lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't enjoy as much as Mothers, Tell Your Daughters and was feeling that disappointment until the story Jenny (Reading Envy) mentioned, "The Burn," which was ugly but extremely readable/listenable, made me pause and give it my complete attention. It completely changed my feelings toward the collection and allowed me to enjoy the rest.
lizardgoats's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this collection of short stories. It's a poignant look at rural Midwestern life in all it's nitty-gritty glory.
"The Trespasser," pp. 1-4
"The Yard Man," pp.5-32
"World of Gas," pp. 31-38
"The Inventor, 1972," pp. 39-51
"The Solution to Brian's Problem," pp.52-55
"The Burn" pp. pp. 56-72
"Family Reunion," pp. 73-83
"Winter Life," pp. 84-91
"Bringing Home Belle," pp. 92-106
"Falling," pp. 107-113
"King Cole's American Salvage," pp. 114-130
"Storm Warning," pp. 131-143
"Fuel for the Millennium," pp. 144-150
"Boar Taint," pp. 151-167
"The Trespasser," pp. 1-4
"The Yard Man," pp.5-32
"World of Gas," pp. 31-38
"The Inventor, 1972," pp. 39-51
"The Solution to Brian's Problem," pp.52-55
"The Burn" pp. pp. 56-72
"Family Reunion," pp. 73-83
"Winter Life," pp. 84-91
"Bringing Home Belle," pp. 92-106
"Falling," pp. 107-113
"King Cole's American Salvage," pp. 114-130
"Storm Warning," pp. 131-143
"Fuel for the Millennium," pp. 144-150
"Boar Taint," pp. 151-167
kevinsmokler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Collection of short stories about working class white folks in Michigan. Like a Walker Evans photo in fiction. Funny, tragic, real.
lindacbugg's review against another edition
5.0
Reminds me of Knockemstiff as far as subject matter but not so bleak and depressing. Really looking forward to her new novel.
katesusko's review against another edition
5.0
This collection of short stories was dark - it exposes a part of Michigan that I didn't think existed, and I live here! All of the stories somehow feel connected.
amber_lea84's review against another edition
3.0
Did one of the characters fantasize about having sex with the ghost of her dead uncle who died before she was born or did I just hallucinate that? I read that part like a week ago so I don't have a super clear memory of what exactly what happened...but it kind of made it hard to focus on the entire rest of the book because I was so confused.
lucka999's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
ev4ngelia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
relf's review against another edition
4.0
Yay, Bonnie Jo Campbell, for the National Book Award nomination! And yay, Mary Whalen, for the great cover photo! The writing is just top-notch, the characters are very real, and the settings are very evocative of this part of Michigan. Most of the characters are people who've never had a break, some aren't even very likable, but all feel true.