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A review by tanyarobinson
Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen
4.0
I had never heard of Tillie Olsen until this collection of short stories was chosen as my book club's selection. But, wow, this woman can write! In just short stories I feel like she develops and unveils the depths of her characters more than most authors do in full-length novels. Granted, all her characters feel dark and damaged, though in pedestrian ways, and reading her stories is depressing, but I admire her writing greatly.
My favorite of the stories was "I Stand Here Ironing" because I could relate to the mother musing about how her daughter has turned out. Raising children is such a challenge; you can never anticipate the long-term effects of anything you do, and even our best efforts can go wrong. Olsen really captured how it feels sometimes to be a parent.
5 stars for skill, 3 for enjoyability, so 4 overall.
My favorite of the stories was "I Stand Here Ironing" because I could relate to the mother musing about how her daughter has turned out. Raising children is such a challenge; you can never anticipate the long-term effects of anything you do, and even our best efforts can go wrong. Olsen really captured how it feels sometimes to be a parent.
5 stars for skill, 3 for enjoyability, so 4 overall.