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tara_pikachu's review against another edition
2.0
I try to give short stories a chance but they always leave me wanting more. I think I'll stick to novels.
geisttull's review against another edition
5.0
A great book of short stories. very quick read. It certainly is not an uplifting group of stories, but the characters stay with you. and the last story does leave you with hope, so keep reading!
danjvrobertson's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted on my blog, http://thereaderscommute.blogspot.com
Amy Bloom is a storyteller I turn to again and again; whether it's because I want a good cry or I want sentences so beautiful that they make me cry, Bloom does not disappoint. This summer I had the opportunity to read her 1993 short story collection, Come to Me.
The winning story in this collection was certainly "Silver Water," a piece that explores that relationship between a girl and her mentally-handicapped sister. As the narrator struggles to remember how her sister once was, her family tries to deal with the challenges that come along with caring for someone who is mentally ill. The opening of the story is beautiful, as the narrator reminisces about her sister's singing voice:
"My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body. After we went to see La Traviata, when she was fourteen and I was twelve, she elbowed me in the parking lot and said, 'Check this out' And she opened her mouth unnaturally wide and her voice came out, so crystalline and bright that all the departing operagoers stood frozen by their cars, unable to take out their keys or open their doors until she had finished, and then they cheered like hell."
Bloom has been trained in psychotherapy, and this adds a refreshing depth to her writing. She clearly understands the motives and desires of the characters she creates, and the way these characters interact with each other is so true to life that it's almost frightening.
Bloom's stories often focus on love and complicated relationships, such as the relationship between a widow and her stepson in "Sleepwalking." The subjects in these stories are often troubled and their problems can be emotionally-draining to the reader, which is why I think I love the fact that these are short stories and not longer works. That way, I can have a little bit of sadness that lasts ten or twenty pages, and then I can go about my day.
That's the beauty of a short story collection. You get complete, fulfilling stories on a smaller scale. Short story collections are especially great for commuting because you can finish a story or two on a train and not feel like you're missing out (and not worry about "what will happen next?" when you're at work all day).
For anyone who has not read Amy Bloom before, or for anyone who is looking to delve into the world of the short story, I highly recommend reading Come to Me.
Amy Bloom is a storyteller I turn to again and again; whether it's because I want a good cry or I want sentences so beautiful that they make me cry, Bloom does not disappoint. This summer I had the opportunity to read her 1993 short story collection, Come to Me.
The winning story in this collection was certainly "Silver Water," a piece that explores that relationship between a girl and her mentally-handicapped sister. As the narrator struggles to remember how her sister once was, her family tries to deal with the challenges that come along with caring for someone who is mentally ill. The opening of the story is beautiful, as the narrator reminisces about her sister's singing voice:
"My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body. After we went to see La Traviata, when she was fourteen and I was twelve, she elbowed me in the parking lot and said, 'Check this out' And she opened her mouth unnaturally wide and her voice came out, so crystalline and bright that all the departing operagoers stood frozen by their cars, unable to take out their keys or open their doors until she had finished, and then they cheered like hell."
Bloom has been trained in psychotherapy, and this adds a refreshing depth to her writing. She clearly understands the motives and desires of the characters she creates, and the way these characters interact with each other is so true to life that it's almost frightening.
Bloom's stories often focus on love and complicated relationships, such as the relationship between a widow and her stepson in "Sleepwalking." The subjects in these stories are often troubled and their problems can be emotionally-draining to the reader, which is why I think I love the fact that these are short stories and not longer works. That way, I can have a little bit of sadness that lasts ten or twenty pages, and then I can go about my day.
That's the beauty of a short story collection. You get complete, fulfilling stories on a smaller scale. Short story collections are especially great for commuting because you can finish a story or two on a train and not feel like you're missing out (and not worry about "what will happen next?" when you're at work all day).
For anyone who has not read Amy Bloom before, or for anyone who is looking to delve into the world of the short story, I highly recommend reading Come to Me.
bossybookworm345's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
I really love the way Amy Bloom writes: spare, straightforward, to the point. She focuses on the right details, but doesn't allow you to linger too long on them. At first I felt that the stories in this, her first collection, were fairly dark. And while there is some tragedy here, she's not afraid to look beyond the tragedy and show us that life carries on. The darkness is accompanied by light. The heartache balanced by hope. But the intensity of both darkness and light is real. What people experience in their lives everyday. Perhaps what I initially took for darkness was merely gray. Cloudy with a chance of sunshine. The subject matter of these stories is loosely themed around domestic relationships: husbands and wives, parents and children. But there are two linked series of two and three stories respectively that are linked to each other as well. These particularly make me look forward to Bloom's latest collection.
graciennex's review against another edition
sad
3.0
it was a great decision to start with love is not a pie for the entire book because the following stories made me sympathize with each characters a bit more. although as the book progresses, i found it difficult to be hopeful about each of their situation. the mood was great at the beginning and then plummeted down more and more with each story and then back up again with that last entry.
this book was also successful in highlighting the fact that i dont want to marry nor have kids. putting up with infidelity and unhappiness for the sake of a kid that would for sure feel its lasting effects is just not worth it.
minus two stars because i suppose short stories aren't really for me and another one because it's so damn depressing 😭. perhaps i read too much fanfiction with hopeful beginnings and happy endings with only a few mishaps in the middle--that i should be realistic--but reading is a form of escapism. i've had enough dark shit in real life bro 😮💨
this book was also successful in highlighting the fact that i dont want to marry nor have kids. putting up with infidelity and unhappiness for the sake of a kid that would for sure feel its lasting effects is just not worth it.
minus two stars because i suppose short stories aren't really for me and another one because it's so damn depressing 😭. perhaps i read too much fanfiction with hopeful beginnings and happy endings with only a few mishaps in the middle--that i should be realistic--but reading is a form of escapism. i've had enough dark shit in real life bro 😮💨
jhna's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
supkevs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jess_segraves's review against another edition
4.0
The thing that stuck with me about Bloom's collection of stories is the variety of perspectives, complicated—yet realistically human—plots (so much was conveyed in such short stories!), and the depth of emotion. I really liked this collection, and would certainly recommend it.