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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
The three here may be a bit generous. While I appreciated the dark tone I kept waiting for something to hit me more than any of these stories actually did.
was so horrified by the ending of the first short story that i almost put it down for good. i stuck through it and while i wasn't crazy for the rest of them, they made me feel itchy and uncomfortable and sort of awful. but that's the point of a good short story, isn't it, to drag you in and make you feel something in just a few pages?
A pretty decent short story collection, but nothing really jumped out for me (with the exception of 'Pilgrims')
Was so good until the end, I hated the last story so much, 4.5
I had this book on my "to read" list for many years. When I sat down to read it, I couldn't make a connection with the characters in the stories. Strong use of imagery and some beautiful language, but overall this collection fell flat for me.
very nice writing and i'm really into these kind of themes (all stories about young girls and women and loss of innocence, clashes between childhood and adult worlds, etc)
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
This was one of the best collections I've read in a long time. Each story was striking in its poignancy and its vivid prose. Orringer strays from too much sentimentality while also avoiding the pitfalls of misery and sorrow that weigh down most modern fiction collections. A great read.