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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.
goosemixtapes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i need to reread this sometime when i am not crunching all 175 pages in the span of a few days for class because every short story in this collection deserves more focus than i'm able to give it rn. that said, my favorite atm are "only once," "when love withers all of life cries," and "broken spirit"
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2024 update: have reread slower. kathleen collins is still a genius. i’m fascinated by the way she approaches short stories, because most of them don’t have much story at all—they’re more like sketches of a character, a scene, a relationship, brief and almost intangible but nevertheless vivid and elegant and beautiful. “only once” and “broken spirit” are still my favorites—the latter is my strongest memory from the first read and for good reason—but this time around, the titular story sang for me as well. it really encapsulates all the best aspects of collins’ writing—smart, brooding, witty, still relevant, and full of the flashing color of a thousand lives glimpsed ever so briefly.
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2024 update: have reread slower. kathleen collins is still a genius. i’m fascinated by the way she approaches short stories, because most of them don’t have much story at all—they’re more like sketches of a character, a scene, a relationship, brief and almost intangible but nevertheless vivid and elegant and beautiful. “only once” and “broken spirit” are still my favorites—the latter is my strongest memory from the first read and for good reason—but this time around, the titular story sang for me as well. it really encapsulates all the best aspects of collins’ writing—smart, brooding, witty, still relevant, and full of the flashing color of a thousand lives glimpsed ever so briefly.
cookeebookee's review against another edition
2.0
As someone who has read an immense amount of short stories and novels within a similar genre, this is the first I've read of Kathleen Collins. While I did enjoy "Exteriors," "Interiors," the titular story, and "Lifelines," none of them really inspired me to say the least. Often times I felt like I didn't care about most of the characters wondering "what the point" was. Maybe I wasn't meant to understand or I've suffered from serious book fatigue. All I know is that I thought I'd enjoy it more but instead I currently suffer from an over analytical headache.
ula_j's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good collection of short stories. I’m not sure where I got the recommendation for this book but I am so glad I found it. the stories are evocative and beautifully written, ranging from snippets to short chapters of black relationships, families, and life in the 60s. Lots of feeling and depth.
readingwithstardust's review against another edition
5.0
This short story collection was exquisite. I have a feeling I'll be returning to this in print in a few years. The audiobook was full of fantastic narrators who absolutely did justice to the material, but I desperately wished I could annotate these as I went along because Kathleen Collins' writing is magnetic.
mnboyer's review against another edition
4.0
Book of the Month Club: December 2016
PopSugar 2023 reading challenge #26
An absolutely wonderful collection of short stories that should be read by everyone. I couldn't put it down once I stopped reading and some of these stories are going to stay with me. Adored it.
PopSugar 2023 reading challenge #26
An absolutely wonderful collection of short stories that should be read by everyone. I couldn't put it down once I stopped reading and some of these stories are going to stay with me. Adored it.
manaledi's review against another edition
3.0
These stories were hit or miss for me. Mostly I wanted more of out of all of them. Some were just so short. Some of the stories of activism and SNCC resonated with the current moment of anti racism protests.
zellm's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic commentary, feels as applicable in 2022 as it was in the 60s when these were written. So glad I picked this up - Collins' stories were vibrant, many-layered, and offered such interesting snapshots into the lives of her characters. I highly recommend this collection.
bookslifeandeverythingnice's review against another edition
3.0
I don't the I'm a huge fan of short stories, or maybe I didn't really connect much with these characters. I absolutely respect and appreciate the author's writing. Sometimes I just felt as if I didn't get it, which I am ashamed to say. The short stories are fresh, raw, heartfelt, honest and well written. Worth the read.