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Dinner Party: And Other Stories
Dinner Party: And Other Stories | Joshua Ferris
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the YearThe first collection of short stories from the critically acclaimed, prize-winning author of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. These eleven stories by Joshua Ferris, many of which were first published in The New Yorker, are at once thrilling, strange, and comic. The modern tribulations of marriage, ambition, and the fear of missing out as the temptations flow like wine and the minutes of life tick down are explored with the characteristic wit and insight that have made Ferris one of our most critically acclaimed novelists. Each of these stories burrows deep into the often awkward and hilarious misunderstandings that pass between strangers and lovers alike, and that turn ordinary lives upside down. Ferris shows to what lengths we mortals go to coax human meaning from our very modest time on earth, an effort that skews ever-more desperately in the direction of redemption. There's Arty Groys, the Florida retiree whose birthday celebration involves pizza, a prostitute, and a life-saving heart attack. There's Sarah, the Brooklynite whose shape-shifting existential dilemma is set in motion by a simple spring breeze. And there's Jack, a man so warped by past experience that he's incapable of having a normal social interaction with the man he hires to help him move out of storage. The stories in The Dinner Party are about lives changed forever when the reckless gives way to possibility and the ordinary cedes ground to mystery. And each one confirms Ferris's reputation as one of the most dazzlingly talented, deeply humane writers at work today.
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JennyM
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#TimBitTunes #DinnerAtEight

Don‘t forget to bring dessert and the wine 🧁🍷

Cinfhen This was a bail a few years back 🙄 6y
TheKidUpstairs Who needs anything else when you've got dessert and wine? 6y
JennyM @Cinfhen damn, it sounded quite fun in the blurb. Forget the book then, just come round for dinner. 6y
Cinfhen I‘m in!!!! 6y
60 likes1 stack add5 comments
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MrBook
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I think it's high time to get my TBR temptation posts going again, you agree? ☺️

#TBRtemptation post 1! This collection of 11 short stories seems innocuous and familiar at first, but reviewers warn to expect twists and turns, some bizarre ones at that. A husband dreading a dinner party with his wife's friends; a retiree lamenting about growing old alone; a man who breaks down thinking his wife's left him. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

JackOBotts Great cover!! 6y
CouronneDhiver 🙌🏽🙌🏽 6y
67 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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AsYouWish
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1. Julie Garwood
2. Julie James
3. Stephen King
4. R. L. Stine
5. Brad Meltzer
6. Roald Dahl
7. Nicholas Sparks
8. William Shakespeare
9. Ally Carter
10. Meg Cabot

#DinnerParty

Krisjericho That would be an interesting group! 6y
22 likes1 comment
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DocBrown
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Panpan

After being disappointed earlier this year by Eugenides‘s story collection Fresh Complaint, I had higher hopes for this one. Ugh. It was an exercise in relentless agita. Desperate characters alienated from spouses, lovers, friends, and ultimately themselves. Some male authors seem not only misogynistic but misanthropic as well. Very disappointing. I didn‘t feel that way about To Rise Again at a Decent Hour.

RidgewayGirl Fresh Complaint changed how I view Eugenides. 6y
DocBrown @RidgewayGirl Yeah? I was less impressed by The Marriage Plot than Middlesex. So Fresh Complaint just continued that downward trajectory. 6y
60 likes2 comments
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jenniferw88
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@Syndelle777
1. Antonia Hodgson
2. PD James
3. Sarah Addison Allen
4. Harry Bingham
5. John Connolly
6. JK Rowling
7. Kendare Blake
8. Mark Gatiss

BeansPage ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
SilversReviews Awesome collage. 7y
73 likes1 stack add2 comments
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bookandcat
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Panpan

Meh. I loved Joshua Ferris's first two books, got along okay with his third, but didn't really enjoy any of the stories in this collection (his fourth book). Like a dinner plate left neglected in the open air, it left me feeling cold instead of nourished. 😧

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ephemeralwaltz
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Shelves just make me happy! (And anxious because I didn't want to buy anything!)

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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

These short stories really drew me in. I liked them a lot. They all had a moment that felt unreal and made me think. The writing was sharp and interesting.

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LMJenkins
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Enjoying the last few hours of #24in48 and looking at the bookshelf visible from my bed. Almost the entire thing is #TBR.

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Redjewel_7734
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My 2nd dinner party!!! Courtesy of being tagged by @MaleficentBookDragon

1. Imbolo Mbue
2. Neil Degrasse Tyson
3. Khaled Hosseini
4. Angie Thomas
5. Colson Whitehead

So...which authors are you inviting to your dinner party @Bookwormgirl @libraryofcuriousity @mugglemagicisbooks @booksandbigideas @LibraryLadyReads
#5fordinner

bookloo This is so good. 😍 7y
Redjewel_7734 @bookloo 😊🙌🏻 7y
TheWordJar I think this is my favorite party so far!! 🙌 7y
Redjewel_7734 @TheWordJar yay!!! Thanx 😊🙌🏻🎉 7y
105 likes4 comments
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TK421
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Thanks for the tag @Avanders ! I would hope this would be a fun dinner with plenty of stories and adventures told by all.
1. Jimmy Buffett
2. Clive Cussler
3. Terry Pratchett
4. Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer
#5fordinner

Avanders Great selection! Looks like very lively conversation 🗣 ☺️ 7y
49 likes1 comment
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KirstieE
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Thanks for the tag @LouBeth ! 💕
My picks for #5fordinner are
✨Cassandra Clare
✨John Green
✨Marissa Meyer
✨J.R.R Tolkien
✨Stan Lee

Would be a very interesting dinner party !
I tag @litmuggle @GypsyKat @Fandomlyla_Pottercy @jackilynn if you haven't done it already 😊

drokka Stan Lee - brilliant choice (makes me reconsider mine). 7y
GypsyKat Great choices! I have been tagged but I haven't posted yet. I'll tag you when I do! 👍 7y
KirstieE @drokka had to have him 🕷❤️️ 7y
KirstieE @GypsyKat yay! Excited to see your picks 😊 7y
49 likes4 comments
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LouBeth
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#5fordinner
Lauren Beukes
Holly Black
Trevor Noah
Bill Bryson
Neil Gaiman

And Hope Jahren (Lab Girl) as an alternate

Thanks for tagging @Redy2trvl
I'm going to tag @LauraBrook @emily_m_tubb @brennahawleycraig @KirstieE

Cinfhen Ooooh, how could I forget Trevor {{swoon}}😜😍‼️ 7y
Jess7 Trevor Noah would be my 6th dinner party guest! 7y
Redy2trvl Yessss! I would like to be a guest at that dinner! 7y
Zelma I forgot Bill Bryson. Oops! 7y
61 likes4 comments
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Moray_Reads
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I'd love to have these #5fordinner, just imagine the conversation! I'd probably just let it wash over me (Sarah Moss, Helen Oyeyemi, Virginia Woolf, Sarah Perry and Ali Smith. Who would you choose @vivastory @saresmoore @Kalalalatja @simona @rohit-sawant @batsy ?

Kalalalatja This is hard! 😄 7y
LauraBeth I‘d love to have Virginia Woolf over to have dinner! 7y
saresmoore Can I just join yours? I‘ll be very quiet and besides, no one would notice a third Sara. 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore you would be very welcome, maybe you could bring Margaret Atwood and Sarah (another!) Waters with you? I feel like they'd round us out nicely 7y
saresmoore Yes! They really would. I would especially love to get Ali & Margaret in a room together! 7y
56 likes5 comments
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Cinfhen
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Thanks for the tag @britt_brooke My five authors I'd like to sit & shmooze with.... although I'm a little intimidated by Roxane Gay ( she's my newest literary crush💕💕) Junot Diaz,Alice Hoffman, Geraldine Brooks, Roxane Gay & James McBride 🍽🍷📚 Who would you invite @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola @Mdargusch @LauraBeth @shawnmooney

TrishB I'm there with Alice too 😀 Glad to see your post! Have missed you!! 7y
Reecaspieces Geraldine for me! 7y
britt_brooke Nice choices!! 7y
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Reviewsbylola That's an intimidating group! I'd have trouble finding anything important to say. 😂 7y
KarenUK Great choices 👍💕 7y
Cinfhen Thanks @TrishB 💕💕was missing you too!!! These holidays had me so busy....and I tried to be very present focusing on my family & enjoying the time with them 😊 7y
TrishB As it should be 💝 7y
DebinHawaii Excellent choices. 👍😀 7y
97 likes8 comments
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Misanthropester
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In each of these stories there is at least one sublime passage of beauty, humor, or naked realism

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Misanthropester
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I had adult friends, childfree, who exactly this for fun

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Misanthropester
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Trying out this reading while working out thing...we‘ll see...

Kaye I've started reading at the gym. Makes the time go a bit faster. I usually set the print up larger while I'm doing the treadmill, since I'm sorta bouncing up and down. Hard to keep my eyes on small print. 7y
Misanthropester @Kaye I‘m still experimenting with it but it could work out ok esp on recombinant bikes 7y
Jabberwocky This is how I read the entire world of Shakespeare for one of my university classes. 7y
Kaye Yes, it works great on the bikes. The treadmill is s bit trickier but it works 👍 7y
11 likes5 comments
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BookBabe
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#BookNDinner! Except we‘re with friends visiting from out of state, so we‘re not actually reading, because that would be inconsiderate! lol. Back at the Mongolian Grill for another round, cause yes it‘s that good! We offered to show our friends the local fare, nice little country pub, nice little charming historic dive bar along a creek with outstanding food…but they said Nope! We saw your Mongolian Grill dinner pic…YOU MUST TAKE US THERE! 😂👌🏻

Dragon It does look yummy 😋 7y
kspenmoll Looks so good!!' Hungry! 7y
101 likes1 stack add2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
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"Like many older people who find themselves on the phone with children of unstable attention spans, Arty began to talk nonstop, flinging at his granddaughter every expression of pride and love, interspersed with questions intended not to sate a genuine curiosity but to confirm Meredith‘s continued presence on the other end of the line."

Soubhiville This describes my conversations with my nephew perfectly. My niece, however, never shuts up- she would never know if I put down the phone for half an hour then came back to it 😂. 7y
Jinjer @Soubhiville 😂😂😳 7y
61 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BooksForEmpathy
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Pickpick

I finished this one on audio a few days ago and forgot to do a review. This collection is entertaining and frankly, one story about the ever-pervasive FEAR OF MISSING OUT made finishing the entire book worth it for me.

We are introduced to people we have all read about before, but as I kept going, Ferris surprised me with the direction he took the endings. Most of the stories worked for me, and those that didn't I have already forgotten.

saresmoore I want to read this a lot. Great review! 7y
Jana I have this on my Kindle. I love his books! 7y
99 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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specklife
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MY 24 in 48 LITERARY DINNER PARTY

1. Roxane Gay
2. Bernice L. McFadden
3. John Green
4. Trevor Noah
5. Elizabeth Berg

#24in48 #readathon #literarydinnerparty

Megabooks Where do you recommend to start with Berg? 7y
specklife Talk Before Sleep. One of her older ones, but my fave. Follow up with Range of Motion, another oldie but goodie. 7y
13 likes2 comments
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CotziasReads
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First book in #24in48 finished

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Eyelit
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Unexpected #bookmail 😃

I actually finally won a #goodreadsgiveaway - I'm still pretty amazed!

I'm adding this to my #24in48 #tbr stack!

Simona Congrats 📚📚📚🍾❣️ 7y
Lmstraubie 👏👏👏 7y
86 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Shaheera
Bailedbailed

Ferris's writing style lends itself to novels, not so much to the short story medium. The characters are a little too obvious, their desperation about time running out, the futility of reaching for something larger than their mundane lives writ large on each page. Where there should have been subtlety, there was a hammer!

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SarahJoyce
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Panpan

I think this is the first time I have hated every single story in a collection.

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guinsgirlreads
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Pretty good write up in the paper for this one On Sunday.. may have to pick it up!

16 likes1 stack add
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rachellayown
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Mehso-so

I really enjoyed about 3 of the stories in this collection and the rest weren't bad, but fell short for me. I love how Ferris writes and even in stories I didn't like much there were great lines. Overall it's not a bad collection, but not notable either. My favorite stories were: "The Dinner Party," "The Pilot," and "More Abandon (Or Whatever Happened to Joe Pope?)"

54 likes1 stack add
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Flaneurette
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Had Barnes&Noble coupons burning a hole in my pocket

saresmoore Good choices. 8y
OhNoMersault Oooh a new Coupland 8y
32 likes2 comments
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NerdyRev
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Pickpick

I decided to make this weekend short story weekend and started with this one. Like most collections, there are hits and misses. I always enjoy a collection with more hits and this had more hits right from the get go. Each story seems to contain tensions- a husband and wife who's friends stand them up, a writer working on a pilot, etc. Good writing and the stories were the right length. Good stuff.

42 likes2 stack adds
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cariashley
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Pickpick

As with most short story collections, this was a mixed bag. I *loved* The Breeze, liked a lot of the others and disliked a few. Ferris tows the line between humor and heartbreak really well. His characters are always unsettlingly on the verge of becoming entirely unhinged; sometimes they crack and sometimes they don't, and it's a little stressful to watch.

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Allietaylor16
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Monday morning reading!

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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! #LitsyParty edition! Accompaniment this snowy evening: corned beef, cabbage, potatoes marinated in Guinness Blonde lager; (I'm having a baked potato ☺️); smokehouse green beans; sautéed mushrooms & garlic cloves in olive oil & balsamic vinegar; and Cabernet Sauvignon. MMMmm ?! This has been presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! ???

Jess_Read_This This looks delicious and well done on the generous wine pours! Looks like the perfect Saturday night! 🍷🍷 8y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 8y
142 likes1 stack add2 comments
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andytbarnes
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Pickpick

A wry read full of short stories with characters whom range from flawed to downright despicable but always come off as above all human. Failing marriages (loss of self/me vs "we" identity), floundering muscularity, "why are we even here?" are themes that pop up through more of the selections than not. Ferris has been playing with many of these themes here since his debut Then We Came to the End&has only grown sharper in the intervening years.

63 likes1 stack add
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cariashley
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It's been FOREVER since I won a Goodreads giveaway! I loved Then We Came to the End so am psyched for this one.

8little_paws It's amazing to me anyone wins these. I assumed it was basically a scam. I must have entered at least 40 at this point, maybe even over 50. 8y
Suzze Yay! 🎉🎉 8y
Suzze @8little_paws I only enter when I get an email saying there is a giveaway for a book on my shelves. I have won twice in the last couple of months. Maybe I add weird books that no one else wants. 😜😜 8y
See All 8 Comments
8little_paws @suzze that's how I enter as well. I don't think the books I want are super popular, maybe they are? 8y
Suzze @8little_paws I think there are readers who spend half the day entering every new giveaway on Goodreads. For the thrill of winning, not reading. 8y
8little_paws @suzze I just checked the last one I entered a few days ago. It ends in two days, less than 500 people entered. Of course, I'll probably win this one, since the day after I entered it I found the book on Hoopla and now I don't care if I win it or not 😀 8y
cariashley @8little_paws @Suzze I probably look through the giveaways once a month or so and enter only the ones I'm really interested in (which lately has actually been a lot). I was shocked to win this one though, it's been YEARS! 8y
Suzze @8little_paws Yeah, you're sure to win it now! 8y
42 likes1 stack add8 comments