Slackers, drunks, bartenders, drunken bartenders, casual drug users, and a whole host of ne'erdowells populate story after story of Tooth and Claw, a collective, mostly contemporary look at the modern day, average joe.I don't recall the last time I enjoyed reading go-nowhere character sketch stories as much as I did this collection! That's not to say there are no exciting plot turns or hilarious situations gone wrong. Humor is plentiful herein. But it's the language that bought it all together. The words slid from the page in a don't-want-to-put-it-down pleasant flow and seldom did I put it down, except towards the end of the book when I neared my fill of drinkers getting their drink on. However, even repetition did not tarnish my overall enjoyment. TC Boyle, TC Boyle, TC Bloody Boyle! If you live in So Cal, visit libraries and book shops, or join a book club, you are bound to hear the name TC Boyle sooner or later. Usually sooner than later and usually often. I was beginning to feel a little inundated with the Boyle after a while and I hadn't even read any of his books. I don't like to be goaded by peer pressure, so I stubbornly hold out when I feel like the world is trying to shove an author down my throat. That means I miss out on some undoubtedly good stuff, but it also means I don't miss out on some crap. In this case I was missing some good stuff. I will definitely seek out another Boyle book.
This collection of short stories by T.C. Boyle was a good read. Most stories captivated you - dropping you into a story, walking you through it, and then lifting you out at just the right time. I enjoyed most of them. I must agree with other readers that "The Doubtfulness of Water" was just painful - I couldn't finish it. My favorite also concurs with most reviewers - Dogology is unlike anything I've read before. Loved it! Some were just disturbing - the one where the aligator ate the kid, and the teacher that gets hooked on drugs - couldn't stop reading but it was with a cringe on my face. And, I liked Tooth and Claw, the story of a man winning a serval in a bar, but I didn't love it like many reviewers - probably because I am a hopeless sap when it comes to animals and I didn't like the ending for the serval. . .I became a Boyle fan after reading Drop City, one of my all-time favorite books. I continue reading Boyle and am usually slightly disappointed - they're good, but they're not great, like my favorite. This collection of short stories fared very well, and I'll recommend this book to others.
What do You think about Tooth And Claw (2006)?
Sometimes the pictures taken with nice digital cameras look "super-real"; when T.C. Boyle transports the reader, there's a smooth, super-reality to it. He does this in spite of the stories' brevity, and when the tales end the end is sudden, leaving the reader in a void grasping for reminders of his or her own life. Stories that burned themselves into my memory include "The Swift Passage of Animals" about a couple that gets their car stuck in the snow, "Here Comes" about a new vagabond, and "The Doubtfulness of Water" about a woman's treacherous journey from Boston to New York in 1702.
—Nate
Had the book contained only 3 stories, it would have gotten 5 stars. But... it didn't. Of all the stories, there were actually 3 that I liked a lot, being "When I woke up this morning, Everything I had was gone", "Chicxulub" and "Tooth and Claw". Why these? I'm not sure. They differ quite a bit when contents is compared, but the main thing is, that they kept my attention for one reason or the other while reading. I actually liked the writing and wanted more of these three, found they were too short, altough the story in itself was 'finished'. I'm not going to retell the stories. When you're curious, read them for yourselves. I got curious enough to want to read more of this writer, but then a novel.
—BoekenTrol
The story about the guy winning the feral cat in the bar bet was the best, and the story about the lady in the 1700s getting grumpy on a horse was the absolute dumbest. In between that there were some pretty good ones. He's no Raymond Carver, but he still likes to talk about people drinking and thinking about their ex-wives/ex-girlfriends. Shout-out to men: Don't become such a bad drunk that your wife has no choice but to leave you, and then complain about it. It's not becoming. But if you do, write a short story. Someone will probably publish it.
—Rachel
