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missnicolerose 's review for:
Single, Carefree, Mellow
by Katherine Heiny
While touted as a collection of short stories, "Single, Carefree, Mellow" actually just seemed like the same story told 10 (somewhat) different ways. The characters were entirely recycled from chapter to chapter - the main character always a cheating, young female writer. My guess this isn't much of a stretch for the author. The male characters are also replicas of one another, sharing the same personality traits and behaviors ("come facts" and focus on nationalities/accents).
None of these characters are "single", most are actually married with lovers on the side, which is pretty far from single in my book. The overall focus on adultery was overdone, with the author even stating at one point when introducing a character, "She was married, obviously." Yes, it was obvious how uncreative this author is.
Overall, the writing seemed like that of a mediocre YA novel, the most convincing story being the one from the perspective of a teenager. For an author who paints her characters as intelligent, literary-minded women, the language is stifled and trite, descriptions are cliché and characters one-dimensional. This book left much to be desired.
None of these characters are "single", most are actually married with lovers on the side, which is pretty far from single in my book. The overall focus on adultery was overdone, with the author even stating at one point when introducing a character, "She was married, obviously." Yes, it was obvious how uncreative this author is.
Overall, the writing seemed like that of a mediocre YA novel, the most convincing story being the one from the perspective of a teenager. For an author who paints her characters as intelligent, literary-minded women, the language is stifled and trite, descriptions are cliché and characters one-dimensional. This book left much to be desired.