Reviews

Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? by Kathleen Collins

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saraklem's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars... Collins has a very distinct style (I suppose it's clearly that of a screenplay writer) which works really well in most of these stories -- I really loved The Uncle. In some cases, this sort of abstract, changing point-of-view, breathless way of writing lost me and it was hard to tell what was going on. For the most part, I loved the stories. They felt intense and relevant and at times overwhelming.

rita250's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A collection of short-stories demonstrating some of the best writing I have encountered. Had these been published in their time they would certainly be classics by now.

returnofsaturn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kathleen collins u are a genius

tfaye's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

historiana's review against another edition

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5.0

It makes me so sad that Kathleen Collins never published these stories in her lifetime, and thus was never able to see the impact they could have on people. Reading this collection didn't feel like reading at all - not because I felt lost in the world she created, but because her characters and their lives were so utterly authentic that you could recognise them in your friends, your family, yourself. She wrote so eloquently and powerfully about gender and race, yet the message of her stories never felt forced in any way. Unlike some other short story collections I've read, these worked together so perfectly that while certain stories did stand out, they all seamlessly blended into one another. This book is short, beautiful, and refreshingly real. I cannot recommend it enough.