Rating: 
Summary: A lot of bang for your buck
Review: Here's a short story collection that gives you a fantastic collection of contemporary authors (and one actor/author) who donated their stories for a very worthy cause--a school for autistic children. I bought it because I'm a Nick Hornby fan (and also a Helen Fielding, Colin Firth, and Dave Eggers fan)--but now I've been introduced to more writers to explore and enjoy. Hornby gives a nice intro about his personal and poignant connection with the cause. These stories run the gamut and are really fun--coming of age tales, unusual narrators (like dogs, humiliated prime ministers, and death-row cooks), and stories that ask the big question: "What is art?" They're fresh, provocative, and often humorous. Do yourself and a good cause a favor and get this book. It's at the top of my list for gift-giving this year.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Sampling of Emerging Writers, A Great Cause
Review: The first thing you should do when you pick up this collection of short stories is to read Nick Hornby's touching introduction. A portion of the proceeds for this book goes to support schools for autistic children, and in his introduction Hornby reveals that his own son is autistic. He goes on to describe what life is like living with an autistic child, and why quality schools are so essential. If you have a heart, you'll already be half-way to the register before you've even checked the list of authors, but you won't be disappointed. Hornby has assembled an all-star team of emerging young writers, most of whom hail from the UK. Actor Colin Firth pens a sort of twisted fairy tale in "The Department of Nothing." Giles Smith gives a portrait of a cook for deathrow inmates. Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones) checks in with an expectedly sarcastic mother/daughter relationship study. American Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) writes from a dog's point of view in "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Was Drowned." Melissa Bank's romantic tale, "The Wonder Spot," was one of my favorites, and Irvine Welsh's unsettling commentary on homophobia, "Catholic Guilt," was also interesting. Hornby himself examines the different effects a work of art can have on people in "Nipple Jesus." Other contributing authors are Robert Harris, Patrick Marber, Zadie Smith, Roddy Doyle, and John O'Farrell. This is quite a collection.
Rating:
Summary: Cool stories by hip writers
Review: I think Nick Hornby is the coolest writer in the World today. This compilation was a way for me to find out other writers who are as cool as Nick. I wasn't disappointed. Here is my review of the short stories: PMQ: Wonderful comedy piece about a Prime Minister's wild night out. The Wonder Spot: Kind of too "New York Hipster" for me, but still a nice read. Last Request: Great story. Mix of a serious topic with a light point of view. Peter Shelley: Funny story about a boy losing his virginity. My favorite story in the book. The Department of Nothing: Not bad, but a bit too sentimental for the tone of the book. This was my least favorite story. I wouldn't say Colin Firth should keep his day job, but hey, his day job is awesome. I'm the Only One: Very short and a bit unsatisfying story about a kid's getting a visit from a super-tall friend. I still liked it. NippleJesus: My second favorite story. A blue-collar man (a bodyguard) who admires an artsy-fartsy museum piece. Really funny. After I was Thrown in The River...: I particularly didn't care much for this dog. My second least favorite. LuckyBitch and The Slave: Both are about middle aged people. One seen from a woman's point of view and other from a man's. Both are equally a riot. Catholic Guilt: My third favorite story, and being from Irvine Welsh, is also the edgiest. A homophobic hooligan gets his afterlife punishment. Simply hilarious. Walking into the Wind: Just when I thought I couldn't laugh any harder comes this story about a mime to finish it off.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Collection of Work
Review: Nick Hornby's name associated with this project drew me to it and I was not disappointed. This book is a collection of short stories by some famous (Helen Fielding, Colin Firth, Melissa Bank) and not so famous writers. Hornby also contributes a piece. The stories run from the touching to the absurd to the bizarre. From the British prime minister caught up in a comedy of Clinton-like errors to the security guard charged with protecting a piece of controversial art, to the tale of life from a dog's point of view there is a wide variety of stories to interest the reader. And in their own way, each has a little bit to say about some social realization. If you are one of those people who loves to read but who finds it hard to get the time to do so, Speaking with the Angel will help you fill that void. And if you purchase the book, you'll be doing your own little bit of social good. Proceeds from the sale of the book go to benefit an autism project, which is very near and dear to Mr. Hornby's heart.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing too portentous or angst-ridden
Review: "Speaking with the Angel" is a short-story collection of the type one usually must wait for a stuffy academic publisher to produce. Some of the brightest names in contemporary Britlit (and a few from this side of the pond) are included, with editor Nick Hornby furnishing, not only a fine story, but also the book's foreward. (Never, by the way, has a list of Acknowledgments, which drops the names of Emma Thompson and H. K. Rowling, among others, had a finer pedigree than the one that proceeds Hornby's introduction.) It turns out the book was published in a good cause, that of autism, so you can feel good about yourself at the same time you enjoy the assortment of stories in this volume. And they are, for the most part, marvelous. Each reader will have his own favorites, but mine include Hornby's defense of modern art in "Nipple Jesus," Irvine Welsh's homophobe's version of hell in "Catholic Guilt (You Know You Love It)," and, perhaps best of all, American Dave Egger's dog's eye view of life in "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned." As someone else has already noted, the stories are mostly short, and, as I can personally attest, they make for great reading on a plane. Nothing highbrow or overly angst-ridden here--despite the title--just good fun.
Rating:
Summary: 20-minute doses
Review: With "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" as two of my favorite books, it was Hornby's name that drew me to this anthology, though the other contributing authors are certainly not unrecognized. I enjoyed each of this book's twelve stories, but a few in particular stood out. Hornby's "Nipple Jesus" was my favorite. In it, a security guard charged with protecting a controversial work of art - a beautiful depiction of the crucifiction that, upon close inspection, is seen to be composed of a collage of pornographic photos - wrestles with questions of whether or not the piece is really art and whether or not he really wants to guard it. The story forced me to examine similar questions as to what I felt constituted art. I was left thinking that it would have made a great bit of reading for a Philosophy of Art class. Other memorable stories were "Last Requests" by Giles Smith, in which a prison cook ruminates upon preparing last meals for death row inmates; "The Slave" by Roddy Doyle, in which a man tries to slowly ween himself from paranoia after nearly stepping on the carcass of a giant rat in front of his refrigerator; and "Catholic Guilt" by Irvine Welsh, where a man gets his just deserves for beating a homosexual. Each of these stories went beyond merely providing entertainment, and led me to think as well. Oddly enough, the least enjoyable stories were the first and the last in the collection - "PMQ" from Robbert Harris and "Walking into the Wind" from John O'Farrell. It's not that these two were poor entries - they were both solidly readable - they just didn't seem to have the zing of the other selections. But with that small detraction as my biggest complaint, I have no hesitation in recommending "Speaking With the Angel." It's perfect for digesting in 20-minute doses, providing a dozen opportunities to, at least, briefly escape and, at best, to make you think.
Rating:
Summary: Nick Hornby is God
Review: This book is full of wonderfull short stories. Many of which are deeply funny. One is from the mind of a dog, another about a Chef that delivers last requests to prisoners about to be executed, and of course Nick Hornbys Nipple Jesus. I am not a huge fan os short stories but i knew this would be good since Nick Hornby was the author and i was not let down. A very good fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all best selling authors can write short stories
Review: When I saw the line-up of authors on the cover of this book, I was expecting to be blown away. There were a few stories that stood out from the rest, but I felt like the majority of them were stories I would have seen in a fiction class, not a published collection of stories. "NippleJesus", by Nick Hornby, was probably my favorite, along with "PMQ" by Robert Harris. Colin Firth's "The Department of Nothing" struck a sentimental chord, but I'd say the rest were about average, not leaving too much of an impact. As a result, the book took a while to get through. I guess not all best-selling novel authors are meant to cross over into the short story genre - either that or we are seeing their weaker ones in this collection. One thing worth mentioning, however, is that a portion of the proceeds from this book goes to two different schools for autistic children. So even if you think the book [is bad], at least you know it wasn't all for naught.
Rating:
Summary: A Slow Read
Review: I mildly enjoyed this book. I purchased it mostly because Colin Firth had a short story in it. I love Colin and I have to thank him and all the other author's for keeping all the stories short. It is a very interesting mix of writers but I don't think the average person will find this book the most tantilizing reading but you will not be totally disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Oh heavenly Angel!
Review: Editor, Nick Hornby (HIGH FIDELITY; ABOUT A BOY), has collected twelve short stories here, each written in the form of a first-person narrative, by Dave Eggers (A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS), Melissa Bank (THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING) and many of Britain's hottest writers: Helen Fielding (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), Zadie Smith (WHITE TEETH), Irvine Welsh (TRAINSPOTTING), and one by Hornby himself. In his Introduction, Hornby writes that his son, Danny, is autistic, and a portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to several autism charities in the UK and US. On the whole, Hornby's collection may not rise to the level of great fiction, but it offers some truly entertaining writing along the way. Readers will encounter stories told by a Prime Minister, a middle-aged family man, a prison cook, a skinhead bouncer, and a dog. And while some of the angels collected here soar higher than others, all are hip, and a few are even downright devlish. G. Merritt
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