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duffymn's review against another edition
5.0
I will read everything Berlin reads, as she helped me become a writer in college. She helped me to realize that it’s ok not to change character names, and to keep things ugly, and all of that is okay. I miss her as a human, but grateful that someone felt obligated to publish her post-humus. Her voice will always be in my mind when I read her. Pretty great, as she would say.
cassandraslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. I found each one to be beautiful, with vivid descriptions of people and places.
brgntteva's review against another edition
4.0
Some truly poignant short stories, others a bit plain, or not entirely comprehensible, in a way. But the way she speaks of addiction, alcoholism, sick love and plain life can be really insightful, and delicate, and to the point
alisonwyllie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
aletheia's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustaría ponerle las 5 estrellas, pero habiendo leído antes "Manual para mujeres de la limpieza" sé que no es lo mejor de Berlin. Aún así ha resultado trágico, reconfortante y suave; como volver al hogar. No puedo ser objetiva con Lucia Berlin, es genial.
nnoviembre's review against another edition
4.0
No es Manual... pero es que me fascina la escritura de Berlin, quiero más
f18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
4.5 ⭐ average
5 - The Musical Vanity Boxes
5 - Sometimes in Summer
5 - Andado: A Gothic Romance
5 - Dust to Dust
5 - Itinerary
4.5 - Lead Street, Albuquerque
2.5 - Noël, Texas
4 - The Adobe House with a Tin Roof
5 - A Foggy Day
5 - Cherry Blossom Time
4 - Evening in Paradise
5 - La Barca de la Ilusión
5 - My Live is an Open Book
5 - The Wives
3 - Noël, 1974
4.5 - The Pony Bar, Oakland
4 - Daughters
4 - Rainy Day
5 - Our Brother's Keeper
4 - Lost in the Louvre
4.5 - Sombra
5 - Luma Nueva
5 - The Musical Vanity Boxes
5 - Sometimes in Summer
5 - Andado: A Gothic Romance
5 - Dust to Dust
5 - Itinerary
4.5 - Lead Street, Albuquerque
2.5 - Noël, Texas
4 - The Adobe House with a Tin Roof
5 - A Foggy Day
5 - Cherry Blossom Time
4 - Evening in Paradise
5 - La Barca de la Ilusión
5 - My Live is an Open Book
5 - The Wives
3 - Noël, 1974
4.5 - The Pony Bar, Oakland
4 - Daughters
4 - Rainy Day
5 - Our Brother's Keeper
4 - Lost in the Louvre
4.5 - Sombra
5 - Luma Nueva
rachyreads's review against another edition
4.0
It’s important for me to start this review by saying that pretty much anything Lucia Berlin ever wrote down is gold. She has such an enviable, clear voice as a writer that it’s easy to pick her stories out of a line up as they feel so distinctly her. Berlin’s stories have both a wit and grit about them, as much informed by what she tells you as what she choses to leave out. Her stories remind me of Flannery O’Connor, set in her own brand of Americana and capturing a similar dark vibe.
The stories in ‘Evening In Paradise’ for me don’t always approach the heights of some in the previous collection of her short stories ‘A Manual For Cleaning Women’. It definitely feels like the majority of her very best stories were collected into this earlier book, and ‘Evening In Paradise’ was a subsequent volume to catch any other gems that didn’t quite make the cut before. Sometimes this can make ‘Evening In Paradise’ feel a little like an afterthought, but in general the stories are still of an exceedingly high quality. The first few stories (‘The Musical Vanity Boxes’ and ‘Sometimes in Summer’) feel very quintessentially Berlin. You could easily show someone these two stories to try and sum up Berlin’s style and they really shine for that reason. However I do feel as you get further into the book, the stories in the middle do feel a little like filler. There are plenty that aren’t bad at all, but there are also plenty that just failed to grab me. By much later in the volume, the collection definitely comes back around again and finishes on a high note. Stories such as ‘The Wives’ and ‘Our Brother’s Keeper’ are unforgettable and are truly Berlin at her shining best.
This is definitely not the book I would give someone to start with having never read anything by Lucia Berlin, but if you’ve already read ‘A Manual For Cleaning Women’ and you’re sane and therefore you crave more of her work, there is definitely a lot to be said for this collection. It is more flawless prose, more gritty characters in beautiful settings and more complex emotions expertly intuited into the mundane. It is perfect for those who can’t get enough of Berlin’s genuinely special brand of literature.
The stories in ‘Evening In Paradise’ for me don’t always approach the heights of some in the previous collection of her short stories ‘A Manual For Cleaning Women’. It definitely feels like the majority of her very best stories were collected into this earlier book, and ‘Evening In Paradise’ was a subsequent volume to catch any other gems that didn’t quite make the cut before. Sometimes this can make ‘Evening In Paradise’ feel a little like an afterthought, but in general the stories are still of an exceedingly high quality. The first few stories (‘The Musical Vanity Boxes’ and ‘Sometimes in Summer’) feel very quintessentially Berlin. You could easily show someone these two stories to try and sum up Berlin’s style and they really shine for that reason. However I do feel as you get further into the book, the stories in the middle do feel a little like filler. There are plenty that aren’t bad at all, but there are also plenty that just failed to grab me. By much later in the volume, the collection definitely comes back around again and finishes on a high note. Stories such as ‘The Wives’ and ‘Our Brother’s Keeper’ are unforgettable and are truly Berlin at her shining best.
This is definitely not the book I would give someone to start with having never read anything by Lucia Berlin, but if you’ve already read ‘A Manual For Cleaning Women’ and you’re sane and therefore you crave more of her work, there is definitely a lot to be said for this collection. It is more flawless prose, more gritty characters in beautiful settings and more complex emotions expertly intuited into the mundane. It is perfect for those who can’t get enough of Berlin’s genuinely special brand of literature.
uncleflannery's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as Manual for Cleaning Women, not as intimate, cohesive or funny. But some real gems, I added a star because I went back and read “Lost at the Louvre” twice, then photocopied parts of it to save.
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