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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
There were some very memorable stories here. "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" was especially brutal, and I would certainly recommend it, but overall, this collection was very lack luster for me. It felt flat, cliche and dated in places. I couldn't relate/connect with any of the other stories which is an important factor in my being able to enjoy them. (2 stars)
Edit: I think about this book a LOT. And despite my first impressions, it's stayed with me in a positive way. (4 stars)
Edit: I think about this book a LOT. And despite my first impressions, it's stayed with me in a positive way. (4 stars)
Loved this book of short stories. All have different aspects of growing up. There is no follow through, every story stands alone. Wonderful.
Short story collections are tricky. It's hard to find a knock-out, this was not a knock-out. But it was fine. I found a lot of these stories disturbing and did not really feel a connection to the protagonists. The collection focuses on stories of young girls and young women. I struggled to find a common theme that tied the stories together. Maybe jealousy amongst women? Secrets? Religiosity? Absent parents?Some stories were stronger than others.
Most of the stories contained strong language, there were some drug references and sex scenes. I would call it at least PG-13. I wouldn't recommend the whole collection unless you had a lot of free time and no other books on your to-read-list. Although I would highly recommend "Station of the Cross" So it's hard for me to give this collection a rating. I loved that story but the rest were meh.
[stories listed in order of enjoyment]
"Stations of the Cross" had the most relatable character to me. I also enjoyed that the story was told in a flashback way. The characters were well flushed out and it was very well-written. It would be a good one to discuss. 5/5
I enjoyed "Pilgrims" because I enjoy stories told from the point of view of children. The voice felt authentic and there was a dark eerie vibe to the disturbing story, but this one was well written. 4.5/5
"The Isabel Fish" had a compelling plot and I enjoyed the protagonist. It dealt with grief and guilt and I found it compelling. 4.5/5
"Note to Sixth-Grade Self" was a little trite. While the 2nd person voice was a creative twist, it got to be a little too much. 3/5
By the time I came to "The Smoothest Way is Full of Stones" I was tired of stories of girls being mean to each other and being catty. The religious elements were interesting but I found this story to be lackluster. 2.5/5
I found the protagonist in "When She is Old and I am Famous" to be unrelatable and I strongly disliked her. The jealousy for the cousin was too much and way too over the top. I thought it was poorly written and too expository. 2/5
"What We Save" did not stand out to me at all. It was pretty disturbing and the protagonist did not seem realistic at all. There were too many characters for a short-story and so they all became caricatures. 2/5
"Care" felt poorly written and rushed as well and I didn't feel for the main character in it at all. Probably the least developed story in the collection. 1/5
"Stars of Motown Shining Bright" was just weird and a little too sexually explicit for me. Least favorite. 0/5
"There's no question about my mother's faith in me. She has always believed I will succeed"
"As we walked home I was thinking how strange it was that some people were Catholics and others were Jews, that some were prejudiced and others not. I wondered how it could be that people could love God and hate one another."
Most of the stories contained strong language, there were some drug references and sex scenes. I would call it at least PG-13. I wouldn't recommend the whole collection unless you had a lot of free time and no other books on your to-read-list. Although I would highly recommend "Station of the Cross" So it's hard for me to give this collection a rating. I loved that story but the rest were meh.
[stories listed in order of enjoyment]
"Stations of the Cross" had the most relatable character to me. I also enjoyed that the story was told in a flashback way. The characters were well flushed out and it was very well-written. It would be a good one to discuss. 5/5
I enjoyed "Pilgrims" because I enjoy stories told from the point of view of children. The voice felt authentic and there was a dark eerie vibe to the disturbing story, but this one was well written. 4.5/5
"The Isabel Fish" had a compelling plot and I enjoyed the protagonist. It dealt with grief and guilt and I found it compelling. 4.5/5
"Note to Sixth-Grade Self" was a little trite. While the 2nd person voice was a creative twist, it got to be a little too much. 3/5
By the time I came to "The Smoothest Way is Full of Stones" I was tired of stories of girls being mean to each other and being catty. The religious elements were interesting but I found this story to be lackluster. 2.5/5
I found the protagonist in "When She is Old and I am Famous" to be unrelatable and I strongly disliked her. The jealousy for the cousin was too much and way too over the top. I thought it was poorly written and too expository. 2/5
"What We Save" did not stand out to me at all. It was pretty disturbing and the protagonist did not seem realistic at all. There were too many characters for a short-story and so they all became caricatures. 2/5
"Care" felt poorly written and rushed as well and I didn't feel for the main character in it at all. Probably the least developed story in the collection. 1/5
"Stars of Motown Shining Bright" was just weird and a little too sexually explicit for me. Least favorite. 0/5
"There's no question about my mother's faith in me. She has always believed I will succeed"
"As we walked home I was thinking how strange it was that some people were Catholics and others were Jews, that some were prejudiced and others not. I wondered how it could be that people could love God and hate one another."
I don’t often go for realist short story collections (I tend to go for the ones that have a little weirdness in them), but how to Breathe Underwater was so good! Loved how all of these stories are told from the perspective of girls and young women and Julie Orringer’s writing style really worked for me.
Average rating stories: 3,9 stars
Average rating stories: 3,9 stars
I liked that these stories are about girls and women and their relationships with each other. "Stars of Motown Shining Bright" was my favorite as I think it encapsulated many of the lessons and insights of the stories put together.
Many of the short stories in this collection reminded me of aspects of my childhood. The author has a great eye for detail; she takes ordinary people and situations and creates a thoughtful story. Some of the characters are rude, mean, unkind, even evil but all are realistic and human. I enjoyed reading it.
In this collection, Orringer takes common tragedies and feelings- cancer, jealousy, anger, self-image issues, coming of age, and family bonds, and weaves them into brilliant stories. Often there was some element that left me feeling a bit off-kilter (like in the first story-Pilgrim). This feeling then provokes lots of thoughts on humanity and how we cope/treat others in crisis.
There are nine powerful stories, some with overlapping themes- but explored in fresh ways every time.
Here are some themes and quotes from my favorite stories.
1. Pilgrims: How to continue traditions in the midst of tragedy, and the coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) in children when dealing with devastating family illness.
"She closed her eyes and followed the car in her mind down the streets that led to their house...where they would fall asleep thinking of forests and wake to the lives of strangers."
2. When She is Old and I am Famous: Jealousy, body image, fulfilling potential, and self discovery.
"What I am, the part of my body that I most am, is fat. Continuous, white, lighter than water, a source of energy. No one can hold all of me at once. Does this constitute a crime? I know how to carry myself. Sometimes I feel almost graceful. But all around I hear the thin people's bombast.
.....What is left of a woman once her last five pounds are gone?"
3. The Isabel Fish (my favorite!): The internal struggle of guilt and punishment....what happens when you are the one to survive (and how those left treat you).
"When I think of Isabel this time it's not as a mermaid but as the living girlfriend of my brother, wearing blue jeans, playing bass in the garage, telling me to try singing. She would have liked to see us diving. We tread water, watching each other through our masks. I cannot see his eyes through the glass, but I can see, reflected small and blue, a girl wearing swim fins and a metal tank, self-contained and breathing underwater."
I also raised my fist in triumph to the themes in Note to Sixth-Grade Self and Stars of Motown Shining Bright. Young girls experiencing crappy circumstances, with the positive message that crisis can be averted and "this too shall pass".
The last two in this collection were gut wrenching for me personally since cancer is my tear-jerker trigger, but the words were poetic and beautiful, as I'm come to expect of Orringer.
I obviously highly recommend this collection- if you've enjoyed News from Spain by Joan Wickersham, this has a similar excellent writing quality!
There are nine powerful stories, some with overlapping themes- but explored in fresh ways every time.
Here are some themes and quotes from my favorite stories.
1. Pilgrims: How to continue traditions in the midst of tragedy, and the coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) in children when dealing with devastating family illness.
"She closed her eyes and followed the car in her mind down the streets that led to their house...where they would fall asleep thinking of forests and wake to the lives of strangers."
2. When She is Old and I am Famous: Jealousy, body image, fulfilling potential, and self discovery.
"What I am, the part of my body that I most am, is fat. Continuous, white, lighter than water, a source of energy. No one can hold all of me at once. Does this constitute a crime? I know how to carry myself. Sometimes I feel almost graceful. But all around I hear the thin people's bombast.
.....What is left of a woman once her last five pounds are gone?"
3. The Isabel Fish (my favorite!): The internal struggle of guilt and punishment....what happens when you are the one to survive (and how those left treat you).
"When I think of Isabel this time it's not as a mermaid but as the living girlfriend of my brother, wearing blue jeans, playing bass in the garage, telling me to try singing. She would have liked to see us diving. We tread water, watching each other through our masks. I cannot see his eyes through the glass, but I can see, reflected small and blue, a girl wearing swim fins and a metal tank, self-contained and breathing underwater."
I also raised my fist in triumph to the themes in Note to Sixth-Grade Self and Stars of Motown Shining Bright. Young girls experiencing crappy circumstances, with the positive message that crisis can be averted and "this too shall pass".
The last two in this collection were gut wrenching for me personally since cancer is my tear-jerker trigger, but the words were poetic and beautiful, as I'm come to expect of Orringer.
I obviously highly recommend this collection- if you've enjoyed News from Spain by Joan Wickersham, this has a similar excellent writing quality!
Loved these. So relatable, open, generously honest, disturbing and moving.
Orringer writes with confidence, but without much passion. These nine stories are perfectly constructed, and the author has a keen ear for natural dialogue, but with few exceptions, I was not moved by the characters or their dilemmas.
In each, whether the voice is first or third person (even, in the case of Note to Sixth-Grade Self, second person), the protagonist is a young girl or a coming of age adolescent. Each faces a significant loss- either of a loved one or of innocence. Very high marks to Pilgrims, a subtle homage to Lord of the Flies, and Note to Sixth-Grade Self; these stories spill out the inherent, almost innocent cruelty of children. Shrugs to Stars of Motown Shining Bright and The Smoothest Way Is Full of Stones, both centered on characters discovering and exploring their sexual selves, and When She Is Old and I Am Famous, which was entertaining but empty.
Less than the themes, which did not always resonate with me, was Orringer's writing. It's very modern and linear, clean and sharp. I admire this, but there was no place to escape and rest for a moment. The Isabel Fish and Care came very close, as the characters slipped quietly into depression or a drug-induced high. But those aren't places in which I wanted to linger.
In each, whether the voice is first or third person (even, in the case of Note to Sixth-Grade Self, second person), the protagonist is a young girl or a coming of age adolescent. Each faces a significant loss- either of a loved one or of innocence. Very high marks to Pilgrims, a subtle homage to Lord of the Flies, and Note to Sixth-Grade Self; these stories spill out the inherent, almost innocent cruelty of children. Shrugs to Stars of Motown Shining Bright and The Smoothest Way Is Full of Stones, both centered on characters discovering and exploring their sexual selves, and When She Is Old and I Am Famous, which was entertaining but empty.
Less than the themes, which did not always resonate with me, was Orringer's writing. It's very modern and linear, clean and sharp. I admire this, but there was no place to escape and rest for a moment. The Isabel Fish and Care came very close, as the characters slipped quietly into depression or a drug-induced high. But those aren't places in which I wanted to linger.