pencils's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Minor: Miscarriage
literatehedgehog's review
4.0
Prepare for sentiment.
First given to me by the most amazing of poetry/interarts/life mentors (holler for Clare), Grace Paley changed my opinion of short stories. I had enjoyed them before, but only read them in classes, favoring novels for more "serious" reading. She knocks my boots off as no one else did nor ever will again.
Let not her spare words trick you!
First given to me by the most amazing of poetry/interarts/life mentors (holler for Clare), Grace Paley changed my opinion of short stories. I had enjoyed them before, but only read them in classes, favoring novels for more "serious" reading. She knocks my boots off as no one else did nor ever will again.
Let not her spare words trick you!
k_thompson's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
kitabe_bohot_si's review against another edition
1.0
dnf
moral of the story- never pick up short stories or books just because you like the cover
moral of the story- never pick up short stories or books just because you like the cover
toffishay's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The stories in this collection explore themes of death and destruction, isolation and community, family, womanhood, motherhood, life for immigrants and those experiences poverty in mid-century America, poetry and music. The style of writing is very beautiful; it feels in a similar vein to Ursula K. Le Guin (especially her work that isn't as science fiction), Edith Wharton, Shirley Jackson, and Toni Morrison a little. The stories really feel like you are plopped right into the middle of people's lives. My favorite stories were "Faith in the Afternoon", "Living", "Faith in a Tree", "A Conversation with My Father", and "The Immigrant Story"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, War, Violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Child death, Racism, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Fatphobia, Abortion, and Sexual content
janson's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Pockmarked. A bit too so for me, now.
sam_bizar_wilcox's review
5.0
Paley's short stories--and these stories are short--are so wonderfully breezy and smart. There's a serious depth to her writing that permeates the collection. Certainly, there are stories that seem lighter -- "Gloomy Tune" stands out--but the overall project is mischievously sophisticated. It's the title intimation: enormous changes that last a minute. These stories are structured around clipped but shattering events, yet told with a cleansing breath of levity. I'm reminded of Cynthia Ozick for the way Paley authentically digs into her Jewish heritage, something that has always felt homey for me (Paley, Ozick, and I share an Ashkenazic background); I'm reminded, too, of Joy Williams, for the crisp lines by which Paley builds her featurettes. Like Williams, these stories feel quite post-modern, but unlike Williams, she doesn't seem to get enough credit for her writing (there's this NYB article from 2017: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/10/12/grace-paley-postmodern-mom/ but it's paywalled). A shame that is: I wish I'd discovered Paley sooner.