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_readwithash's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard collection for me to rate. For one, I'm really trying to learn to love short fiction, but I still struggle with it. For another, this was published posthumously, and I think the collection suffers from that. I'm making assumptions, but I think it lacks a central theme and some more serious editing, because it was never explicitly made to be published.
That said, some of these short stories are really beautiful. There is a great perspective on what it means to be Black in America, especially in the 60s, although the themes are definitely still relevant today.
Ultimately, this is a small book that throws a few really big punches, and while it will never be one of my favorite pieces, I do recommend it.
That said, some of these short stories are really beautiful. There is a great perspective on what it means to be Black in America, especially in the 60s, although the themes are definitely still relevant today.
Ultimately, this is a small book that throws a few really big punches, and while it will never be one of my favorite pieces, I do recommend it.
ericarf's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent collection of short stories speaking on the experiences of African-Americans in the 1970s. Sad that Collins died so young!
I read this book as part of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, for the category "read a collection of short stories written by a woman."
I read this book as part of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, for the category "read a collection of short stories written by a woman."
sbrietzke's review against another edition
5.0
This book of previously undiscovered essays completely enchanted me. I am thrilled to have been introduced to Kathleen Collins through Book of the Month Club.
A theme threading throughout the collection is particularly poignant when read through a modern lens: the psychology of 'otherness'. Passionate relationships turned cold when dissimilarities in looks and background creep to the forefront. An individual hyperaware that they do not 'belong' in the environment in which they are thrust. Collins wrote these essays during the Civil Rights Movement, but the feelings of alienation and loneliness she explores could not be more relevant today. I look forward to revisiting this work over and over again.
A theme threading throughout the collection is particularly poignant when read through a modern lens: the psychology of 'otherness'. Passionate relationships turned cold when dissimilarities in looks and background creep to the forefront. An individual hyperaware that they do not 'belong' in the environment in which they are thrust. Collins wrote these essays during the Civil Rights Movement, but the feelings of alienation and loneliness she explores could not be more relevant today. I look forward to revisiting this work over and over again.
theresabraun's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad but not particularly my vibe. For being written in the 60s, it did feel very modern and still relevant. I struggle with short stories sometimes because, as with this collection, by the time I really grasp what’s going on and get invested, it’s over and I have to shift to the next story.
remigves's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kristinana's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in this collection are, for the most part, subtle and delicate, and written with such a light, elegant touch that I had to pause to consider the craft in each one. My favorite, as with many other reviewers, is the title story, which is beautiful and devastating. I also especially enjoyed "Lifelines" and "Dead Memories, Dead Dreams." Collins writes smart, independent women who are often disappointed in love but who also find satisfaction in finding their own place in the world.
kaliaddy's review against another edition
2.0
Just “ok” for me. I appreciate the timelessness of the stories, though. Many of the topics are still relevant today.
tytue's review against another edition
4.0
Poignant and heartfelt, I went into reading this book thinking it was strictly about a interracial couple, and finished it delighted it was about so much more. "Whatever Happened to Interracial Love" is but one beautiful story in this journey of a book about what it was like for not only black women but people living in the 1960's, just at the peek of race relations. The stories seem disjointed, and separate, but by the end I felt like I not only knew each character individually, but I just finished reading a book in which they were all main characters under one central plot point.
A wonderful read and a surprising reprieve from my normal reads. My only complaint is that it isn't longer.
4/5
A wonderful read and a surprising reprieve from my normal reads. My only complaint is that it isn't longer.
4/5
allieeveryday's review against another edition
4.0
First book of 2019! When I tallied up all my star ratings for the individual stories, I got 3.4 stars, but I'm rounding up. I think this collection as a whole stands stronger than some of the weaker (and shorter) individual stories, though there were a few that I thought were just fabulous:
• Lifelines - written somewhat through letters between a woman and her husband, who is incarcerated or absent the entire story, and the realization that the relationship is dead, and the moving on.
• Treatment for a Story - so much of this was about the scents that surround the two people in this story; it's not exactly pleasant, but it was so vivid.
• Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? - featuring roommates of different races, and their partners who are of different races than they are, and describes the 1960s in such a beautiful way.
There were several more I really liked (Exteriors, Dead Memories ... Dead Dreams, When Love Withers All of Life Cries), but the thing that stands out to me is the lyricism of the prose. It's just gorgeous.
My biggest complaint is that I am greedy and wanted MORE from some of these. Many of them are very short, only a few pages, so they're very much just snapshots rather than stories. Most of the time, I wanted more than a few pages could give. Most of my favorites were longer-form stories, maybe because I had more investment in them?
• Lifelines - written somewhat through letters between a woman and her husband, who is incarcerated or absent the entire story, and the realization that the relationship is dead, and the moving on.
• Treatment for a Story - so much of this was about the scents that surround the two people in this story; it's not exactly pleasant, but it was so vivid.
• Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? - featuring roommates of different races, and their partners who are of different races than they are, and describes the 1960s in such a beautiful way.
There were several more I really liked (Exteriors, Dead Memories ... Dead Dreams, When Love Withers All of Life Cries), but the thing that stands out to me is the lyricism of the prose. It's just gorgeous.
My biggest complaint is that I am greedy and wanted MORE from some of these. Many of them are very short, only a few pages, so they're very much just snapshots rather than stories. Most of the time, I wanted more than a few pages could give. Most of my favorites were longer-form stories, maybe because I had more investment in them?