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readingwhilemommying's review against another edition
4.0
Author Claire Boyles has been a farmer and teacher, but throughout it all, she yearned to write. This novel is her debut collection of short stories.
An intimate exploration of the lives and livelihoods of all-too-human people living in the American West (Colorado in particular), this collection is vivid, in both its depictions of the human emotions that define the characters and the beauty of the land that they call home.
The stories converge around a general theme: Earthly existence for humans is both a struggle with their fellow humans (and the nature of emotions--both good and bad--that that entails) and with their environment, which is made particularly difficult thanks to man-made governmental and political issues disrupting that natural connection. Each story explores an environmental justice issue--water laws, fracking, endangered species, etc.--within the confines of characters struggling to make sense of their lives and the people in them. The idea of “site fidelity” is a concept of animals staying in, or habitually returning to, a certain area. The characters in these stories experience the same pull. They love their families and the land they call home, even as they hurt, challenge them, and break their hearts again and again.
While all the stories were gorgeously written and emotionally resonant, I especially enjoyed the interconnected stories that followed three sisters through various stages in their--and their families’--lives. In “Sister Agnes Mary in the Spring of 2012,” Sister questions her relationship with her priest and God, while trying to stop a fracking operation from going up near a children’s playground. Her sister, Ruth, delivers her own baby in “Alto Cumulus Standing Lenticulars,” while also questioning whether to leave her absent husband and pursue the career she longs for. The third sister Mano, gets her story in “Early Morning Systems,” where she must decide how much of an activist for environmental justice she wants to be, while sussing through her messy love life. Learning about these women’s lives--and their complex yet real relationships with each other--was a novella of sorts in-and-of-itself and thoroughly engrossing.
Boyles uses evocative language to describe the land in all its beauty--and stark descriptions to reveal how its natural elegance can be marred by destructive humans and the systemic policies that threaten its destruction. This was such a distinct theme/idea to build this collection around. You certainly can see Boyles love of the land and her fellow humans shining through. I highly recommend this powerful collection.
Many thanks to W.W. Norton for a free digital ARC of this short-story collection in exchange for an honest review.
An intimate exploration of the lives and livelihoods of all-too-human people living in the American West (Colorado in particular), this collection is vivid, in both its depictions of the human emotions that define the characters and the beauty of the land that they call home.
The stories converge around a general theme: Earthly existence for humans is both a struggle with their fellow humans (and the nature of emotions--both good and bad--that that entails) and with their environment, which is made particularly difficult thanks to man-made governmental and political issues disrupting that natural connection. Each story explores an environmental justice issue--water laws, fracking, endangered species, etc.--within the confines of characters struggling to make sense of their lives and the people in them. The idea of “site fidelity” is a concept of animals staying in, or habitually returning to, a certain area. The characters in these stories experience the same pull. They love their families and the land they call home, even as they hurt, challenge them, and break their hearts again and again.
While all the stories were gorgeously written and emotionally resonant, I especially enjoyed the interconnected stories that followed three sisters through various stages in their--and their families’--lives. In “Sister Agnes Mary in the Spring of 2012,” Sister questions her relationship with her priest and God, while trying to stop a fracking operation from going up near a children’s playground. Her sister, Ruth, delivers her own baby in “Alto Cumulus Standing Lenticulars,” while also questioning whether to leave her absent husband and pursue the career she longs for. The third sister Mano, gets her story in “Early Morning Systems,” where she must decide how much of an activist for environmental justice she wants to be, while sussing through her messy love life. Learning about these women’s lives--and their complex yet real relationships with each other--was a novella of sorts in-and-of-itself and thoroughly engrossing.
Boyles uses evocative language to describe the land in all its beauty--and stark descriptions to reveal how its natural elegance can be marred by destructive humans and the systemic policies that threaten its destruction. This was such a distinct theme/idea to build this collection around. You certainly can see Boyles love of the land and her fellow humans shining through. I highly recommend this powerful collection.
Many thanks to W.W. Norton for a free digital ARC of this short-story collection in exchange for an honest review.
bookish_riz's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.0
hollyd19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
Site Fidelity is a short story collection, reflecting on environmentalism, our responsibilities to those around us, economic hardship, and resilience in the face of difficulty. A few of the stories have intertwining characters, and all have some tie to Colorado.
I loved this collection. Boyles has a way of deftly developing atmosphere and characters, quickly drawing the reader in to the varied lives we get to peek into. No two stories were alike, yet each struck a human chord that offered something relatable and poignant.
While the collection on the whole is excellent, a few stories stood out in particular: In “Alto Cumulus Standing Lenticulars,” Ruth yearns for her home in Colorado after moving to Nevada with her love and then feeling their lives disintegrate with the introduction of children and the hardness of the recession. In “Early Warning System,” Mano challenges the authority that is poisoning the town’s water through negligence. In “Sister Agnes Mary in the Spring of 2012,” Sister Agnes reflects on a life dedicated to service and what she is called to do when her pre-school is threatened by environmentally-irresponsible development. In “Natural Resource Management,” Leah must deal with the fallout of a flood while also handling the fallout of her husband’s arrest.
I was struck by Boyles’s masterful way of making observations in subtle, tender ways. The characters have a unifying touchpoint (geography), but each has unique stories to tell and demons to face. I fully expect to revisit this collection, seeking out the sentences that were beautifully crafted and made my breath catch a bit when I read to them.
I loved this collection. Boyles has a way of deftly developing atmosphere and characters, quickly drawing the reader in to the varied lives we get to peek into. No two stories were alike, yet each struck a human chord that offered something relatable and poignant.
While the collection on the whole is excellent, a few stories stood out in particular: In “Alto Cumulus Standing Lenticulars,” Ruth yearns for her home in Colorado after moving to Nevada with her love and then feeling their lives disintegrate with the introduction of children and the hardness of the recession. In “Early Warning System,” Mano challenges the authority that is poisoning the town’s water through negligence. In “Sister Agnes Mary in the Spring of 2012,” Sister Agnes reflects on a life dedicated to service and what she is called to do when her pre-school is threatened by environmentally-irresponsible development. In “Natural Resource Management,” Leah must deal with the fallout of a flood while also handling the fallout of her husband’s arrest.
I was struck by Boyles’s masterful way of making observations in subtle, tender ways. The characters have a unifying touchpoint (geography), but each has unique stories to tell and demons to face. I fully expect to revisit this collection, seeking out the sentences that were beautifully crafted and made my breath catch a bit when I read to them.
emily_a_ditsch's review against another edition
3.0
A few things fell flat which was disappointing given how much I loved the themes of this book. Maybe this is a sign of how few short story collections I’ve been reading recently, but I felt like given how interwoven the characters are and how dependent those individual stories are supposed to be on their settings in different areas around the rural west, both pieces just felt a bit generic & interchangeable.
sjanke2's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.25
This collection of short stories focuses on women in the American West, namely Colorado, who are concerned with environmental degradation while also slogging through the mundanity of their lives. They are daughters, mothers, sisters, nuns, and activists who, amid caregiving and working and praying, take subtle yet powerful risks to protect the natural world they hold dear.
RIYL Terry Tempest Williams.
RIYL Terry Tempest Williams.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
whatsbookinjenni's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved these stories. Many of the stories are interconnected, which is a favorite element of short stories for me, which I thought was done quite well in this collection. I also loved the thematic explorations of the environment and protecting the environment, particularly how environmental activism can relate to familial or even spiritual connections. The emotional depth of these stories also was a favorite element for me. If you like short stories that center the environment/environmental change, I can't recommend this collection enough!
gabnug's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
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