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sausome's review against another edition
3.0
A generally nice collection of short stories about very normal people, largely in a town outside Boston. The stories sometimes resonated and sometimes didn't, and were all very quiet, literary-type tales. All were a good length, however, which isn't always the case with short story collections.
pearloz's review against another edition
3.0
I liked a couple of the stories, I couldn't get into most of them for whatever reason.
marie_sophie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
This one came to my attention when it appeared on the fiction longlist for the National Book Award. I had never heard of Edith Pearlman (apparently I’m in good company there, as everything I read about her mentioned how little-known she is), but I was intrigued when I read that she began her writing career late in life. I’ll read the next twenty-five-year-old wunderkind as eagerly as anyone, but there’s something deeply comforting about people who don’t write (or get published, or find critical acclaim) until they’re of advanced age. It gives me hope for my own future.
I did not expect this collection to be as weird as it was. Some of Pearlman’s imagery was surprising, disturbing, graphic…not at all what I expected from the white-haired, genteel lady on the jacket flap. Respect, Edith. Do your thing. (But also—ew.) I’m trying to think of an example and failing—I must have blocked them out. I think there might have been biting?
There are several stories where the connections between characters are more extensive than they first appear, which was mind-bendy and cool. Overall, though, I don’t know that I entirely “got” what Pearlman was doing, so maybe these were a little more literary than I as a casual reader really wanted.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
I did not expect this collection to be as weird as it was. Some of Pearlman’s imagery was surprising, disturbing, graphic…not at all what I expected from the white-haired, genteel lady on the jacket flap. Respect, Edith. Do your thing. (But also—ew.) I’m trying to think of an example and failing—I must have blocked them out. I think there might have been biting?
There are several stories where the connections between characters are more extensive than they first appear, which was mind-bendy and cool. Overall, though, I don’t know that I entirely “got” what Pearlman was doing, so maybe these were a little more literary than I as a casual reader really wanted.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
leahcatching's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
aetataureate's review against another edition
it's fine but too quiet for me right now
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘All the others were honeydew.’
When I requested a copy of this book of short stories, I had no idea what to expect. I’d not read any Edith Pearlman before. This collection of twenty short stories (each of them previously published in various journals) held my attention from the beginning of the first story to the end of the twentieth.
The longest of these stories is 22 pages, most are between 10 and 15 pages. And it’s a tribute to Ms Pearlman’s skill that she can construct a person, a group or family, a setting, a series of events, a lifetime in a way that is self-contained and satisfying to read. Words are not wasted. These stories are about relationships, about observing, about evaluating life choices. Some are unconventional love stories, others remind the reader that happiness can often be found along less conventional paths. Many (but not all) of these stories are set in a fictional Boston suburb inhabited by a multicultural cast of characters.
If you enjoy short stories about people, about possibilities and situations, then you may enjoy this collection. I did. I won’t identify a favourite story, because my view will probably change when I reread the book, but I particularly liked the character of Rennie in ‘Puck’ and in ‘Assisted Living’. Rennie has an antiques business called ‘Forget Me Not’ and while she observes much, Rennie is discreet, and does not offer advice. Each of these stories invites you through a significant event or moment into a life, and then to appreciate (at least part of) that life and to reflect on it. Consider ‘Hat Trick’, in which a recently widowed woman invites four 19 year old girls (including her daughter) to draw the names of their future husbands from a selection of names in a hat. And the result? Fifty years later, the mother is on her deathbed, and the daughter tells her what became of each of the girls: ‘You did a marvellous thing, .. we are all happy enough.’
Note: My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Hachette Australia for an opportunity to read a copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
When I requested a copy of this book of short stories, I had no idea what to expect. I’d not read any Edith Pearlman before. This collection of twenty short stories (each of them previously published in various journals) held my attention from the beginning of the first story to the end of the twentieth.
The longest of these stories is 22 pages, most are between 10 and 15 pages. And it’s a tribute to Ms Pearlman’s skill that she can construct a person, a group or family, a setting, a series of events, a lifetime in a way that is self-contained and satisfying to read. Words are not wasted. These stories are about relationships, about observing, about evaluating life choices. Some are unconventional love stories, others remind the reader that happiness can often be found along less conventional paths. Many (but not all) of these stories are set in a fictional Boston suburb inhabited by a multicultural cast of characters.
If you enjoy short stories about people, about possibilities and situations, then you may enjoy this collection. I did. I won’t identify a favourite story, because my view will probably change when I reread the book, but I particularly liked the character of Rennie in ‘Puck’ and in ‘Assisted Living’. Rennie has an antiques business called ‘Forget Me Not’ and while she observes much, Rennie is discreet, and does not offer advice. Each of these stories invites you through a significant event or moment into a life, and then to appreciate (at least part of) that life and to reflect on it. Consider ‘Hat Trick’, in which a recently widowed woman invites four 19 year old girls (including her daughter) to draw the names of their future husbands from a selection of names in a hat. And the result? Fifty years later, the mother is on her deathbed, and the daughter tells her what became of each of the girls: ‘You did a marvellous thing, .. we are all happy enough.’
Note: My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Hachette Australia for an opportunity to read a copy of this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
whitneyborup's review against another edition
3.0
I loved a few of these stories. Especially "Wait and See" about a boy who is pentachromatic and "Hat Trick" about four girls who choose their future husbands' names out of a hat. But I have a hard time with short story collections in general. Maybe it's just me, but even by the end of the book I've almost completely forgotten a few of the stories, and in a year I probably won't even remember my favorites. If I read short stories one at a time, switching between authors and styles, I have a much easier time remembering. Not this collection's fault, but also this one was a little boring for me. I know that's not a very sophisticated review...
davidwright's review against another edition
5.0
My only regret about this book is having read it all at one go, rather than doling out these stories as little treats between other books, as there is so much richness here that as beautifully poised as these stories are, the whole experience winds up being a bit cloying by the end. This one begs a return journey, but suffice it to say these are among the best short stories I've read.