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thomcat's review
4.0
This collection of The People stories includes all of the first two books, a few additional stories published in magazines, and one unpublished previously. It also contains a timeline and some notes from the author, and is by all means the preferred way to read these stories.
I stick with my reviews of the previous two books - the first set of stories is really good, the second set less so. The new stories come back to the quality of the first book, and the overall collection rates 4 stars. My favorite of the new stories was That Boy - a religious community fights anything not of their religion. This may have been a direct outgrowth of Zenna Henderson's background - she was a former Mormon.
I stick with my reviews of the previous two books - the first set of stories is really good, the second set less so. The new stories come back to the quality of the first book, and the overall collection rates 4 stars. My favorite of the new stories was That Boy - a religious community fights anything not of their religion. This may have been a direct outgrowth of Zenna Henderson's background - she was a former Mormon.
rebbes's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pedanther's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Sexism
Minor: Ableism
ncrabb's review
5.0
I’ve heard reference to these People stories numerous times all my life, but I’ve never read them. When a lifelong friend mentioned in a phone call that he is reading them, I felt strongly prompted to do the same. I initially argued with myself, recalling my strong dislike of short story collections, but his conviction that I would enjoy the book carried the day. He was resoundingly right. I can think of few books I’ve read this year I’ve enjoyed more.
This compilation is a series of interconnected short stories about a group of aliens who look exactly like native earth-born humans, but who have special powers and a higher degree of morality. The People must find a new planetary home because a supernova will destroy theirs. While emigrating, the ships in which they travel crash, and they leap into lifeboat-like vehicles and land on Earth after first investigating our moon to determine its habitability. These stories deal with their lives after coming to rest in the American southwest around the turn of the 20th century.
In one story, the aliens determine to do nothing that sets them apart from other humans. So draconian are these measures that happiness, love, and humor are exempt from their lives. It takes a schoolteacher to show them that they can safely be themselves.
Another story looks at a blended family—a situation where the father is an Earthling and the mother is one of the people. It helps you see the difficulty such a blend would create among the children who partially inherit their mother’s abilities and gifts.
In “No Different Flesh,” an Earth couple discover an alien toddler following a massive thunderstorm and build bridges of love to her in an effort to raise her. But the child’s father discovers her, and while the People are cautious about allowing outsiders to know much about their world, they determine to let this particular couple in.
In “Angels Unawares,” radiation poisoning is killing an entire community. It is up to the People to save whomever they can.
The first story—one that will draw you into the rest of the book—involves mentally troubled Lea. Lea wants only to end her life. But representatives from the People see potential in her and want to prevent her suicide.
These are far-reaching wide-ranging stories whose characters will stay with you and whose concepts will reshape the landscape of your mind. Best of all, you could hand this to your teenage grandchild avid reader or the most pious ultra-God-fearing member of your church with no fear of corrupting or damaging the spirit of those individuals. There just isn’t anything profane or sexual in any of these stories. my friend and I have commented frequently this weekend as we’ve talked about my progress in the book about how refreshing it is to read a book where we didn’t yearn for a literary counterpart to Vid Angel, a video service that edits out on the fly sexual content and profanity in television content you may watch. These are good clean stories that are so well written you’ll want to keep the book in a to-reread library and go bac through them on occasion.
This compilation is a series of interconnected short stories about a group of aliens who look exactly like native earth-born humans, but who have special powers and a higher degree of morality. The People must find a new planetary home because a supernova will destroy theirs. While emigrating, the ships in which they travel crash, and they leap into lifeboat-like vehicles and land on Earth after first investigating our moon to determine its habitability. These stories deal with their lives after coming to rest in the American southwest around the turn of the 20th century.
In one story, the aliens determine to do nothing that sets them apart from other humans. So draconian are these measures that happiness, love, and humor are exempt from their lives. It takes a schoolteacher to show them that they can safely be themselves.
Another story looks at a blended family—a situation where the father is an Earthling and the mother is one of the people. It helps you see the difficulty such a blend would create among the children who partially inherit their mother’s abilities and gifts.
In “No Different Flesh,” an Earth couple discover an alien toddler following a massive thunderstorm and build bridges of love to her in an effort to raise her. But the child’s father discovers her, and while the People are cautious about allowing outsiders to know much about their world, they determine to let this particular couple in.
In “Angels Unawares,” radiation poisoning is killing an entire community. It is up to the People to save whomever they can.
The first story—one that will draw you into the rest of the book—involves mentally troubled Lea. Lea wants only to end her life. But representatives from the People see potential in her and want to prevent her suicide.
These are far-reaching wide-ranging stories whose characters will stay with you and whose concepts will reshape the landscape of your mind. Best of all, you could hand this to your teenage grandchild avid reader or the most pious ultra-God-fearing member of your church with no fear of corrupting or damaging the spirit of those individuals. There just isn’t anything profane or sexual in any of these stories. my friend and I have commented frequently this weekend as we’ve talked about my progress in the book about how refreshing it is to read a book where we didn’t yearn for a literary counterpart to Vid Angel, a video service that edits out on the fly sexual content and profanity in television content you may watch. These are good clean stories that are so well written you’ll want to keep the book in a to-reread library and go bac through them on occasion.
ejimenez's review
4.0
This is a charming and engaging SF collection about a group of aliens called "The People" who end up as refugees in Colorado in the early 20th, and it's lovely to read stories about people being kind to each other and taking care of each other. Apropos given our current political situation - these "illegal aliens," who are literally from outer space, are often feared or hated by the US citizens they encounter, but when they are welcomed (and often even after they've been mistreated) the aliens are consistently caring and generous with their gifts, and help however they can. The stories could have used more diversity, but I give them a pass given that they were written between the 50s & the 70s.
When read all together, there is some repetition of themes and of encounters, but to be honest, I didn't mind.
When read all together, there is some repetition of themes and of encounters, but to be honest, I didn't mind.
msjenne's review
I enjoyed this a lot, but after about 5 of the stories, I felt like I got the idea.
marie_259's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
arachne_reads's review
3.0
Henderson had an interesting way with language, "plat the twishers" and other such phrases that roll off the tongue... these wonderful uses of invented jargon dried up in later stories. She has a way of evoking loneliness that the felt entirely on the nose at some moments, especially in the Leah framing story, but that dissipated in some of the stories, and took very odd turns in others.
There seemed to be a common pattern in many of them, outsider meets one of the People, outsider is helped by the People, outsider fears the People are evil/lying/crazy, outsider comes to terms with the People, all is well. One of the most common themes I noted was the need to embrace the outsider-- not just the folk of earth needing to accept the People, but among the People themselves when faced with things that were new or challenged their ways. Her religious leanings are evident in the text, but the way the People treat death, being "Called to the Presence" and an almost joyous acceptance of it, felt a lot like C. S. Lewis's earlier writings in which he holds that grief will be banished through loving god enough-- an attitude which his later writings reversed after his own deep loss. That landed all kinds of poorly with me.
I was most intrigued by Henderson's portrayals of belonging and community, of feeling outside and alienated. There was something sharp in them, but in the ways they resolved, many of the stories felt hollow to me. I think this might be a function of myself as a reader, as most books that take an overtly Christian angle on things tend to lose me.
There seemed to be a common pattern in many of them, outsider meets one of the People, outsider is helped by the People, outsider fears the People are evil/lying/crazy, outsider comes to terms with the People, all is well. One of the most common themes I noted was the need to embrace the outsider-- not just the folk of earth needing to accept the People, but among the People themselves when faced with things that were new or challenged their ways. Her religious leanings are evident in the text, but the way the People treat death, being "Called to the Presence" and an almost joyous acceptance of it, felt a lot like C. S. Lewis's earlier writings in which he holds that grief will be banished through loving god enough-- an attitude which his later writings reversed after his own deep loss. That landed all kinds of poorly with me.
I was most intrigued by Henderson's portrayals of belonging and community, of feeling outside and alienated. There was something sharp in them, but in the ways they resolved, many of the stories felt hollow to me. I think this might be a function of myself as a reader, as most books that take an overtly Christian angle on things tend to lose me.
satyridae's review
5.0
Extraordinary. I read and re-read Henderson's People books as a young girl and as an alienated teen. No, that's not fair- I didn't read them, I clung to them as a lifeline and dared to hope that there would be a place for me somewhere, someday. I'm pleased to report that, first of all, I've found a lovely place for me, and secondly, Henderson's stories hold up over time.
I have carried the Francher kid in my heart all these years, and it was glorious to meet him again. And Karen, of course. And the heartbreaking Eva-Lee. And Lytha. And Melodye, whose spelling I briefly aped. Henderson's characters are alive- gloriously, realistically, maddeningly alive.
It surprised me how much of these books I have by heart- the phrases entire, intact. The stories too, of course. I am heartily sorry that Zenna Henderson is not more well-known. She was a hell of a writer. Many of her stories center around the rural teacher and her charges. Re-reading these stories made me remember, among other things, that I always believed, growing up, that I'd be one of those teachers. 'Course, I always half-believed I was one of her lost People, and I waited a long, long time before I gave up on Jemmy & Valancy coming to fetch me Home.
Henderson examines the fault lines around religion without ever losing a deep and sobering recognition of The Sacred. Her People's relationship with The Presence makes me so terribly sorry I can't enter into it- but somehow gives me hope that somewhere, somehow, humanity can be healed. If you follow my reviews, you know I'm not a believer in any sort of higher power, but, oh, how Henderson makes me want to be. That's how good her writing is.
If you have the slightest tolerance for sci-fi, you should be reading her stuff.
I have carried the Francher kid in my heart all these years, and it was glorious to meet him again. And Karen, of course. And the heartbreaking Eva-Lee. And Lytha. And Melodye, whose spelling I briefly aped. Henderson's characters are alive- gloriously, realistically, maddeningly alive.
It surprised me how much of these books I have by heart- the phrases entire, intact. The stories too, of course. I am heartily sorry that Zenna Henderson is not more well-known. She was a hell of a writer. Many of her stories center around the rural teacher and her charges. Re-reading these stories made me remember, among other things, that I always believed, growing up, that I'd be one of those teachers. 'Course, I always half-believed I was one of her lost People, and I waited a long, long time before I gave up on Jemmy & Valancy coming to fetch me Home.
Henderson examines the fault lines around religion without ever losing a deep and sobering recognition of The Sacred. Her People's relationship with The Presence makes me so terribly sorry I can't enter into it- but somehow gives me hope that somewhere, somehow, humanity can be healed. If you follow my reviews, you know I'm not a believer in any sort of higher power, but, oh, how Henderson makes me want to be. That's how good her writing is.
If you have the slightest tolerance for sci-fi, you should be reading her stuff.
jenne's review
I enjoyed this a lot, but after about 5 of the stories, I felt like I got the idea.