margaretpinard's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
not_mike's review against another edition
5.0
Short story collection.
Precise, amazing, and quite funny.
Precise, amazing, and quite funny.
olivia_lutz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pr_aniya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this in 2011, and it was even better to teach craft to my creative writing students.
northernbiblio's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
mimireads320's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the first few short stories, and then I grew bored. Couldn't finish
outragejes's review against another edition
3.0
Best stories were "Brownies", "Our Lady of Peace", "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere", & "Speaking in Tongues". The others seemed a little dull to me.
booksbythecup's review against another edition
“Dr. Raeburn would never realize that “pretending” was what had got me this far. I remembered the morning of my mother’s funeral. I’d been given milk to settle my stomach; I’d pretended it was coffee. I imagined I was drinking coffee elsewhere.” —Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Z. Z. Packer
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Can a short story collection be like steeping tea? Clearly I won't be drinking coffee elsewhere but tea, yes, I could see myself drinking it elsewhere, well maybe.
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Of course, I compare lots of things to tea, so yes, you have to steep both in a way that will allow you to enhance your experience.
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There were moments I laughed other times I tried to just think about the lives of the people in the stories. Which as I'm writing this caption feels like one of the takeaways after reading DCE.
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I might not have allowed each story to steep properly. Perhaps it was because mentally and emotionally I was not in a place where I could engage with the stories the way I usually do. But at the same time I wanted to read something, and this collection came through on my library holds, felt like just what I needed.
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The people in these stories allowed me a measure of escapism but also left me feeling like there was a lot in their lives that looks very familiar in our lives today. One of my favorite was Our Lady of Peace. I wonder about Lynnea and Sheba what happened to both of them long after the story ends.
-
-
Can a short story collection be like steeping tea? Clearly I won't be drinking coffee elsewhere but tea, yes, I could see myself drinking it elsewhere, well maybe.
-
Of course, I compare lots of things to tea, so yes, you have to steep both in a way that will allow you to enhance your experience.
-
There were moments I laughed other times I tried to just think about the lives of the people in the stories. Which as I'm writing this caption feels like one of the takeaways after reading DCE.
-
I might not have allowed each story to steep properly. Perhaps it was because mentally and emotionally I was not in a place where I could engage with the stories the way I usually do. But at the same time I wanted to read something, and this collection came through on my library holds, felt like just what I needed.
-
The people in these stories allowed me a measure of escapism but also left me feeling like there was a lot in their lives that looks very familiar in our lives today. One of my favorite was Our Lady of Peace. I wonder about Lynnea and Sheba what happened to both of them long after the story ends.
-