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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
i picked this up thrifting because i liked the title and cover, so i'm very surprised how much i wanted to roll around in this book. it reminded me very much of the worst person in the world (in structure, in theme), with a sense of timelessness that made it such a delicious read.
I have a hard time finishing books for short stories strung together unless I assign them in my classes, but this protagonist resonated with me. I cheered her on and wanted for her to be OK.
4.5 stars - This book was published 23 years ago and illustrates a world that doesn’t quite exist anymore. The publishing industry, the pre-cell phone and internet era, even the references to temp agency work, were captured in this interesting capsule.
This book has the strongest disconnect between the way it was marketed to the way I received it. I’m seeing some consensus on this in the reviews. It has been advertized as “chick lit” (a category that should be abolished and the creators of the term ashamed of themselves) which is just so far off. It's a collection of short stories that invoked such depth of emotion, imperfectly perfect characterization of the main character, and covered many truly human scopes.
It had a unique style and format — short stories that almost all portray the main character at different phases of her life, with one random story that focuses on her downstairs neighbours. That one was random but still engaging! It was so funny. I might need to re-read it and highlight all of the lines that made me react out loud.
I discovered Banks died a few months ago this year only after I had read the first couple of stories in this collection. You get such a sense of the main character Jane, that you think you’re reading the author’s life. So to hear about her death was doubly affecting.
This book has the strongest disconnect between the way it was marketed to the way I received it. I’m seeing some consensus on this in the reviews. It has been advertized as “chick lit” (a category that should be abolished and the creators of the term ashamed of themselves) which is just so far off. It's a collection of short stories that invoked such depth of emotion, imperfectly perfect characterization of the main character, and covered many truly human scopes.
It had a unique style and format — short stories that almost all portray the main character at different phases of her life, with one random story that focuses on her downstairs neighbours. That one was random but still engaging! It was so funny. I might need to re-read it and highlight all of the lines that made me react out loud.
I discovered Banks died a few months ago this year only after I had read the first couple of stories in this collection. You get such a sense of the main character Jane, that you think you’re reading the author’s life. So to hear about her death was doubly affecting.
Didn't realize that this was supposed to be a collection of short stories until after I finished it. I thought I had a badly bound book as one chapter did not fit at all with the rest. First story/ chapter was good, so one star for that, then it became shallow and ending was trite. I did finish the book so one star for that.
No more chick lit for me.
No more chick lit for me.
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed taking the journey with Jane. Quick read.
I am still not sure how I feel about the label “Chick Lit” (nowadays it seems to apply to any book in which a woman even talks to a man, let alone falls in love with him and finds herself along the way). But this book of short stories was a revelation, in that there is so much more going on than just dating and finding the perfect man. Beautiful writing.
This was really really good. Some reviews say that the romances are forgettable and imperfect, but for me, they felt incredibly real. Particularly loved the last section of the book and the aspect of self-discovery. My main problem came with the seemingly random chapter about Janes neighbor. Whether or not it strove to make a point, it didn't make sense in the book, and made the novel feel a bit disjointed. Nonetheless I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it.
Read this in about 3 days. Wasn't really sure what to expect, but I felt an instant kinship with Jane from the start. I like that it shows that not all relationships were meant to last and that's ok. I just wish the book were longer!
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character