| Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com McSweeney's Issue 23 includes ten stories from ten excellent writers, including Wells Tower, Chris Bachelder, Ann Beattie, and other agile talents bringing visions of the Dallas/Fort Worth fake-watch trade and Papua New Guinea in the 1960s. Every story gets its own front and back cover drawn, collaged, or embroidered by the polymathic Andrea Dezsö. The whole thing is wrapped in a jacket that unfolds into five square feet of double-sided glory — spread it out one way for dozens of very short stories by Dave Eggers, arranged in what we're pretty sure is a volvelle; flip it over and witness all those Dezsö illustrations stitched into one unbroken expanse. Average Customer Rating: Always a Pleasant Surprise | Customer Rating: | | McSweeney's is consistent. They always manage to have some fascinating content, even if it is periodically hit-or-miss. #23 however, is a home-run. There isn't a dull story in the bunch and it ranks up there probably in my top 3 issues. Highest rec. | Another Fantastic Issue | Customer Rating: | | Much has been said about Mcsweeney's, both on the quality of writing and design that goes into their lit mag and issue 23 once again hits the mark. Filled with fantastic stories by some little known---Shawn Vestal, Christopher Stokes, April Wilder---and some well know---Roddy Doyle, Anne Beattie---authors, issue 23 is one great story after the other. Do your self a favor and pick up this issue, one of Mcsweeney's best yet. | | |