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kelseyat's review against another edition
5.0
I'm late to the game in reading this book, but I thought it was absolutely wonderful. Highly recommended. I think that people who don't think they like short story collections should try this one as well. The stories and novellas in this collection, while involving different characters and situations, resonate with similar themes, which for me helped this to feel like a really cohesive collection.
jenna0010's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked Saleema Nawaz's novel, Bone and Bread, but these short stories did not quite satisfy my yearning for more of Nawaz's beautifully winding prose and narratives. The thread of motherhood throughout, by the end, tangles into a complex understanding of this figure, this role, this burden and light.
kell_xavi's review against another edition
3.0
Has the mark of a debut collection, with bold and interesting ideas, but in some cases not quite as polished or as respectful and original as they could be. Overall, though, a very good debut. I appreciated that, though these all revolve around motherhood, or mothering, they do so in diverse and unpredictable ways.
Mother Superior - 3
A nice starting point, short and giving a framework of the the themes - female relationships and intimacies, motherhood as an aspect and identity important but not all-encompassing, rebelliousness, women's strength not dependent on men, hospitals (?)
My Three Girls - 4
Great story of sisterhood, and a look into obesity and outside reactions to it, but as a facet rather than defining factor of character or story.
Bloodlines - 3.5
Another familial tale, of Sikh teenage girls who have lost their parents.
Look, But Don't Touch - 2.5
Sandy - 3
The two that felt partially dishonest, the characters not fully developed or used as placeholders rather than representative of realities, easy choices. I had high hopes for Look, But Don't Touch at the start, but the direction taken felt surface level and detracted from the sibling relationship and those two characters.
The Republic of Rose Island - 4.5
Well-paced, with the elements put together well.
The White Dress - 5
There is so much being worked with in this story - a young adopted child, an ailing and sometimes hard mother, a privileged and rude friend, and a host of mysteries that carry with them explanations of the world, as well as great emotion. It goes slowly, but always there is the idea (and the apprehension) of more, of a reveal or change in relationship. This one will stay with me - I wonder, what will Shay be like years on, a teenager or adult? Nawaz is to be commended for her writing, and careful carrying, of this story.
Mother Superior - 3
A nice starting point, short and giving a framework of the the themes - female relationships and intimacies, motherhood as an aspect and identity important but not all-encompassing, rebelliousness, women's strength not dependent on men, hospitals (?)
My Three Girls - 4
Great story of sisterhood, and a look into obesity and outside reactions to it, but as a facet rather than defining factor of character or story.
Bloodlines - 3.5
Another familial tale, of Sikh teenage girls who have lost their parents.
Look, But Don't Touch - 2.5
Sandy - 3
The two that felt partially dishonest, the characters not fully developed or used as placeholders rather than representative of realities, easy choices. I had high hopes for Look, But Don't Touch at the start, but the direction taken felt surface level and detracted from the sibling relationship and those two characters.
The Republic of Rose Island - 4.5
Well-paced, with the elements put together well.
The White Dress - 5
There is so much being worked with in this story - a young adopted child, an ailing and sometimes hard mother, a privileged and rude friend, and a host of mysteries that carry with them explanations of the world, as well as great emotion. It goes slowly, but always there is the idea (and the apprehension) of more, of a reveal or change in relationship. This one will stay with me - I wonder, what will Shay be like years on, a teenager or adult? Nawaz is to be commended for her writing, and careful carrying, of this story.
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