lely12's review against another edition
3.0
No logré conectar. Me costó una eternidad terminarlo. Debería haberme rendido antes.
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really liked the first half but got really bored in the second half and I didn’t like how she wrote black boys and felt mixed about how she wrote Mexicans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism
dkai's review against another edition
5.0
Covering life you probably haven't experienced in the Southwest, Berlin's writing is a delight. That's not to say it's a cheerful book; frequent topics in the stories include alcoholism, abuse, prison, and medical care. It's all real, even the parts that aren't. Example passage highlighting the scene she can set up so deeply with brevity and humor:
"But Linda and Bob are good, old friends. I feel their warmth even though they aren’t there. Come and blueberry jelly on the sheets. Racing forms and cigarette butts in the bathroom. Notes from Bob to Linda: “Buy some smokes and take the car … dooh-dah dooh-dah.” Drawings by Andrea with Love to Mom. Pizza crusts. I clean their coke mirror with Windex."
"But Linda and Bob are good, old friends. I feel their warmth even though they aren’t there. Come and blueberry jelly on the sheets. Racing forms and cigarette butts in the bathroom. Notes from Bob to Linda: “Buy some smokes and take the car … dooh-dah dooh-dah.” Drawings by Andrea with Love to Mom. Pizza crusts. I clean their coke mirror with Windex."
lukija's review against another edition
4.0
Sulattelen.
EDIT 7.1.2018
Sulateltu ja kirjotettu jo blogiinkin tästä elämänmakuisesti levottomatekstisestä novellikokoelmasta. Blogi: kosminenk.wordpress.com.
EDIT 7.1.2018
Sulateltu ja kirjotettu jo blogiinkin tästä elämänmakuisesti levottomatekstisestä novellikokoelmasta. Blogi: kosminenk.wordpress.com.
geoffry's review against another edition
4.0
Ik lees zelden kortverhalenbundels, maar Lucia Berlin verdient een uitzondering. Verhalen die zelden meer dan 10 pagina's tellen, over armoede, verslaving, de banaliteit van het leven,... Berlin slaagt erin om het allemaal zo realistisch en zonder franjes op papier te zetten dat je je afvraagt of ze het zelf niet allemaal beleefd heeft. Maar enkel dat argument gebruiken zou haar als schrijfster oneer aan doen zijn. Als je dit jaar één kortverhalenbundel leest, laat het dan deze zijn.
Favoriete kortverhalen:
- Here It Is Saturday
- Friends
- El Tim
- A Love Affair
- A Manual for Cleaning Women
- Emergency Room Notebook, 1977
Favoriete kortverhalen:
- Here It Is Saturday
- Friends
- El Tim
- A Love Affair
- A Manual for Cleaning Women
- Emergency Room Notebook, 1977
0liviar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jen_nej's review against another edition
DNF solely because my hold lapsed on Libby. Enjoying it so far.
cdlindwall's review against another edition
5.0
Ugh ugh ugh I loved this collection so entirely. Lucia Berlin does such an amazing job at emotional nuance and these wonderfully melancholy characters/stories. She does nostalgia and sadness and love so so well. This was my favorite train read for a while. I also loved that many of the stories overlapped narratives and settings. One of my new favorites.
mchdiez's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I’m committing a crime with this rating but tbh I don’t think this book was a good match for me. There were a few short stories I really liked (Mijito is still stuck in my head), but most of the time I couldn’t connect with the characters. I must say I enjoyed Lucía’s writing style and that my issues were mainly plot and structure centered, so I will be giving her other books a chance.