Reviews

A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

gabbyhm's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

alittlegreyfish's review against another edition

5.0

Man, this was soul-crushingly good. What a stunning portrayal of what it is like to be an immigrant, to be in abusive family, to have alcoholism or drug addiction, to be a struggling single parent, to have a loved one go through cancer, I mean, this book was rough but so real. I loved it.

lear2696's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

luxxybee97's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

   Lucia Berlin’s prose is electrifyingly lucid, the kind of prose that makes me feel like I’m never going to be a good writer because when writing like this exists, how on earth are you ever meant to compare? She says only what she has to say, never wasting a single letter, not a single space on the page, and the result are stories that skim surfaces while casting ripples below, shadows that soar and dive and spread themselves across your mind, seeping into your skin and bones and organs to the hidden places far inside you. It’s impossible to tell where reality begins and fiction ends, but that’s the fun thing. Berlin keeps you on your toes – blink over a sentence and you’ll miss a crucial detail, something that anchors the entire picture. 

 

   The stories that stood out to me most were Carlotta and her sister Sally. Their relationship as sisters growing up under the shadow of an abusive mother, and who then find each other years later when time is melting away like ice under a hot sun, has a bittersweet catharsis to it – you’re glad they can look back on the past from a safe distance, but the end is growing closer too, from not such as distance, and it’s heart-breaking. I feel like I was lying with them in Sally’s apartment, listening to the rattle of her breathing, watching sun shining through the window. Or perhaps I’m with Lucia in rehab, where she confronts alcoholism with unflinching realism, showing its horror and its hilarity in stark, uncompromising detail. That’s the thing, the book is often so funny, so silly, finding any speck of light it can in the darkest, deepest places, and Berlin is skilled enough of a writer to be able to balance the two sides of the world like a knife between her fingers. 

gladstoned's review against another edition

5.0

Maybe my favourite short story collection. Lucia just fucking gets it.

contre_qui's review

dark emotional funny reflective

4.5

apooler's review against another edition

5.0

What a book... This is my first time reading a collection of short stories, it felt like a complete novel though, since it connected many of the stories (in an obvious way or not so obvious).

Thoroughly enjoyed the sceneries, the Mexican colour and spirit, the desert El paso setting, etc. I was truly transported.

Lastly, just wanted to comment on how sad the stories where, how often my heart broke. The helplessness of some characters, the huge impact of the family factor (mostly affecting in a negative way). Yet I still felt a lightness when reading about some relationships, like the two sisters.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, Thank you, Lucia.

mariafernandagama's review against another edition

So beautiful, so endearing. The smells, the taste, the pain... everything is palpable here.

syyskuu's review against another edition

dark hopeful lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

kennabix's review against another edition

4.25

The huge array of timelines, narrators, and characters, as well as the brief quality to most of these stories made it a bit hard to commit to reoccurring characters. Not helping was the fact that I read this book before bed every night so I’m sure I was drifting into sleep for pieces of this. I started to really enjoy the book about halfway through, and wish I had committed to reading this at a different time of day. A definite re-read prospect for me! Compelling stories with levity and heartbreak and characters you don’t want to watch continue to suffer. Would recommend!