sonia_reppe's review against another edition
5.0
"I was losing track of who I was pretending to be."
-From "The Inside Passage", one of my favorites from this excellent short story collection. My other favorite was "Lost" which should be called "Boy on a motorcycle" because that's what is was about, but I guess the title refers to the love lost.
Even though a lot of these stories have depressing characters, they are written so well that you can't find much fault in them. I felt like I was the character in each story.
-From "The Inside Passage", one of my favorites from this excellent short story collection. My other favorite was "Lost" which should be called "Boy on a motorcycle" because that's what is was about, but I guess the title refers to the love lost.
Even though a lot of these stories have depressing characters, they are written so well that you can't find much fault in them. I felt like I was the character in each story.
desirosie's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Some of the stories were really first-rate.
Something that Thompson does well -- and something I enjoy in short stories -- is dropping in an unexpected detail and letting it just sit there. She closes a few of the stories in that way, but it didn't feel over-engineered, and it is also something that I don't think you can get away with as much in a novel. You don't have time for exposition of everything in a short story and if you've done it well, it works.
Something that Thompson does well -- and something I enjoy in short stories -- is dropping in an unexpected detail and letting it just sit there. She closes a few of the stories in that way, but it didn't feel over-engineered, and it is also something that I don't think you can get away with as much in a novel. You don't have time for exposition of everything in a short story and if you've done it well, it works.
hstuart3's review against another edition
3.5
loved the worlds created in these stories but overall the collection was a little too bleak for me
taylakaye's review against another edition
2.0
I was definitely a bit disappointed in this collection of short stories. I felt like the author, Jean Thompson, was trying much too hard. The first few seem like they take a long time to get to the point, which ends up being at least a bit disturbing. To me, this set an untenable tone of expectation, which was then not so abrupt in the other stories.
'It Would Not Make Me Tremble to See Ten Thousand Fall' was the best story overall to me. It involves a young couple, enlistment into the service, a small town and has well developed characters. And, in all, the characters in each of the stories are well executed. The characters make me want to give the book at least 2.5 starts, and make it so that I'm not sorry to have spent time reading the book. Maybe the stories will grow on me if I revisit them, but something in the language, or the plots, the tone, something seems contrived in most of them. An over zealous attempt at coming across as hip maybe?
'It Would Not Make Me Tremble to See Ten Thousand Fall' was the best story overall to me. It involves a young couple, enlistment into the service, a small town and has well developed characters. And, in all, the characters in each of the stories are well executed. The characters make me want to give the book at least 2.5 starts, and make it so that I'm not sorry to have spent time reading the book. Maybe the stories will grow on me if I revisit them, but something in the language, or the plots, the tone, something seems contrived in most of them. An over zealous attempt at coming across as hip maybe?
brogan7's review against another edition
3.0
Started this book in 2012; left it for a while, her world was too cold & brutal & creepy & nasty. Took it up again after The humanity project (after I realized they were by the same author!)...I like her characters. I like how she creates characters. But the situations they're in...they just don't work for me.
I liked "Hunger"--how she navigated between the characters. I liked parts of the pie story (the unquestionable political slant to it.)
Overall, I don't know. I really do not know.
I liked "Hunger"--how she navigated between the characters. I liked parts of the pie story (the unquestionable political slant to it.)
Overall, I don't know. I really do not know.
happyocelot's review against another edition
2.0
I like these stories because they have drama and sadness, but the author doesn't push the stories so they leave the reader feeling raw. Yes, bad things happen, but worse things could have happen. She has very strong female characters which I find inspiring and endearing. But, these female characters all go through a period of "growing" leaving them relate-able because they expose some of their weaknesses and bad habits to the reader.
arberry's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of depressing, but the author's writing style is captivating. This was my first short story collection I've read, at least the first adult one, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. So I'll probably check some more of these out. I liked all of them to some extent, but my favorite stories were The Five Senses, It Would Not Make Me Tremble to See Ten Thousand Fall, Pie of the Month, and Throw Like a Girl.
escapegrace's review against another edition
4.0
I borrow most of the books I read from the LA Public Library, so while the waiting list for Thompson's latest Do Not Deny Me was on the long side, I was able to get this earlier story collection pretty quickly. The variety and depth of the many female characters she created here may be unrivaled. Thompson has great range and a finely tuned sense of when a story should end.
wannabemensch's review against another edition
2.0
Well-written, I suppose, but depressing as hell with a bleak outlook on everything that might give one pleasure: marriage is a sham; families are burdens; children are fake and selfish, and no one can truly care for anyone else. Yay.
jules72653's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad at all but I find that I only remember one or two stories and I've just finished the book.