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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
2 1/2. got a bit tedious as every story is about infidelity. every story is about an affair. I don't consider it
"Single, Carefree, Mellow" to have a relationship or spouse or children and to be scheming to meet someone else. what's cool about that? a couple stories okay but EVERY story? change the title at least. this wasn't lighthearted and fun.
"Single, Carefree, Mellow" to have a relationship or spouse or children and to be scheming to meet someone else. what's cool about that? a couple stories okay but EVERY story? change the title at least. this wasn't lighthearted and fun.
The first few stories started out with a bang, I was so in love with this collection. She has this perfect way of capturing love and moments and feelings. I found myself stopping and reflecting on particular sentences, something I rarely do. Then some of the later stories fell a little flat and were cynical to me, in a way that does not jive with my feelings on long-term marriage and love.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
It is not possible to love Katherine Heiny’s writing more than I do. I wasn’t expecting this to be short stories so I immediately became too invested in the characters from the first short story but was delighted to see recurring characters and welcomed them back as old friends.
While the extramarital affairs might seem trite after awhile the characters and writing style kept me reading. Fun find
(3.5) A good collection of stories about relationships from women’s perspectives, these are all deep, fun, and engrossing enough but I didn’t care for her use of second-person narration in a couple of the stories which distanced me from the characters.
I was also personally appalled by the “normalcy” of adultery in these stories, but it is explained rather beautifully in the story “Blue Heron Ridge”: “Every pore on her skin opened with pleasure and longing. That is the problem with bodies: they don’t think of anything but themselves.”
Plus, how could you not like a collection that contains a story called “Grendel’s Mother”?
I was also personally appalled by the “normalcy” of adultery in these stories, but it is explained rather beautifully in the story “Blue Heron Ridge”: “Every pore on her skin opened with pleasure and longing. That is the problem with bodies: they don’t think of anything but themselves.”
Plus, how could you not like a collection that contains a story called “Grendel’s Mother”?
Short stories about relationships. Most of them were about people having affairs which got old. Too much secrecy and cheating. Overall there were good character development and stories that made you want to know more, all aspects of a good short story.
Just okay.
Just okay.
I would have read this highly praised book of short stories a long time ago if someone had just explained to me that the title is IRONIC. Because anyone who's ever been single past the age of about 18 knows that those three words have nothing to do with each other outside of bad rom coms. So rest assured, no one is carefree or mellow in these stories and actually not too many are single either. Usually they're having at least one affair and are passionately in the grips of passion but still have time for interesting reflections. Heiny and her affair-prone characters remind me a little of the late Laurie Colwin, which is high praise indeed. But I liked her novel "Early Morning Riser" better because it's little sweeter (without being carefree or mellow, thank god) and I appreciate sweetness now that I'm kind of old. Basically I am fated to read all of Katherine Heiny's books as soon as possible because they sweep me away and take me out of myself and make me chuckle darkly to myself when I read them in public places and maybe even think a little about how life works. And these are some of the things I enjoy most about reading.
Such a wonderful collection. Funny, moving, bittersweet and complex
My favorite stories were really great and the rest of the book was just ok.