The Pier Falls
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- Create Date：2021-08-10 09:56:03
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mark Haddon
- ISBN：1784701963
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Summary
'The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail， and the vivid， unsettling clarity they bring to our lives。’
Sunday Times
'He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or， even， Truman Capote。’ The Times
An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong。
A seaside pier collapses。
A thirty-stone man is confined to his living room。
One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean。
Another woman is saved from drowning。
Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox。
A group of explorers find a cave of unimaginable size deep in the Amazon jungle。
A man shoots a stranger in the chest on Christmas Eve。
In this first collection of stories by the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mark Haddon demonstrates two things: first that he is a master of the short form （several of the stories have been longlisted for prizes）， second that his imagination is even darker than we had thought。
'He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or， even， Truman Capote。’ The Times
An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong。
A seaside pier collapses。
A thirty-stone man is confined to his living room。
One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean。
Another woman is saved from drowning。
Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox。
A group of explorers find a cave of unimaginable size deep in the Amazon jungle。
A man shoots a stranger in the chest on Christmas Eve。
In this first collection of stories by the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mark Haddon demonstrates two things: first that he is a master of the short form （several of the stories have been longlisted for prizes）， second that his imagination is even darker than we had thought。
Reviews
Least Torque
，
Every story had me in its grip from start to finish。 I don’t think I’ve ever read a book of short stories that managed that。 My substandard brain left me confused by a few of the endings， but the journey to each was so amazing that I didn’t care。 Perhaps it was the matter-of-fact tone， the utter lack of hyperbole in hyperbolic situations， that gave these stories such impact。
Katheryn Thompson
，
I picked up this one after reading the short story 'The Pier Falls' in The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story。It turns out that I really like Mark Haddon's style of writing， especially his attention to detail and his matter-of-fact way of describing everyday life。 I definitely want to read more from him。 I also enjoyed how dark the stories in this collection are。 Although none of the short stories supplanted 'The Pier Falls' as my favourite， there were a few which I think will I picked up this one after reading the short story 'The Pier Falls' in The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story。It turns out that I really like Mark Haddon's style of writing， especially his attention to detail and his matter-of-fact way of describing everyday life。 I definitely want to read more from him。 I also enjoyed how dark the stories in this collection are。 Although none of the short stories supplanted 'The Pier Falls' as my favourite， there were a few which I think will prove as memorable。I read one review which describes the stories in The Pier Falls as "imagination’s darkest what-ifs"。 I couldn't have put it better myself。 。。。more
Karen
，
sickeningly whirlwind of a read; thoroughly enjoyed it
toluwani
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Haddon’s writing is unique with its phrasing and punctuation， sometimes feeling a bit too intricate but nonetheless effective in every story。 This is the first book I’ve read of his and I think it’s a great showcase of his writing talent as well as his well-roundedness and somber voice。 Like with most short story collections， there were a few duds in “The Pier Falls，” my least favorites being “The Gun” and “The Boys，” but it has less to do with the reading experience than it does with my overall Haddon’s writing is unique with its phrasing and punctuation， sometimes feeling a bit too intricate but nonetheless effective in every story。 This is the first book I’ve read of his and I think it’s a great showcase of his writing talent as well as his well-roundedness and somber voice。 Like with most short story collections， there were a few duds in “The Pier Falls，” my least favorites being “The Gun” and “The Boys，” but it has less to do with the reading experience than it does with my overall interest in those stories and my takeaways from them。 Other stories were captivating but underdeveloped， specifically “The Island” and “The Woodpecker and the Wolf。” My favorites were the titular story， “Bunny，” “Wodwo，” and “Breathe，” which I finished with a craving for more from the fascinating characters and these snapshots of their lives。The Pier Falls: 5/5The Island: 3/5Bunny: 4/5Wodwo: 5/5The Woodpecker and the Wolf: 3/5The Gun: 2/5Breathe: 4/5The Boys Who Left Home to Learn Fear （title？）: 2/5The Weir: 3/5 。。。more
Katrina
，
Although I'm not usually a fan of short stories， I loved this collection - some of the best crafted short stories I've ever read！ Immediately， I was invested in the characters and impressed by the sense of place the author invokes。 Like any collection， I enjoyed some more than others: the first story， the obese guy， mission to mars and final story of the weir stood out for me。 Vivid and memorable， would highly recommend。 Although I'm not usually a fan of short stories， I loved this collection - some of the best crafted short stories I've ever read！ Immediately， I was invested in the characters and impressed by the sense of place the author invokes。 Like any collection， I enjoyed some more than others: the first story， the obese guy， mission to mars and final story of the weir stood out for me。 Vivid and memorable， would highly recommend。 。。。more
Marek
，
Jedná se o první knihu， kterou jsem přečetl od tohoto autora。 V průběhu čtení jsem si myslel， že knihu ohodnotím nízkým hodnocením， ale nakonec jsem se rozhodl pro 3 hvězdičky。 Kniha obsahuje 9 povídek。 Některé povídky se mi líbily （např。 Dýchej， Jak šli chlapci do světa， aby se naučili bát， Jez）， jiné povídky mne bohužel neoslovily （např。 sci-fi povídka Datel a vlk aj。）。 Povídky pojednávají o vztazích mezi lidmi， některé končí tragicky， u některých povídek je třeba se zamyslet nad závěrem。Podle Jedná se o první knihu， kterou jsem přečetl od tohoto autora。 V průběhu čtení jsem si myslel， že knihu ohodnotím nízkým hodnocením， ale nakonec jsem se rozhodl pro 3 hvězdičky。 Kniha obsahuje 9 povídek。 Některé povídky se mi líbily （např。 Dýchej， Jak šli chlapci do světa， aby se naučili bát， Jez）， jiné povídky mne bohužel neoslovily （např。 sci-fi povídka Datel a vlk aj。）。 Povídky pojednávají o vztazích mezi lidmi， některé končí tragicky， u některých povídek je třeba se zamyslet nad závěrem。Podle lákadel， která se vyskytují na zadním přebalu knihy， jsem očekával， že všechny povídky budou vynikající a čtivé a budou mne bavit， bohužel v mém případě tomu tak nebylo。 Některé povídky mne nebavily a nudil jsem se， text jsem vnímal， ale do některých jsem se nezačetl。 Z druhého hlediska některé povídky byly vynikající a vtáhly mne do děje。 Jedná se o první povídkou knihu， kterou autor napsal。 Celkově knihu hodnotím průměrně。 Možná časem vyzkouším nějakou další knihu od Marka Haddona a snad se mi bude líbit více。 。。。more
Adam Rolando
，
I'm not sure whether it's my love of short stories in general or these short stories in particular， but there is something that strikes right to the heart of not only story-telling but also life itself。The fact that a lot of the stories were pretty dark only made this sharper。 The desire and need to connect with others and the longing for a satisfied life really spoke to me。In short: despicably delightful I'm not sure whether it's my love of short stories in general or these short stories in particular， but there is something that strikes right to the heart of not only story-telling but also life itself。The fact that a lot of the stories were pretty dark only made this sharper。 The desire and need to connect with others and the longing for a satisfied life really spoke to me。In short: despicably delightful 。。。more
Michelle Kemp
，
Really good stories， they were all very gripping in their own right。
Linda Nash
，
I want keen on many of these stories。 Very unlike Mr Haddon’s other titles。
Javier Yáñez
，
No es para nada lo que esperaba leer del mismo autor de "El extraño incidente。。。"。Una colección de relatos que muestran facetas nada relucientes de los humanos， pero cuya crudeza está relatada de con una maestría y sensibilidad que te mantiene leyendo y tratando de comprender a esos personajes。No son relatos fáciles ni agradables， para nada， pero lo ficticio acá pierde significado， no parece que sean imaginación， sino simplemente que nadie antes lo había escrito。No recuerdo quizás ningún nombre， No es para nada lo que esperaba leer del mismo autor de "El extraño incidente。。。"。Una colección de relatos que muestran facetas nada relucientes de los humanos， pero cuya crudeza está relatada de con una maestría y sensibilidad que te mantiene leyendo y tratando de comprender a esos personajes。No son relatos fáciles ni agradables， para nada， pero lo ficticio acá pierde significado， no parece que sean imaginación， sino simplemente que nadie antes lo había escrito。No recuerdo quizás ningún nombre， pero son historias indelebles。 。。。more
Laura Durán
，
Abandonado。
Mitchell
，
Mark Haddon had this to say about short fiction in the Guardian while promoting this anthology:“…the Chekhov/Joyce/ Mansfield/Carver idiom， an idiom that has become a kind of ruling orthodoxy on both sides of the Atlantic over the last 30 years: modest， melancholic stories， not arcs with beginnings， middles and ends， so much as moments and turning points， stories often about things not happening and people being absent， not really stories at all according to the everyday meaning of the word… if Mark Haddon had this to say about short fiction in the Guardian while promoting this anthology:“…the Chekhov/Joyce/ Mansfield/Carver idiom， an idiom that has become a kind of ruling orthodoxy on both sides of the Atlantic over the last 30 years: modest， melancholic stories， not arcs with beginnings， middles and ends， so much as moments and turning points， stories often about things not happening and people being absent， not really stories at all according to the everyday meaning of the word… if you are writing a short story and it is not more entertaining than the stories in that morning’s newspaper or that evening’s TV news， then you need to throw it away and start again， or open a cycle repair shop。”It’s not a coincidence that the two pieces I liked least in The Pier Falls are precisely that sort of story: Breathe and The Weir， both stories which are mostly about interpersonal relationship drama。 Nearly all the other are great， however， and live up to Haddon’s observation that a story， as the word is typically used， should fundamentally be about something unusual and interesting。 The titular story The Pier Falls is probably the standout， a slow-motion observation of a mass death catastrophe as a pier collapses into the sea， which you can read free online。 I also greatly enjoyed The Woodpecker and the Wolf， about an expedition of astronauts stranded on Mars， and Wodwo， an excellent modern-day reworking of Gawain and the Green Knight。 Highly recommended， even if you don’t typically read short stories。 。。。more
Deb Lancaster
，
The kind of writing that makes me cry because it's so fucking good。 Stories with all human life。 Just brilliant。 I haven't read a book of such perfect， devastating， gut punching short stories for decades。 The kind of writing that makes me cry because it's so fucking good。 Stories with all human life。 Just brilliant。 I haven't read a book of such perfect， devastating， gut punching short stories for decades。 。。。more
Ron
，
I read the author's Curious Incident book and loved it。 I thought that this would give me the same feeling。 I can't say that I really enjoyed any of these stories and most of them didn't leave a memorable impression。 I read the author's Curious Incident book and loved it。 I thought that this would give me the same feeling。 I can't say that I really enjoyed any of these stories and most of them didn't leave a memorable impression。 。。。more
Gordon
，
I loved this short-story collection。 The first story， which lends its name to the book's title， is good enough reason to buy the book。 It is a searing account of a disaster at a British seaside resort: astoundingly， it made me want to visit a British seaside town just to have a real-life experience of what the author wrote about！ My other favourite was Wodwo， which is a very strange tale of a man's descent into utter oblivion as a result of a fantastical incident at the family pre-Christmas gath I loved this short-story collection。 The first story， which lends its name to the book's title， is good enough reason to buy the book。 It is a searing account of a disaster at a British seaside resort: astoundingly， it made me want to visit a British seaside town just to have a real-life experience of what the author wrote about！ My other favourite was Wodwo， which is a very strange tale of a man's descent into utter oblivion as a result of a fantastical incident at the family pre-Christmas gathering。 Although I'm biased in Mr Haddon's favour， all the back from his Curious Incident days， this is really great book。 The writing is so varied: most of the stories take place in 'the real world' but some have fantastical elements。 If you love short stories， read this。 If you like Haddon's previous work， read this。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Annette
，
Audio
Dom
，
Loved this。 To me the stories are all about our humanity confronting ourselves， all the stories are so uplifting and vivid and full of love of life。
Krakatice
，
Vypichuji， zejména Pád výletního mola a Pistole， ale také Zelený rytíř， Jez a lovecraftovské Jak šli chlapci do světa， aby se naučili bát。
Jim Bartlett
，
“The Piet Falls: and other stories” is a riveting and masterful collection。 I was captivated by the range of stories and the well developed characterisation。 I did not want any story to end。 Each story was an artistic gem。
Thomas Brown
，
A collection of unpredictable and often macabre stories， which are unusual and well-executed。
Dmd
，
Interesting style， but it didn't work for me。 Too flat。 Too distanced。 Interesting style， but it didn't work for me。 Too flat。 Too distanced。 。。。more
Karen Hapgood
，
Amazing short stories - but no happy endings。 At limits bittersweet。 Each story paints a scene so vividly it feels like watching a virtual reality movie。 Some are fantastic stories。 Every story is about human nature， frailty and faults。 In 2020/2021 somewhat grim stories （and trigger warnings） are a little harder to read， but the detail of the narrative combined with brisk story telling are a compelling read none the less。 Recommended read， but perhaps not at bedtime。
Meek
，
“Siempre le sorprenderá lo mal que la gente recuerda su infancia。”“La próxima vez lo haría mejor。 La pena era que no habría próxima vez。”Primera colección de relatos del autor del celebrado El curioso incidente del perro a medianoche， y un volumen que sorprende primero por su variedad estilística y segundo por su oscuridad temática。 El relato que da nombre al libro imagina un accidente en el muelle de Brighton en 1970 （que en realidad fue una clausura por razones de seguridad）， en el que los aco “Siempre le sorprenderá lo mal que la gente recuerda su infancia。”“La próxima vez lo haría mejor。 La pena era que no habría próxima vez。”Primera colección de relatos del autor del celebrado El curioso incidente del perro a medianoche， y un volumen que sorprende primero por su variedad estilística y segundo por su oscuridad temática。 El relato que da nombre al libro imagina un accidente en el muelle de Brighton en 1970 （que en realidad fue una clausura por razones de seguridad）， en el que los acontecimientos se relatan fríamente y tomando distancia， aunque se esté hablando de un alto coste en vidas humanas。 Se quiere， quizás， reflejar el mismo distanciamiento que se toma de una tragedia al no vernos involucrados directamente y es por eso que no hay un personaje central por el que podamos sentir algo de pena。 En gran parte de los cuentos， sin embargo， sus protagonistas son definidos y batallan contra la soledad en entornos hostiles （una isla desierta， el planeta marte， una jungla， una casa que vio mejores días） con el espíritu de la muerte， el tema central del libro， pendiendo sobre ellos como la espada de Damocles。 En La isla se utiliza la figura mitológica de Ariadna， abandonada en Naxos por Teseo， para relatar una cruda historia de supervivencia y arrepentimiento que no ahorra detalles escatológicos。 Bunny se centra en un joven obeso que conoce una muchacha que le hace sentir el calor humano pero que estira el concepto de empatía y su significado hasta sus últimas consecuencias。 En sus cuentos existe la sensación de que la verdadera historia está sucediendo fuera de foco， como atisbada por el rabillo del ojo， en relación con la acción central， como un mensaje encriptado que debemos decodificar。 El pájaro carpintero y el lobo se ubica en Marte， en una expedición que va perdiendo las esperanzas de su rescate y posee un final que con sólo un párrafo baña de ambigüedad gran parte del mismo。 Wodwo recurre nuevamente a la leyenda， en este caso a la medieval Gawain y el caballero verde， sobre una deuda contraída que debe ser pagada luego de un tiempo。 Mezcla la disfuncionalidad familiar de un Franzen con Dickens y la fantasía algo siniestra de un Tim Burton en una historia en la cual está en nosotros ver si se alcanza algún tipo de redención。 En La Presa， uno de mis favoritos， un hombre de mediana edad salva a una joven de morir ahogada y entre ambos se establece una larga relación que sirve de catársis para dos vidas en apariencia muy dispares， y parecería tratar sobre como podemos reflejar en algún desconocido los fracasos propios con nuestros seres queridos。 Este volumen es para servidor otra de las razones de por qué los libros de relatos son tan caros al cuerpo literario y tan importantes en el devenir de la narrativa tanto como las novelas。 Un gran libro， de escritura soberbia， que no te abandonará al finalizar su última página， y que incluso te hará sonreír cómplice con sus referencias musicales desperdigadas en él。 。。。more
Peter
，
A load of rubbish， I want my money back。
Jane
，
The title story is an amazing piece of writing plus brilliant to use with Y9！
Gregory Allan
，
A wonderful collection of short stories。 If I enjoy the author and they wrote a short story collection I’m sure I’d be very happy to read it。 This is no exception。 Great writing， much better than I expected and each story slightly different style。 Warning though- each story is depressing。 No happy ending。 I don’t mind it as I think it can also reflect reality and how we deal with that。 The strength and weakness of the human spirit and psyche。 A couple of stories really jumped out and have held w A wonderful collection of short stories。 If I enjoy the author and they wrote a short story collection I’m sure I’d be very happy to read it。 This is no exception。 Great writing， much better than I expected and each story slightly different style。 Warning though- each story is depressing。 No happy ending。 I don’t mind it as I think it can also reflect reality and how we deal with that。 The strength and weakness of the human spirit and psyche。 A couple of stories really jumped out and have held with me long after reading。 These stories beautifully play with your emotions and then WHAM punch you in the guts making the hard stuff all the more hard and just a gorgeous read。 I like it because it’s not something you see a lot of readers doing， or especially films and tv shows， they always have someone winning or something good happening in end and it’s too repetitive and easy。 。。。more
Marieanne
，
Each story is as gripping and fascinating as the last。 I read through them all feverishly， in awe of the variety of characters and storylines。 I'll definitely give the book a few reads。 Each story is as gripping and fascinating as the last。 I read through them all feverishly， in awe of the variety of characters and storylines。 I'll definitely give the book a few reads。 。。。more
Phoebe Murphy-Dunn
，
These short stories are very dark and at points genuinely distressing， but the writing forced me to keep reading。 My favs were The Pier Falls， Wodwo， and Breathe。
Liz Owen
，
There are nine short stories in this powerful collection， and I'd say that three of them deserve five stars。 It's all powerful writing about dark subjects- no way is this a cheerful read， but it's compelling and excellent。 There are nine short stories in this powerful collection， and I'd say that three of them deserve five stars。 It's all powerful writing about dark subjects- no way is this a cheerful read， but it's compelling and excellent。 。。。more
Sarah Hermes Griesbach
，
Very good， no doubt。 But my gods。 So blinking depressing。 From doom to doomeder to doomedest and then， wow， further doomed。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Pier Falls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Pier Falls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Pier Falls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0