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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Orringer's novel The Invisible Bridge and read his immediately after. While very different in genre from her novel, these short stories are just as beautifully written and the characters have the same weight as those in her novel. Each story somehow keeps you unsettled as you're reading until it releases you in some way or other at the end. I also liked how the stories included were all about the same length.
Oh my God! It's hard for me to say I like a group of short stories more than a novel, especially when said novel is The Invisible Bridge, but this book is just fabulous. I've read other short stories by authors I enjoyed (namely, Jennifer Weiner's collection) and been underwhelmed. But this was just fantastic. The stories are immediate and poignant; so many take an ordinary day and turn it upside down, something I absolutely love. I found myself caring desperately about the characters, but still being very satisfied with each one of her endings.
Fabulous little collection that made me remember why I enjoy short stories. I bought this book thinking it would be nice to have something to dip into a bit at a time for awhile, but the stories propelled me through the entire book. All were compelling. Common threads include sibling relationships, the breakdown of communication between parents and children, dying mothers, and the ways in which children can be especially savage towards one another. The last story absolutely chilled me, and I don't think I'll be forgetting any of them soon. I might even change my rating to five stars at some point, depending on how I feel after my thoughts have had a chance to settle.
Very interesting and well-rounded short stories. The main characters are usually girls or young women coming to terms with their families, relationships, death, disease and religion. Most of the stories felt complete and were engrossing and complex enough to stand on their own.
A collection of short stories Alex randomly decided to make us read for the CHA book club. CHA was on its way out then, and I had no interest in the book, so I stopped reading it after I finished the first story.
Too realistically dark for me, especially as a mother of teen daughters
This is an outstanding collection of short stories. I read every single story on the edge of my seat because the only predictable thing about each one is that it will be wildly unpredictable. The plot twists are risky and often shocking, and all the more terrifying because they are happening to very real people. These people could be your friends and neighbors. They could be you. I had the mischance to read "Note to Sixth Grade Self" in a coffee shop, and it was truly an effort not to weep in public for the protagonist, whose great tragedy (and I do not say this facetiously) is that she is talented and passionate, and very unpopular. How heart-breaking are these words:
"As you cross the street, take a look at the public high school. The kids there will be eating long sticks of Roman candy and leaning on the chain-link fence. Do they look as if they care who dances with whom, or what steps you'll learn this week? News flash: They do not. Try to understand that there's a world larger than the one you inhabit. If you understand that, you will be far ahead of Patricia and Cara."
She tells herself that her pain is short-lived if she can only see the bigger picture, and yet implied also is the sad fact: high school is not the world at large; it will only be the next source of cattiness and pain. It's a fact I had been perfectly content to forget! But Orringer brings these and other childhood and teenage scenes to life with such a vivid accuracy it takes your breath away. The quality of this book is well worth the temporary re-location to adolescence.
"As you cross the street, take a look at the public high school. The kids there will be eating long sticks of Roman candy and leaning on the chain-link fence. Do they look as if they care who dances with whom, or what steps you'll learn this week? News flash: They do not. Try to understand that there's a world larger than the one you inhabit. If you understand that, you will be far ahead of Patricia and Cara."
She tells herself that her pain is short-lived if she can only see the bigger picture, and yet implied also is the sad fact: high school is not the world at large; it will only be the next source of cattiness and pain. It's a fact I had been perfectly content to forget! But Orringer brings these and other childhood and teenage scenes to life with such a vivid accuracy it takes your breath away. The quality of this book is well worth the temporary re-location to adolescence.
As I was reading through “How to Breathe Underwater” I looked at reviews. I usually don’t do this because it skews my expectations, and, with this book specifically, it kind of skewed my expectations negatively. But now that I’m through with the book, I really enjoyed it.
For me, not every story was a hit. But some of the stories really hit (“Care” and “What We Save” specifically stand out). I’d recommend this book, maybe with a preamble that all of the stories are pretty emotionally heavy.
For me, not every story was a hit. But some of the stories really hit (“Care” and “What We Save” specifically stand out). I’d recommend this book, maybe with a preamble that all of the stories are pretty emotionally heavy.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book affected me emotionally many times throughout reading, offering different perspectives on the tragedy that is growing up if you experience any form of trauma. unfortunately there seemed to be quite zionist undertones in the final chapter :/ felt very let down after feeling so connected with the stories prior.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent