Speaking with the Angel is an anthology, edited by Nick Hornby, which contains a collection of witty, original and clever short stories, written by several contemporary authors. The stories are all written in the first narrative but are all also different - here you get to read from the point of view of a prime minister, a prison cook, a teenage boy, a dog, a homophobic man and many more. Each short story captures a story on its own. Each style and register is different and suitable for its plot. There is humor in seriousness and there is bitterness in love. All in all, I was deeply impressed by how each author managed to tell all these smart stories in such an effective way. By the end of each, I felt as if I had read a whole novel instead and I enjoyed it very much.

This is the first time I've read anything by Zadie Smith. Somehow her short story "I am the only one" in this anthology felt incomplete, but intriguing nevertheless. Makes me want to pick up a copy of White Teeth.

I love this book, perhaps a little too much. I bought it on a whim and it introduced me to Helen Fielding and Zadie Smith, gave me more from Hornby and Welsh and instructed me to steer clear of Eggers in the future (I know many love him, I'm just not there yet.) But I became smitten w/it when I read "Peter Shelley" by Patrick Marber, so much so that I attempted to hunt down his other works which only consist of plays (and I'm not one for plays).

Probably the best group of short stories I've read in a long time. Each story was great. Usually there are a lot of duds to get just a few good ones--not here!

VERY UKcentric. Most readers might need a translator at times.

This is a great anthology. Not every story is brilliant, but every story is entertaining. I really loved Colin Firth's story about a grandson and his relationship with his grandma.

These short stories were bizarre, and not always in a good way.