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lindsayclaire's review against another edition
5.0
Dark, harrowing, beautiful. A stunning collection of short stories about girls, innocence and growing up. I loved every story deeply and find myself thinking about the characters days later. "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" and "The Isabel Fish" could be singled out as my favorites, but I hold each story close to my heart.
sallytv13's review against another edition
4.0
Was so good until the end, I hated the last story so much, 4.5
laynescherer's review against another edition
2.0
I had this book on my "to read" list for many years. When I sat down to read it, I couldn't make a connection with the characters in the stories. Strong use of imagery and some beautiful language, but overall this collection fell flat for me.
anitadisguised's review against another edition
4.0
very nice writing and i'm really into these kind of themes (all stories about young girls and women and loss of innocence, clashes between childhood and adult worlds, etc)
asurasantosha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Grief, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism, Antisemitism, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Bullying, Animal death, Alcohol, and Cursing
earlyandalone's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of the best collections I've read in a long time. Each story was striking in its poignancy and its vivid prose. Orringer strays from too much sentimentality while also avoiding the pitfalls of misery and sorrow that weigh down most modern fiction collections. A great read.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably the best short story collection I've ever read. Often with collections, even in good ones, there are some stories that don't meet the same standard as others. That isn't the case here. Every single story is strong, moving, well paced and with brilliant characters and plots. I'd be hard pushed to pick a favourite, because I was totally captivated by the melancholia and bittersweet beauty of the stories. The common thread through all of them is how Orringer so perfectly captures the pivot point in her female protagonists' lives from which nothing will be the same. From the burden of guilt of surviving a car crash in which her brother's girlfriend dies, to watching her terminally ill mother say goodbye to a lifelong unrequited love, to being harshly initiated into the world of sexuality, the girls in these stories are not spared the full force of life. But the telling is beautiful and almost gentle enough to soften the blow. I loved this collection.
wannasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
katherinehiney's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
yrpalal's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.75