reviewed: 05-28-23

Outstanding short story with a kind-of surprise ending. The narrator is just on-point, and the writing is deceptively simple - kind of like real life. Things just kind of sneak up while you are looking at all the other interesting things.

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Strange murder in a castle overlooking the Rhine

Reviewed: 05-13-23

"Old-time" detective story, part gothic tale, with emphasis on style, mood, and peculiar, over-the-top characters and situations, and part locked-room mystery. Set in 1930. Builds up slowly. Good voice-acting.

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2 people found this helpful

Analysis of the decline of Western social order.

Reviewed: 02-19-23

Excellent reading. The author describes this work as a brief explication of his earlier work,The Decline of the West. He provides a pointed analysis of what was then the "modern" European and North American world, and how its intellectual, social, political, and economic order were setting the stage for its decline, by a kind of "de-industrialization". The argument is not so much a critique, with suggestions of how to avoid this outcome, as that it is inevitable for the West and possibly for any nation.

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Delightful stories delightfully told.

Reviewed: 09-12-22

This is a great selection of Saki's stories. Mr. Fry's delivery is just right for them.

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