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rebus's review against another edition
4.25
I was not initially wowed by the first couple of stories in this volume, believing that Gaitskill had sold out to the establishment values that had made her a success. The stories seemed to get better and better as it went along, often somewhat autobiographical tales of women writers who felt a great cynicism at conferences and reading events, the last couple linked by a couple of characters and very telling portraits of what her life has become following that success (one of her stand ins seems to even repudiate her early work as 'dumb', which is hardly the case).
It may not all be as transgressive, shocking, and earth shakingly fresh as her early work, but it's the work of a mature author who hasn't lost sight of reality and the truths underlying the bland mediocrity that has been literature for the last 30 years. She has contempt for the 3rd wave of feminism that turned every little girl into a victim that saw all sex as rape, and this view is refreshing in light of how ugly the culture has become since the 90s (not to mention the even uglier notion of supporting anyone female, no matter what they do, which once gave us the likes of fascists like Ayn Rand and now Hillary Clinton). She even takes on the topic of war and seems to side with my own view that all soldiers are sociopaths, despite the many characters with conflicting views in that tale (it IS all volunteer and most do come from the white upper middle class these days, playing videogames of death in which they are never threatened, the soldier in this tale notwithstanding).
She even takes on quite literary topics in the last couple linked tales, arguing both for and against too much 'description' in these tales (in our visual world less of that is needed, but it is a powerful tool of metaphor that can still say more about the characters than the character of Kevin is able to conceive).
If you're an old fan, you will still find much to like here. The younger generation giving it low reviews are the most illiterate in human history, so pay them no mind.
It may not all be as transgressive, shocking, and earth shakingly fresh as her early work, but it's the work of a mature author who hasn't lost sight of reality and the truths underlying the bland mediocrity that has been literature for the last 30 years. She has contempt for the 3rd wave of feminism that turned every little girl into a victim that saw all sex as rape, and this view is refreshing in light of how ugly the culture has become since the 90s (not to mention the even uglier notion of supporting anyone female, no matter what they do, which once gave us the likes of fascists like Ayn Rand and now Hillary Clinton). She even takes on the topic of war and seems to side with my own view that all soldiers are sociopaths, despite the many characters with conflicting views in that tale (it IS all volunteer and most do come from the white upper middle class these days, playing videogames of death in which they are never threatened, the soldier in this tale notwithstanding).
She even takes on quite literary topics in the last couple linked tales, arguing both for and against too much 'description' in these tales (in our visual world less of that is needed, but it is a powerful tool of metaphor that can still say more about the characters than the character of Kevin is able to conceive).
If you're an old fan, you will still find much to like here. The younger generation giving it low reviews are the most illiterate in human history, so pay them no mind.
danchrist's review against another edition
3.0
Good, solid stories well told, but not well enough to drive me to find another by the same author at the library.
thrashtambourine's review against another edition
3.0
My feelings about this collection of stories are very jumbled and I'm finding it very difficult to decide how many stars to give it which almost never happens to me.
I never felt quite myself when I was reading any of it. I was really pulled into the different scenarios and carried off into these worlds. Obviously Gaitskill is a great writer, but I also never connected with any of the characters.
This book (and most of it's characters) came off as very judgemental, which isn't relaxing. I didn't learn anything from this book. I didn't gain a new perspective or experience any waves of emotions or any of the other criteria I have for great literature.
Even though for me it was maybe a two star read I still feel like other people should read it. It just wasn't meant for me.
I never felt quite myself when I was reading any of it. I was really pulled into the different scenarios and carried off into these worlds. Obviously Gaitskill is a great writer, but I also never connected with any of the characters.
This book (and most of it's characters) came off as very judgemental, which isn't relaxing. I didn't learn anything from this book. I didn't gain a new perspective or experience any waves of emotions or any of the other criteria I have for great literature.
Even though for me it was maybe a two star read I still feel like other people should read it. It just wasn't meant for me.
meljon's review against another edition
3.0
I tried reading this whole book, I really did, but only got about a third of the way through. She has an interesting way of looking at things that did make me think, but the stories were depressing to me, the characters unloveable, and nothing really seemed to happen. Everything was about the character's feelings and perspective, sometimes their emotional journeys - which is all good in moderation - but a whole book's worth? As I read, I found my mind wandering and I kept waiting for something to happen to draw me in. I could probably read this whole book in very small doses - like over a span of a year, but it was a loaner and it's time to give it back to its owner.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
None of the characters in this selection of short stories appealed to me. Their lives didn't make me want to learn more, and the obsession with sex that permeated the book just turned me off. Pity, because I usually like Gaitskill's work.
sanamun's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 140 pages of so. I think I would maybe have liked these stories more of I'd found them individually, but as a collective I find I just don't care enough. They all kind of blur into eachother, and the writing style makes it a bit boring to read. I feel like Mary Gaitskill writes for people who think they're smarter than they are tbh.
woodlandglitter's review against another edition
3.0
I used to really, really love Gaitskill's stories, but it's been a few years, and I'm no longer so enamored with stories that end up making me feel bad. It seems like most of these stories are about unhappy people making each other more unhappy, something that I'm not necessarily that thrilled to be a part of. Still, the writing is, as usual, pretty amazing...
jawjuhh's review against another edition
3.0
Isn't it funny how, in a short story collection, the whole thing can suddenly be redeemed if the last story touches your heart? I spent much of this read thinking that Mary Gaitskill was, to be frank, weird as shit, and not quite understanding the vast majority of these stories. And they definitely are weird and dreamy and almost mythic and sometimes hateful, but sometimes they are beautiful. Stories I enjoyed: The Agonized Face, Today I'm Yours, Description, and finally, Don't Cry. And even though I didn't strictly "like" the others, they were still oddly compelling. I first read this my senior year of high school and decided to revisit this in my senior year of college, wondering if I would understand / appreciate these more, now that I am, after all, a professional killjoy feminist, and to some extent that is true. But I feel like I need to revisit these stories again, because I still don't quite get it. All the same, an interesting, interesting assortment of stories.
helenaelizondo's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
lony's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5