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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
The first I’ve read of Pam Houston and certainly not the last!
Loved this book, although the women-who-love-bad-men motif does wear thin if you read too many of these stories back to back. Which is why you should SAVOR it.
Some of the stories were so so good, a solid 5 stars, but some of the stories I liked a bit less. I love Pam Houston so much!
Easy fun read, but Houston got a little annoying at times - it was so hard to understand why she was with these men. Scattered in with the annoying lines, though, were a few really great lines.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Poignant, revolting, sad, and uplifting. Depends on what story and what part of the story you are reading.
At first I thought it was about women who fall into relationships with terrible men, but as I read on I realized it was more about women persevering through relationships with terrible men and getting clear of that by making strong choices for a better future.
There were a couple stories I did not care for, and at least one I didn't actually understand. But majority were very strong. My favorites being Selway and the titular Cowboys are my weakness.
At first I thought it was about women who fall into relationships with terrible men, but as I read on I realized it was more about women persevering through relationships with terrible men and getting clear of that by making strong choices for a better future.
There were a couple stories I did not care for, and at least one I didn't actually understand. But majority were very strong. My favorites being Selway and the titular Cowboys are my weakness.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This collection of short stories was a revelation and I'm so sad I didn't read it years ago.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty solid, and I liked the prose despite not typically being a fan of first-person POV, but after a while I felt like I was reading the same short story over and over again, with the exceptions of “For Bo” and “In My Next Life.”
I'm glad I read this, though. It was interesting to venture out of my usual fiction preferences.
If you like stories about women and their romantic entanglements with men, if cowboys are *your* weakness too, then this is the story collection for you! Houston somehow manages to expose women at their most vulnerable with a respectful clarity and tenderness in very, very few pages. I liked all the stories, but my favorite was "In My Next Life:"
"This is a love story. Although Abby and I were never lovers. That's an odd thing for me to have to say about another woman, because I've never had a woman lover, and yet with Abby it would have been possible. Of course with Abby anything was possible, and I often wonder if she hadn't gotten sick if we would have been lovers..."
"This is a love story. Although Abby and I were never lovers. That's an odd thing for me to have to say about another woman, because I've never had a woman lover, and yet with Abby it would have been possible. Of course with Abby anything was possible, and I often wonder if she hadn't gotten sick if we would have been lovers..."