Reviews - How to Breathe Underwater

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer

215 reviews for:

This is probably the best short story collection I've ever read. Often with collections, even in good ones, there are some stories that don't meet the same standard as others. That isn't the case here. Every single story is strong, moving, well paced and with brilliant characters and plots. I'd be hard pushed to pick a favourite, because I was totally captivated by the melancholia and bittersweet beauty of the stories. The common thread through all of them is how Orringer so perfectly captures the pivot point in her female protagonists' lives from which nothing will be the same. From the burden of guilt of surviving a car crash in which her brother's girlfriend dies, to watching her terminally ill mother say goodbye to a lifelong unrequited love, to being harshly initiated into the world of sexuality, the girls in these stories are not spared the full force of life. But the telling is beautiful and almost gentle enough to soften the blow. I loved this collection.

wannasbooks's review against another edition

3.25

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

katherinehiney's review against another edition

3.75

challenging hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

yrpalal's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

theinkwyrm's review against another edition

3.0

This collection of short stories may focus on girls and young women, but by no means is it YA. Orringer deals with some heavy topics in this collection, most notably sexual assault, illness, religion, and death. I wasn’t particularly bothered that the entire collection takes a very grim view of humanity, as I tend to do the same, but I did think that that darkness was handled better in some cases than others. The only story I really loved was The Isabel Fish, although I think some honorable mentions would go to The Smoothest Way is Full of Stones, When She is Old and I Am Famous, and Note to Sixth-Grade Self. I thought it was interesting that the first and last stories of the collection were by far the weakest (seriously, how can we accept that a little boy literally got away with murder in the first story??).

joannefl97's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lefaulkenberry's review against another edition

5.0

One of my favorite short story collections of all time. I love the characters and the deft use of language. Orringer writes some of the loveliest metaphors--they haunt me. She can write an unforgettable character description in one line. Her characters are rich and complex in their desires and flaws, and the relationships between them are fascinating.