Reviews

Company by Shannon Sanders

mikaelarose's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Such a great short story collection, with each story weaving in and out of each other that it almost read as a novel. The cast of characters were all complex (with the short stories surrounding the same moments and characters adding to this). I loved the order, how we would popcorn with a character from a previous story into a new one. My only wish is that I wanted more, so many details could have been dug into but because it was a short story collection they were left untouched. 

Favorites: bird of paradise, rioja, la belle hottentote

adrianlwaller's review

funny lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

ciaravirk's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nlbohr22's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bookishlibrarian's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.75

This debut collection of interconnected short stories was a delightful read spent time "in company" with various members of the Collins family, a Black middle class family. Most of the stories revolve around visits or gatherings of some kind--holidays, funerals, work events. The characters are all well-drawn, especially their interactions with each other, steeped in patterns and shared history and inside jokes. Many center around the theme of inheritance, both in terms of stories, traits, and, in one of my favorite stories "Dragonflies", actual objects passed down. The interconnected aspect of the stories lets you see some characters from different vantage points depending on whose perspective carries the story--most effectively in a pairing of two other favorite stories "Bird of Paradise" and "La Belle Hottentote". Both take place at the same outdoor party celebrating an aunt's promotion to dean at her college, but one story centers the aunt's story as a professional having to endure a lot to rise in her profession, and the other story from the perspective of her four nieces in attendance, from another generation, who have different expectations and views for themselves. Other favorite stories were "The Gatekeepers", "Rioja", "Mote"-this one had a great unexpected ending-, and "The Everest Society." 

hrjohnsonn's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

helenisreading's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

vshah's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ridgewaygirl's review against another edition

4.0

This is a collection of interconnected short stories set in and around Washington DC and centering on the members of a large, extended family. As with any large family, some are doing well and some are struggling and who that is may change over time. There are family stories, family expectations and the roles assigned in childhood that may chafe in adulthood. There are family stories where the reality is somewhat different and what is expected changes depending on the generation.

They would only be in the house on Ashburn Street for six or nine months, a year at the absolute most, and so although Merritt knew she should make a point of meeting the neighbors, she put it off for two weeks after the move-in. She had begun to specialize in putting things off; these days she was leaden as an anchor, and Ashburn Street was the ocean floor.

These stories stand on their own and the connections between the characters in each story reveal themselves as the book unspools. A character in one story is in the background of another, an event in one story is a familiar tale that bears just a glancing resemblance to the facts in another. There are two stories that recount the same event from different vantage points that was particularly effective. Throughout these stories, Sanders writes about people just trying to get through the challenges of their lives. It's a solid collection and I'm already looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

kmustapha's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0