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elliiecrne22's review
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jsanders05's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Collection of short stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Cursing, and Drug use
richardleis's review
5.0
Written over eight years, the short stories collected in Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller peek into the minds of women living in the South who share a similar voice and a similar dissatisfaction with their lives and the people around them, but seem powerless to set themselves on a different course.
Some reviewers felt this use of a similar persona was repetitive and frustrating, but in my opinion this collection is a unique exercise in taking one persona and placing her in different circumstances that reveal her in new and different ways each time. Each story gets at the central conflicts in different ways, with different revelations, and different observations. These stories are often humorous, too, with witty lines and wry observations that suggest not all the conflicts are internal; the external world and its absurdities and obstacles contribute to the persona's melancholy.
The stories in Always Happy Hour are beautifully written, sharply observant, and frequently relatable. I'm always eager to find the work of writers who unexpectedly give me permission to approach my own writing in new ways. Miller has crafted honest and vulnerable short stories that embrace pop culture references, the blunt thoughts we don't usually express in polite company, and the complexity of women confronting where they find themselves in life and love, without resolution.
Some reviewers felt this use of a similar persona was repetitive and frustrating, but in my opinion this collection is a unique exercise in taking one persona and placing her in different circumstances that reveal her in new and different ways each time. Each story gets at the central conflicts in different ways, with different revelations, and different observations. These stories are often humorous, too, with witty lines and wry observations that suggest not all the conflicts are internal; the external world and its absurdities and obstacles contribute to the persona's melancholy.
The stories in Always Happy Hour are beautifully written, sharply observant, and frequently relatable. I'm always eager to find the work of writers who unexpectedly give me permission to approach my own writing in new ways. Miller has crafted honest and vulnerable short stories that embrace pop culture references, the blunt thoughts we don't usually express in polite company, and the complexity of women confronting where they find themselves in life and love, without resolution.
jillcaesar's review
2.0
These stories were first published individually, in different publications over the course of eight years, and they are perhaps better read that way. When they are all put together in one collection like this, it becomes monotonous quick - the main character almost always has the same personality, the same flaws, the same problems with men, the same career, and end up in the same place in the end. Only the window dressing changes. For me, the stories began to blur into each other very quickly. The writing can be evocative, I will give this book that.
I agree with reviewers who say the best story is Big Bad Love, which also happens to be one of the few stories that are slightly different in character and theme.
I agree with reviewers who say the best story is Big Bad Love, which also happens to be one of the few stories that are slightly different in character and theme.
debbiesilkserif's review
2.0
Received via W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif
Always Happy Hour seemed like the type of literature that would be insightful and thought provoking. I envisioned a novel about women who's lives were a mess because of personal struggles or bad luck, perhaps even tales about these women overcoming their poor circumstances - not a set of tales about women who are generally selfish, judgemental and/or continuing to support some serious self-confidence issues. These are women who know they have serious issues and do nothing to change it. In retrospect, this may have been a novel about mental illness rather than a novel about young women struggling with normal life issues - and that's okay - but this set of stories was not written for someone like me and my review will reflect that.
It appears a majority of the women have substance abuse problems, issues with identifying physical or emotional abuse in their partners - or they identify the abuse and use drugs and alcohol to deal rather than leaving the abusive partner. There is also evidence of severe depression in the less "messed up" main characters, but throughout there is still a strong sense of judgement from these women towards the poor, the obese and the "ugly" which generally just pissed me off. If life sucks, don't take it out on others. Everyone has their own struggles and judging others for purely physical or economic reasons really pushes my "anti-sympathy" button. It might make me sound terrible, but the harsh judgement or abuse inflicted on others in some of these short stories made the characters extremely unlikable and therefore the novel itself a difficult pill to swallow.
My secondary issue with this novel was the run on sentences. I am in no way a writing genius with perfect grammatical structure - but I can pinpoint a run on sentence. Always Happy Hour is filled with run on sentences which the author could have meant to be stylistic in nature, but were actually extremely annoying. The run on sentences on top of judgmental characters made it difficult to really enjoy this anthology. The synopsis utilized far too many euphemisms for what this novel is really about: seriously damaged individuals who aren't interested in self-improvement or women with serious mental illnesses. I went into this novel expect spunky and fun characters, but got something else entirely.
This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy anthologies about flawed individuals, novels about sad/dark subjects. I feel the need to note that this anthology uses euphemisms in the synopsis to mislead readers: this novel is about women with serious issues and not an anthology about fun and spunky women. It is not a novel about amusing anecdotes or fun nights out, but a novel about a set of women with a penchant for making poor decisions. I would recommend this to people who don't mind reading sad or intense stories with very little closure.
Also posted on Silk & Serif
Always Happy Hour seemed like the type of literature that would be insightful and thought provoking. I envisioned a novel about women who's lives were a mess because of personal struggles or bad luck, perhaps even tales about these women overcoming their poor circumstances - not a set of tales about women who are generally selfish, judgemental and/or continuing to support some serious self-confidence issues. These are women who know they have serious issues and do nothing to change it. In retrospect, this may have been a novel about mental illness rather than a novel about young women struggling with normal life issues - and that's okay - but this set of stories was not written for someone like me and my review will reflect that.
Some women are down on their luck because of temporary issues, others are in situations because they believe they do not deserve better or because they have untreated mental illness. Always Happy Hour is about the later, rather than the former.
It appears a majority of the women have substance abuse problems, issues with identifying physical or emotional abuse in their partners - or they identify the abuse and use drugs and alcohol to deal rather than leaving the abusive partner. There is also evidence of severe depression in the less "messed up" main characters, but throughout there is still a strong sense of judgement from these women towards the poor, the obese and the "ugly" which generally just pissed me off. If life sucks, don't take it out on others. Everyone has their own struggles and judging others for purely physical or economic reasons really pushes my "anti-sympathy" button. It might make me sound terrible, but the harsh judgement or abuse inflicted on others in some of these short stories made the characters extremely unlikable and therefore the novel itself a difficult pill to swallow.
My secondary issue with this novel was the run on sentences. I am in no way a writing genius with perfect grammatical structure - but I can pinpoint a run on sentence. Always Happy Hour is filled with run on sentences which the author could have meant to be stylistic in nature, but were actually extremely annoying. The run on sentences on top of judgmental characters made it difficult to really enjoy this anthology. The synopsis utilized far too many euphemisms for what this novel is really about: seriously damaged individuals who aren't interested in self-improvement or women with serious mental illnesses. I went into this novel expect spunky and fun characters, but got something else entirely.
So, the moral of this review is: this book tricked me into thinking it was something its not. Always Happy Hour is not happy - it is depressing, frustrating and difficult. It wasn't for me, but the cover is certainly pretty.
This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy anthologies about flawed individuals, novels about sad/dark subjects. I feel the need to note that this anthology uses euphemisms in the synopsis to mislead readers: this novel is about women with serious issues and not an anthology about fun and spunky women. It is not a novel about amusing anecdotes or fun nights out, but a novel about a set of women with a penchant for making poor decisions. I would recommend this to people who don't mind reading sad or intense stories with very little closure.
camilleisreading24's review
4.0
Another excellent short story collection. I will definitely be picking up Mary Miller's novel, "The Last Days of California."
My favorite stories from this collection were:
Big Bad Love
He Says I Am A Little Oven
Uphill
The stories are disturbing, addictive, erotic, and moving. My only complaint is that I found them hard to distinguish at times because the narrative voice is so similar throughout.
My favorite stories from this collection were:
Big Bad Love
He Says I Am A Little Oven
Uphill
The stories are disturbing, addictive, erotic, and moving. My only complaint is that I found them hard to distinguish at times because the narrative voice is so similar throughout.
jlworley's review
4.0
I don't typically read short stories but enjoyed the author's style. Stories are from the perspective of a variety of dysfunctional woman but I found myself liking these characters anyway - or at least sympathizing with them. Frequent profanity and sexual reference, so reader beware.