lelex's review
4.0
I'm dallying between a three star and a four star on this, because the short aspect of these short stories made the entire book fly by and I really enjoyed that, but almost all of them are either unsettling, a little depressing, or just to the left of comfortable and that doesn't always do it for me.
I like a mix of unsettling/sad and lighter stuff, but some of these were really poignant. A lot of them were about religion or cheating on your significant other.
My favorites were Peru, Teeth, Job, and the three Shouts.
"By the time I was five years old I'd learned that wanting nothing was the same as wanting everything."
"I loved that dog like breath."
I like a mix of unsettling/sad and lighter stuff, but some of these were really poignant. A lot of them were about religion or cheating on your significant other.
My favorites were Peru, Teeth, Job, and the three Shouts.
"By the time I was five years old I'd learned that wanting nothing was the same as wanting everything."
"I loved that dog like breath."
armernder's review
5.0
"It comes again, that feeling that will not be commanded or contained or even named. The bobwhite, the thick scent: The pleasure of this moment obliterates thought. Quivering, shapeless emotion spills and floods out of me. I'm surprised the lizard at my feet isn't washed away. Maybe this is grief. Who cares what we call it? Joy comes in waves, and will not hear no."
natgeographic's review
2.0
This book made me sad. And that is not what I was looking for when I picked up a book called Joy! The stories are well-written, but honestly all of them are sad except the first one.
valeriabeliza's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
jaxo_0's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
roxaro_o's review against another edition
2.0
Misleading title, and not in a fun way. Not much Joy to be found here...
alexisbashta's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
dg_reads's review against another edition
4.0
JOY AND 52 OTHER VERY SHORT STORIES by Erin McGraw is a short story collection with a focus on ‘short’. This book took me a while to get through – not because I wasn’t enjoying the stories, but because each of the 53 stories packs a lot into just a few pages.
The cover is at once cheerful with that bright yellow cover and also a little sad as the flower is wilting and falling apart. Similarly, these are tales where joy and humor is mixed with pain and sadness. The protagonists are incredibly varied with different genders, ages, races and backgrounds. Most stories stand alone, but in a few cases the author gives the same story from different perspective, such as in the case of a woman dying of cancer where we get her POV and those of her husband and caregiver.
I found this to be a great story collection to keep close at hand, allowing me to meander through the book between other reads a story or two at a time so I could really absorb each story. I appreciated the humor and mixture of emotions brought throughout this book and I would definitely want to read more stories from Erin McGraw.