catincaciornei's review
4.0
Sometimes a writer strings along few words and almost perfectly matches how you see the world; yes, I too thought that islands of time and hearts pounding as if running an immense race and having unused parts of yourself are vivid real descriptions of daily life. So does Karen Bender. One power of the short story is limited space - each word has meaning, each sentence adds layers, the writer has a single shot to open the world to the reader; Mr. Bender uses her given arrows beautifully.
The stories are focused on subjects of money, generally not having enough of it, family and children. It's feminine without being at all desperate or frilly or trying to push an independence agenda; it is what it is, just like daily living is.
Beautiful collection, I'm glad to have made the effort to purchase it (since it's not available in Kindle format, I had to pick it up during a trip to the USA; well worth it).
The stories are focused on subjects of money, generally not having enough of it, family and children. It's feminine without being at all desperate or frilly or trying to push an independence agenda; it is what it is, just like daily living is.
Beautiful collection, I'm glad to have made the effort to purchase it (since it's not available in Kindle format, I had to pick it up during a trip to the USA; well worth it).
bowierowie's review
5.0
I love this collection so much. So many of the stories are at once funny, tender, and incisive. One of my favorite things about these stories is that they're all deeply rooted in reality, but there is a fantastic element to some of them that Bender pulls off so well and that I find completely delightful and moving. I'm really looking forward to rereading many of these, particularly "Reunion," "Anything for Money," and "A Chick from My Dream Life."
kleonard's review
5.0
Truly original and thought-provoking stories on money, human interaction, and daily life.
kbc's review
3.0
Money (lack thereof) and children (an excess love of) are the cause of all problems.
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