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dodo02's review against another edition
5.0
Berlin's writing is characterised as autofiction which means she inherently draws inspiration from her lived experiences; many of her stories have similar themes and motifs, such as the stories involving her sister Sally, which almost felt like reimaginations of the the same story. a sense of familiarity develops as you make your way through the collection, and it lingers each time you begin a new story. however, this familiarity never makes way for repetitiveness and that is the genius behind Berlin's writing; you can almost guess which themes will be explored in each story (alcoholism, familial troubles, interpersonal problems) but Berlin always finds a way to approach these themes with a fresh perspective, and there is always a twist, however subtle, that unnerves and disturbs and pulls you out of any sense of comfort into which that aforementioned familiarity may have lulled you.
this collection moved me, truly and deeply moved me. i wanted to weep, i wanted to scream but all i could do was continue reading, though i did put off reading the last three stories for a couple of weeks, hoping to prolong the feelings the others had roused within me. this is definitely a collection i will be returning to, hoping to find new gems that resonate with me within Berlin's writing, but for now I'll end this review with my favourite passage in the whole collection, at least, after a first reading:
this collection moved me, truly and deeply moved me. i wanted to weep, i wanted to scream but all i could do was continue reading, though i did put off reading the last three stories for a couple of weeks, hoping to prolong the feelings the others had roused within me. this is definitely a collection i will be returning to, hoping to find new gems that resonate with me within Berlin's writing, but for now I'll end this review with my favourite passage in the whole collection, at least, after a first reading:
'Jesse came out with some guacamole and chips, a fresh drink for me, beers for them. She slid to the ground and he sat. She leaned back against his knees. He held her throat with one fine long-fingered hand, drank his beer with the other.
I will never forget it, the way he held her throat. The two of them were never flirtatious or coy, never made erotic or even demonstrative gestures, but their closeness was electric. He held her throat. It wasn't a possessive gesture; they were fused.' - Let Me See You Smile
celestecorrea's review against another edition
5.0
Nas páginas deste livro aprendi a largar o passado, fechar a porta à dor, ao arrependimento, ao remorso.
«Manual para mulheres de limpeza» ensinou-me a apanhar os cacos. É tão autêntico, tão verdadeiro, tão bem escrito , tão tudo...
«Manual para mulheres de limpeza» ensinou-me a apanhar os cacos. É tão autêntico, tão verdadeiro, tão bem escrito , tão tudo...
ritaralha's review against another edition
5.0
Foram três coisas que me fizeram olhar para este livro:
- o título que para além de causar uma certa estranheza também causa impacto e aguça a curiosidade;
- a capa com uma mulher, neste caso a própria Lucia Berlin, a fumar. Algo raro nos dias de hoje;
- a autora, de quem nunca tinha ouvido falar.
“Conheci” Lucia Berlin através dos 43 contos que aqui estão reproduzidos dos cerca de 70 que ela escreveu.
São contos que têm um carácter autobiográfico em que a escrita é simples, sem floreados, sincera, mas extremamente realista, chega a doer. Parece que nos estão a contar histórias ao ouvido.
Os assuntos abordados são a solidão, a velhice, alcoolismo, aborto, relações humanas, abandono, abusos, traições…a vida.
Há contos que se interligam, nomes e personagens que se repetem, lugares perdidos como Texarkana – Texas, Baton Rouge – Luisiana ou Pucon – Chile;
Há referências a marcas incontestáveis na época: Greyhound, Kool, Jim Beam;
Há referências literárias: [a:Yukio Mishima|35258|Yukio Mishima|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1502325778p2/35258.jpg], [a:Jean-Paul Sartre|1466|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475567078p2/1466.jpg], [a:Anton Tchekhov|16577210|Anton Tchekhov|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], [a:Søren Kierkegaard|6172|Søren Kierkegaard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202410387p2/6172.jpg], [a:Edward Abbey|37218|Edward Abbey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516467601p2/37218.jpg], [a:Chinua Achebe|8051|Chinua Achebe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473806077p2/8051.jpg], [a:Sherwood Anderson|45645|Sherwood Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206470009p2/45645.jpg], [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380085320p2/1265.jpg], [a:Paul Auster|296961|Paul Auster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455603276p2/296961.jpg];
Há referências musicais como Lester Young, Dave Brubeck, ou John Coltrane (e eu nem gosto de jazz).
Lucia Berlin era uma mulher com uma bagagem cultural extraordinária e infelizmente pouco mais nos deixou para ser lido. Ela mostra como não existem vidas perfeitas, saudáveis e totalmente felizes mas que acima de tudo a vida é uma aventura e é aquilo que quisermos fazer dela.
Muito bom!
- o título que para além de causar uma certa estranheza também causa impacto e aguça a curiosidade;
- a capa com uma mulher, neste caso a própria Lucia Berlin, a fumar. Algo raro nos dias de hoje;
- a autora, de quem nunca tinha ouvido falar.
“Conheci” Lucia Berlin através dos 43 contos que aqui estão reproduzidos dos cerca de 70 que ela escreveu.
São contos que têm um carácter autobiográfico em que a escrita é simples, sem floreados, sincera, mas extremamente realista, chega a doer. Parece que nos estão a contar histórias ao ouvido.
Os assuntos abordados são a solidão, a velhice, alcoolismo, aborto, relações humanas, abandono, abusos, traições…a vida.
Há contos que se interligam, nomes e personagens que se repetem, lugares perdidos como Texarkana – Texas, Baton Rouge – Luisiana ou Pucon – Chile;
Há referências a marcas incontestáveis na época: Greyhound, Kool, Jim Beam;
Há referências literárias: [a:Yukio Mishima|35258|Yukio Mishima|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1502325778p2/35258.jpg], [a:Jean-Paul Sartre|1466|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475567078p2/1466.jpg], [a:Anton Tchekhov|16577210|Anton Tchekhov|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], [a:Søren Kierkegaard|6172|Søren Kierkegaard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202410387p2/6172.jpg], [a:Edward Abbey|37218|Edward Abbey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516467601p2/37218.jpg], [a:Chinua Achebe|8051|Chinua Achebe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473806077p2/8051.jpg], [a:Sherwood Anderson|45645|Sherwood Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206470009p2/45645.jpg], [a:Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380085320p2/1265.jpg], [a:Paul Auster|296961|Paul Auster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455603276p2/296961.jpg];
Há referências musicais como Lester Young, Dave Brubeck, ou John Coltrane (e eu nem gosto de jazz).
Lucia Berlin era uma mulher com uma bagagem cultural extraordinária e infelizmente pouco mais nos deixou para ser lido. Ela mostra como não existem vidas perfeitas, saudáveis e totalmente felizes mas que acima de tudo a vida é uma aventura e é aquilo que quisermos fazer dela.
Muito bom!
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
melsher's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jashegerova's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars out of five because it took a while for me to get into it, but once I did, god damn.
The book is repetitive, but not in a bad way - like punches that are all the same but add up to you hurting more. She returns to the same people (stories? moments?) from different points of view and there were some that I loved (Sally!) and some that I hated (Mamie and grandpa).
It’s been a while since I read a collection of short stories and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. I love a short story. With regards to this book, “Here It Is Sunday” is my favourite in all of its heartwrenching glory.
The book is repetitive, but not in a bad way - like punches that are all the same but add up to you hurting more. She returns to the same people (stories? moments?) from different points of view and there were some that I loved (Sally!) and some that I hated (Mamie and grandpa).
It’s been a while since I read a collection of short stories and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. I love a short story. With regards to this book, “Here It Is Sunday” is my favourite in all of its heartwrenching glory.
fabydemar's review against another edition
5.0
'E le lavanderie a gettoni.[...] Richiedono troppo tempo, persino quelle della catena Speed Queen. Mentre stai seduto lì, tutta la vita ti passa davanti agli occhi, come se stessi affogando'
Manuale per donne delle pulizie
Una nota di demerito al titolo insulso e sessista dell'edizione italiana
Manuale per donne delle pulizie
Una nota di demerito al titolo insulso e sessista dell'edizione italiana
corazonenjaula's review against another edition
Not in the mood to finish this, but it is really good so far! it's just a -me- problem :(