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gaviaroma's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lex_vans's review against another edition
3.0
As I find with many other collections of short stories, I loved a few , liked many, and hated others. Part of the problem I had with this book was the authors experimentation with writing styles. It made the stories lack cohesiveness, despite the fact they all took place in the 60s and involved race and love to varying degrees. Ultimately, I probably wouldn’t read this book again.
judyapneeb's review against another edition
4.0
I'm sad because I can't help but wonder what else Kathleen Collins could have given the world if she had lived longer. It is my hope that her work gains a larger following and that her name grows larger with each new year.
Love. Love. Love. Love this book.
Love. Love. Love. Love this book.
meeraostrom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
em_harring's review against another edition
5.0
[4.5] I absolutely adored this collection of short stories. Collins had such an authentic way of writing, and I love how she incorporated aspects of filmmaking into some of the stories. Highly, highly recommend.
bookofcinz's review against another edition
4.0
Absolute must read
Great commentary on black love, colorism and interracial dating in the 1960s. A solid collection of stories, my favorite being Stepping Back.
Great commentary on black love, colorism and interracial dating in the 1960s. A solid collection of stories, my favorite being Stepping Back.
kelmallo's review against another edition
4.0
“He does not seem to understand that this young colored woman he has spawned does not, herself, believe in color: that to her the young freedom rider of her dreams is colorless (as indeed he is), that their feelings begin where color ends (as indeed they must), that if only he could understand that race as an issue, race as a social factor, race as a political or economic stumbling block—race is part of the past. Can’t he see that love is color-free?”
“Man, absurd feelings for a life that had juice rang in her voice, my fingers kept slipping from the wheel, everything was serious, nothing was serious, everything was possible, life made complete sense because it made no sense but that was all right, it was enough, the tone of her voice was enough.”
“And I choked on his death, on his cool, aloof self, refusing to live with a broken spirit...”
4
“Man, absurd feelings for a life that had juice rang in her voice, my fingers kept slipping from the wheel, everything was serious, nothing was serious, everything was possible, life made complete sense because it made no sense but that was all right, it was enough, the tone of her voice was enough.”
“And I choked on his death, on his cool, aloof self, refusing to live with a broken spirit...”
4
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
These stories were written in the 1970s and 80s, but Collins's voice seems fresh and present to the reader in 2017.
The best story in the collection is the book opener, "Exteriors," a haunting look at the rise and fall of a relationship written in the terms of lighting directions and directorial notes. The title story looks at two roommates in Harlem during the Summer of 1963, an African American woman and a white woman, who are both experimenting in interracial relationship. The story captures the zeitgeist of that era very, very well, while moving both forward and backward in time to as the title question, "Whatever happened to interracial love?"
I plan to share "Exterios" with my writing students. It's a masterpiece. Each one of these stories is worth a read and will inspire amazement and reflection.
The best story in the collection is the book opener, "Exteriors," a haunting look at the rise and fall of a relationship written in the terms of lighting directions and directorial notes. The title story looks at two roommates in Harlem during the Summer of 1963, an African American woman and a white woman, who are both experimenting in interracial relationship. The story captures the zeitgeist of that era very, very well, while moving both forward and backward in time to as the title question, "Whatever happened to interracial love?"
I plan to share "Exterios" with my writing students. It's a masterpiece. Each one of these stories is worth a read and will inspire amazement and reflection.