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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
One of the best collections of short stories I have read. A couple of stories were phenomenal and a couple let this collection slip down to 4 stars instead of 5. But a great read nonetheless.
I really enjoyed reading this collection of short stories. They were more aimed at YA's than I expected though, especially 'When she is old and I am famous', 'The Isabel Fish' and 'Note to sixth grade self'. The last few stories were more up my street, or maybe I had just gotten used to Orringer's style. I do tend to prefer the childhood theme to the whole YA thing where a slightly contrived emphasis seems to be put on things like the act of smoking cigarettes.
All in all each story felt like a little film playing in my head with the images being really easy to conjure up. The story 'Care' reminded me of the film 'Uptown Girls' in plot, and the general tone of many of the stories felt a bit like that too. I also thought the characters all had really pretty names. Not that that is relevant. Oh and food crops up a lot, which I like. Not sure what a feminist reading would be of this...there is a lot about female relationships and experiences and I'm not sure how positive the messages were.
Overall I think the book has a quirky vibe in keeping with the cover and title. Maybe a bit darker than some might expect but you get that warning within the first story!
All in all each story felt like a little film playing in my head with the images being really easy to conjure up. The story 'Care' reminded me of the film 'Uptown Girls' in plot, and the general tone of many of the stories felt a bit like that too. I also thought the characters all had really pretty names. Not that that is relevant. Oh and food crops up a lot, which I like. Not sure what a feminist reading would be of this...there is a lot about female relationships and experiences and I'm not sure how positive the messages were.
Overall I think the book has a quirky vibe in keeping with the cover and title. Maybe a bit darker than some might expect but you get that warning within the first story!
I loved all these stories. Orringer cuts open the ugly things about life that we discover during adolescence, but then describes the ugliness in pretty prose. Many of the characters are young Jewish women. I really enjoyed the different ways their faith shaped their lives - sometimes dictating every move they make, and sometimes just affecting the boys they make out with at youth group meetings. "Care" is a really excellent depiction of addiction and guilt. "Pilgrims" sort of ruined treehouses for me.
4.5* Deze verhalen zijn zó goed. Rauw, nostalgisch, scherp, levendig. Elk verhaal draait om een meisje. Je kunt je veelal inleven in de verhalen, maar er gebeuren hele nare dingen. Het schrijnt. Je blijft lezen <3
pilgrims - 4 stars
when she is old and i am famous - 3 stars
the isabel fish - 4 stars
note to sixth grade self - 3 stars
the smoothest way is full of stones - 4 stars
care - 4 stars
stars of motown shining bright - 3 stars
what we save - 3 stars
station of the cross - 3 stars
when she is old and i am famous - 3 stars
the isabel fish - 4 stars
note to sixth grade self - 3 stars
the smoothest way is full of stones - 4 stars
care - 4 stars
stars of motown shining bright - 3 stars
what we save - 3 stars
station of the cross - 3 stars
These stories ran me through all range of reactions. Some had me a little disturbed (the last one), others left me kind of hopeful, and others were just plain beautiful. I'm typical not a realism fan but this was incredible. I can't wait to pick up more short story collections like this. I highly recommend this one. It's also fairly short!
"Pilgrims" has to be one of the more disturbing stories I've read. That's not a criticism, just a fact.
The stories I liked best and feel I learned the most from (craft wise) were "When She Is Old And I Am Famous" and "The Isabel Fish"
Even though the subject matter differed, I found the voice in "Notes to Sixth-Grade Self" to be too derivative of [b:Self-Help: Stories|90872|Self-Help Stories|Lorrie Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1193938034s/90872.jpg|420965].
The stories I liked best and feel I learned the most from (craft wise) were "When She Is Old And I Am Famous" and "The Isabel Fish"
Even though the subject matter differed, I found the voice in "Notes to Sixth-Grade Self" to be too derivative of [b:Self-Help: Stories|90872|Self-Help Stories|Lorrie Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1193938034s/90872.jpg|420965].
Orrigner has to be one of my favorite short story writers. Every piece in this collection is written from the point of view of a young narrator, and every voice is intimidatingly unique. Some of Orringer's endings can be a bit ambiguous and frustrating, but overall, I highly recommend reading her stories.
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