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mtomchek's review
3.5
"When you fall in love like that, it strikes like a disease, and you can understand why nineteenth-century poets felt they were either sick with love or dying of it."
"Woe to those who get what they desire. Fulfillment leaves an empty space where your old self used to be, the self that pines and broods and reflects. You furnish a dream house in your imagination, but how startling and final when that dream house is your own address. What is left to you? Surrounded by what you wanted, you feel a sense of amputation. The feelings you were used to abiding with are useless. The conditions you established for your happiness are met. That youthful light-headed feeling whose sharp side is much like hunger is no more use to you."
"Love transforms a difficult person into a charming eccentric; points of contention into charming divergences."
"Certain things should never be captured - they ought to stay in your memory and serve as a sharp edge of broken glass to cut yourself on."
"Falling in love is not a mistake."
"The thing about history is, most people just live through it. You never know what moment may turn out to be of profound historical significance. When you are meandering near the stream of current events, you do not know when you have dipped your toe into the waters of significance."
Laurie Colwin is simply lovely and her work touches the soul, even in short story form. Loved reading these small and sweet tales, each approaching love in different ways. Cannot believe this was written in the 1980s, it feels as though it applies to love today. Painful, beautiful, wonderful, intense, sad - love can be many things...embrace it.
"Woe to those who get what they desire. Fulfillment leaves an empty space where your old self used to be, the self that pines and broods and reflects. You furnish a dream house in your imagination, but how startling and final when that dream house is your own address. What is left to you? Surrounded by what you wanted, you feel a sense of amputation. The feelings you were used to abiding with are useless. The conditions you established for your happiness are met. That youthful light-headed feeling whose sharp side is much like hunger is no more use to you."
"Love transforms a difficult person into a charming eccentric; points of contention into charming divergences."
"Certain things should never be captured - they ought to stay in your memory and serve as a sharp edge of broken glass to cut yourself on."
"Falling in love is not a mistake."
"The thing about history is, most people just live through it. You never know what moment may turn out to be of profound historical significance. When you are meandering near the stream of current events, you do not know when you have dipped your toe into the waters of significance."
Laurie Colwin is simply lovely and her work touches the soul, even in short story form. Loved reading these small and sweet tales, each approaching love in different ways. Cannot believe this was written in the 1980s, it feels as though it applies to love today. Painful, beautiful, wonderful, intense, sad - love can be many things...embrace it.
forgereads17's review
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
5.0
catherine_louise's review
5.0
“Woe to those who get what they desire. Fulfillment leaves an empty space where your old self used to be, the self that pines and broods and reflects.” BRILLIANT
ynna's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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
readings_musings2002's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
5.0
I love Laurie so much!!!!
pattieod's review
5.0
"Once upon a time, I was Professor Thorne Speizer's stoned wife..." Another classic first line, from one of the stories in Laurie Colwin's little jewelbox of short stories. About young people beginning to live on their own, I read it and loved it when I was young myself. Funny and sweet without being saccharine.
mcomer's review
4.0
A deeply-felt collection of stories dealing with the vagaries of the heart. However, I felt that they were a bit same-y after a while - all middle-class, educated, slightly neurotic people looking for love, with no one ever suffering any serious consequences for anything. On the other hand, the portrayal of New York several decades ago is enchanting, as is the range of odd behavior the characters indulge in.
everlastingdusk's review against another edition
Contains two of my favorite Colwin stories so far - "An Old-Fashioned Story" and "A Mythological Subject." Overall, utter delight, filled with examples of how life could be happy while still riddled with conflict, either as a result of external forces or, more commonly, our own internal battles.