Rating: 
Summary: Great collection of modern writers
Review: I picked up this book because I had read and liked Helen Fielding and Melissa Banks' novels. After reading these stories I think I've added some more books to my reading list. I think my favorite story was the one by Nick Hornby, although there were a few others that made me laugh out loud.While not every story in this collection was spectacular (hence 4 stars), the majority were. And all are told in the first person, so if you aren't into that you may not like the book. Definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A very cool collection.
Review: I have to say, not all the stories are stellar, but more than half are, with the Dave Eggers piece about the pitbull winning the prize. Overall, very entertaining, at times quite sad, also very funny. And for a great cause. I will now read Zadie Smith's novel and will likely read Hornby. It's one of those collections that you'll keep forever and stumble upon ten years from now and it will be just as delightful. Great stuff.
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: I left this book on the train
Review: First, the bad part: I expected to really enjoy this book. Despite an all-star list of contributing authors, it ends up being less than the sum of its parts. I got the feeling (especially from Dave Eggers' and Helen Fielding's stories) that some of the contributions were throw-away stories that the authors happened to have lying around. I had to skip over Colin Firth's Department of Nothing after the first two pages (is it possible for a short story to drag that much?). And now, the good part: Part of the [money] I spent went to a charity for autistic children, so there's not much to complain about there. And Nick Hornby, Melissa Bank, Patrick Marber, Giles Smith and Roddy Doyle's stories were the best of the bunch. Hornby's "NippleJesus" is probably the best story in the book. I wish there had been another 2 or 3 pages to Zadie Smith's "I'm the only one"; it was entertaining, but very short. If you happen to find a used copy somewhere and have [some money] burning a hole in your pocket, it might be worth picking up. I ended up leaving my copy on the T in the hopes that someone would pick it up and enjoy it more than I did.
Rating:
Summary: Great way to learn about other authors
Review: This collection of shorts is wonderful. Almost every story was enjoyable and all were well written. Many of the stories give the reader a glimpse into the styles of some authors that one may have not read. Most of the stories are only long enough to help you decide whether you want to read a novel by the same author. A few stories run long enough to understand more about the authors storytelling ability than just their writing style. The collection is highlighted by Nick Hornby's own addition. Dave Egger's story was the only one that left me dissapointed for all the others if the story itself did not do it for me the writing style and voice made me want to try the authors' novels. This is a book that should not be passed up by any readers who enjoy the works of any of these authors or readers who are lloking for new and upcoming authors to read.
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