Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
There are a few stories in here that are among the best short stories I have ever read. There are also some that I just couldn't really care less about...going to rank them in order of my enjoyment in case you want to target read this.
1)The Isabel Fish
2)Pilgrims
3)When She Is Old and I Am Famous
4)Stars of Motown Shining Bright
5)Care
6)The Smoothest Way Is Full of Stones
7)What We Save
8)Stations of the Cross
9)Note to Sixth-Grade Self
None of these are poorly written and perhaps the ones I did not enjoy were because all of these stories are from a deeply female perspective and some were more easily related to on a human level...Note to Sixth-Grade Self being an intense example of this (one which I skimmed.
Do read at least the first story on my list. It will be with me forever.
1)The Isabel Fish
2)Pilgrims
3)When She Is Old and I Am Famous
4)Stars of Motown Shining Bright
5)Care
6)The Smoothest Way Is Full of Stones
7)What We Save
8)Stations of the Cross
9)Note to Sixth-Grade Self
None of these are poorly written and perhaps the ones I did not enjoy were because all of these stories are from a deeply female perspective and some were more easily related to on a human level...Note to Sixth-Grade Self being an intense example of this (one which I skimmed.
Do read at least the first story on my list. It will be with me forever.
My friend bought this for me as a birthday present because it was on Rory's reading list. Normally, I'm not the type to read a collection of short stories only because I really enjoy character development and lingering in the set-up scenarios, but I read this because it came well-recommended and because I liked the cover art. And not too surprisingly, it was a really great read. All the stories center around kids and their perspective as they come across very different cultures and new home environments or relationships. I loved the darker edge around each story compared to the more predictable ones I'd read in high school... Initially, I let my "guard" down because the first story starts off with young kids running around a backyard with an enormous, amazing treehouse. Then, one of the kids falls off the treehouse and dies, and all the other kids just pile leaves over the body to hide this terrible event. By the time I recognized that these were not just innocent children's tales, I realized that the stories had crept past the surface and challenged me to think about things like guilt and prejudice from less familiar angles. Orringer's addictively crisp phrasing conveys complexities wrought in young minds confronting certain issues head on for the first time. By the last story, I was sad because, well, the content was sad, but also because it was the last one. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Orringer has published anything else but I will definitely look up her next project when it comes out.
An interesting set of short stories all exploring different aspects of what it means to be young. Some were incredibly engaging and made me wish the stories were a lot longer, others were enjoyable but less so. Overall a worthwhile set of stories.
A solid collection of short stories. I guess the overarching theme would be how young people can be or feel powerless?
Rating/reviewing short story collections is always a bit hard, which is why I don´t have that much to say about this one - it was just really good. About half of the stories I absolutely loved, the other half I didn´t find quite as incredible. Though the prose stayed beautiful and very observant throughout the collection. Orringer is clearly a talented short story writer, she can fit so much in just a few dozen pages. All of the stories focus on young girls and the difficult things they have to deal with. Some of the themes addressed are death, friendships, illness, love, jealousy - a wide range of different emotions. Family relations also play a big part in every story. Some of the things that happened felt a bit extreme, but then again, life can be quite extreme and I did find How to Breathe Underwater to be a compelling piece of literature.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
This is an excellent collection of short stories. Each one is written from the perspective of a young person, and each sorry takes a devastatingly dark turn. This story structure/style reminded me of Flannery O'Connor and her knack for writing about when the worst of people's inner thoughts become actions.
Dark, harrowing, beautiful. A stunning collection of short stories about girls, innocence and growing up. I loved every story deeply and find myself thinking about the characters days later. "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" and "The Isabel Fish" could be singled out as my favorites, but I hold each story close to my heart.
Read as part of the Summer 2016 LTWF group read
I was hugely impressed by just how skillfully crafted and well balanced this collection is. Too often short story collections can feel uneven and disconnected, but this collection felt very well thought out, structured around deeply personal and devastating issues faced by girls during childhood and young adulthood, such as death and illness, guilt, loss, jealousy, peer pressure and finding one's identity. Of course I had my favourites, and then a few of the stories that didn't resonate quite so much with me personally, but overall I think each of the nine stories were a good fit and deserving of their place in the collection.
None of these stories are particularly cheerful. In fact, perhaps ironically, the collection is named after the only story in the collection to be in any way particularly hopeful. All of these girls are struggling with personal problems, as they try "to breathe underwater", often trapped and isolated in desperate circumstances. The titular story was without a doubt a favourite of mine, thanks to the this beautiful sense of hope within the protagonist who I truly admired. That is not to say the other stories aren't excellent, simply that when story after story ends on such sadness and lack of hope, it can be difficult to keep reading.
Despite this difficulty, I admire Orringer's ability to convey such dark and disturbing themes. Her stories were powerful, and many of the scenarios and characters will stay with me for a long time. They've got me thinking and certainly sparked some interesting discussions between those who read this as part of a group read. A must read for fans of well written short stories, especially if you are interested in the trials and tribulations of growing up, but be prepared for a dark and difficult read.
I was hugely impressed by just how skillfully crafted and well balanced this collection is. Too often short story collections can feel uneven and disconnected, but this collection felt very well thought out, structured around deeply personal and devastating issues faced by girls during childhood and young adulthood, such as death and illness, guilt, loss, jealousy, peer pressure and finding one's identity. Of course I had my favourites, and then a few of the stories that didn't resonate quite so much with me personally, but overall I think each of the nine stories were a good fit and deserving of their place in the collection.
None of these stories are particularly cheerful. In fact, perhaps ironically, the collection is named after the only story in the collection to be in any way particularly hopeful. All of these girls are struggling with personal problems, as they try "to breathe underwater", often trapped and isolated in desperate circumstances. The titular story was without a doubt a favourite of mine, thanks to the this beautiful sense of hope within the protagonist who I truly admired. That is not to say the other stories aren't excellent, simply that when story after story ends on such sadness and lack of hope, it can be difficult to keep reading.
Despite this difficulty, I admire Orringer's ability to convey such dark and disturbing themes. Her stories were powerful, and many of the scenarios and characters will stay with me for a long time. They've got me thinking and certainly sparked some interesting discussions between those who read this as part of a group read. A must read for fans of well written short stories, especially if you are interested in the trials and tribulations of growing up, but be prepared for a dark and difficult read.
I enjoyed this book, it's an emotionally aware look at coming of age from childhood. Heartbreakers like "Note to Sixth Grade Self" or the spot on observation of "The Isabel Fish" make the collection a solid read