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autumnbowman's review against another edition
1.0
I don’t know what I even just finished. It was a hot mess and definitely made me want to cry. 0/10 recommend. I’d give “0” but since I can’t, I’m giving a “1”.
fin_simmons's review against another edition
4.0
The short stories defo got more interesting as the collection went on. Nice tonic to omicron …
blchandler9000's review against another edition
3.0
Mary Gaitskill is one of my favorite writers. Her ability to realistically plumb the human soul and its motives is astonishing. She also can do some lovely writing, turning phrases and metaphors that feel fresh and exact. So, I was excited that this book was out, and after hearing her read from "Mirror Ball" on KCRW's Bookworm, I knew I couldn't wait for paperback.
There are some excellent stories in this collection—stories that individually warrant more than the 3 star rating I gave the book. (The best being "The Agonized Face," "Description," and the aforementioned "Mirror Ball" which has an uncharacteristic-for-Gaitskill magical-realism bent to it.) The other stories—and there are 10 total—are good, but not great. The weakest was "College Town, 1980" which it turns out is a very old story of hers revamped and set out to pasture.
Still, though, "Agonized Face" and "Mirror Ball" were so good, they're still knocking around in my head. And it's not even really the scenes or ideas from the story, but just shades of feelings and tone that I'm retaining.
There are some excellent stories in this collection—stories that individually warrant more than the 3 star rating I gave the book. (The best being "The Agonized Face," "Description," and the aforementioned "Mirror Ball" which has an uncharacteristic-for-Gaitskill magical-realism bent to it.) The other stories—and there are 10 total—are good, but not great. The weakest was "College Town, 1980" which it turns out is a very old story of hers revamped and set out to pasture.
Still, though, "Agonized Face" and "Mirror Ball" were so good, they're still knocking around in my head. And it's not even really the scenes or ideas from the story, but just shades of feelings and tone that I'm retaining.
chaotic_ramblings's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn’t even remember why I bought this book once I started reading it. The stories were horrible and very hard to read. Though I only made it through one and a half stories I felt as though my IQ points were dropping like flies. I couldn’t see any rhyme or reason for any of the stories that I read and there seemed to be only one main theme to each one and that was sex, and not the kind of sex that I really wanted to read about EVER.
mkat303's review against another edition
1.0
Eh, just couldn't get into most of the stories, except for the first one. Not going to finish it.
jasminenoack's review against another edition
4.0
I have to say I think this is a very wide spectrum book I say that because while Greg didn't so much like the beginning but liked the end. I cared far less for the end and enjoyed the beginning of the book. I think that it would work well for people who like famous fathers, it uses similar themes in the stories so it is relevant to know if you appreciate such things. It you do not you will not like this book that is simply how it is. Regardless there is at least a little something for everyone and she is really not that bad.
sarahc3319's review against another edition
3.0
The first few stories were boring and indulgent and I was disappointed at reading the same old crap... But then she seemed to "hit her stride" or something and the last few stories were tender, well-formed and led to a gorgeous, heartrending crescendo in the title story. I would almost recommend skipping the first half of this book, but it might steal from the magic of the end.
bucket's review against another edition
4.0
This is a more expansive collection than Bad Behavior (published 20 years earlier), which mostly featured young women in personal and sexual turmoil. While the turmoil theme is still prominent here, there are plenty of other themes, the variety of characters (gender, age, sexual orientation) is quite wide, and the collection manages to tackle its themes from a variety of directions - in my opinion, this is the mark of a good collection of stories. Bad Behavior managed none of this, and it goes to show what a difference 20 years of experience can make.
What I love most about Gaitskill's writing is how very TRUE it feels. Her descriptions and situations are never idealized or glossy - everything is gritty and sharp and blatant, even when that means overtly sexual or disgusting or what many people would consider devient or perverted.
Of the 10 stories, I very much enjoyed 7 of them. Mirror Ball really spoke to me - I was fascinated by the way Gaitskill anthropomorphized the soul to explain what it's like to be utterly altered by someone you meet without understanding why or how it happened. The Arms and Legs of the Lake says so much about the cost of war to those who return. The final story, Don't Cry, juxtaposes different types of struggle - the struggle of war, the struggle of grief when you lose your spouse, and the struggle of trying to achieve something that seems impossible.
The choice of Don't Cry as the overall title of the collection was a good one. Each story very much speaks to the need for great inner strength. Only in Don't Cry, does a character break down, let go, and cry.
Themes: women, relationships, sex, turmoil, souls and soul-speak, writing, aging, grief, death (of a partner, in particular), inner strength
What I love most about Gaitskill's writing is how very TRUE it feels. Her descriptions and situations are never idealized or glossy - everything is gritty and sharp and blatant, even when that means overtly sexual or disgusting or what many people would consider devient or perverted.
Of the 10 stories, I very much enjoyed 7 of them. Mirror Ball really spoke to me - I was fascinated by the way Gaitskill anthropomorphized the soul to explain what it's like to be utterly altered by someone you meet without understanding why or how it happened. The Arms and Legs of the Lake says so much about the cost of war to those who return. The final story, Don't Cry, juxtaposes different types of struggle - the struggle of war, the struggle of grief when you lose your spouse, and the struggle of trying to achieve something that seems impossible.
The choice of Don't Cry as the overall title of the collection was a good one. Each story very much speaks to the need for great inner strength. Only in Don't Cry, does a character break down, let go, and cry.
Themes: women, relationships, sex, turmoil, souls and soul-speak, writing, aging, grief, death (of a partner, in particular), inner strength
lipstickitotheman's review against another edition
4.0
Spoiler alert, I love this! I have more thoughts here: http://jane-eyrehead.tumblr.com/post/163646672934/dont-cry-by-mary-gaitskill