jigwam82's review
emotional
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
In a short story collection there are always going to be some you like and some you don't. But some of these are absolutely beautiful.
My favourites are
Beg, Sl Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep
The Cemetery Were Al Jolson was Buried
My favourites are
Beg, Sl Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep
The Cemetery Were Al Jolson was Buried
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Abortion, and Miscarriage
Minor: Animal death and Panic attacks/disorders
grasonpoling's review
5.0
Masterclass word economy. Hempel uses stark images and phrasing to accompany levels of grief and anxiety with a certain richness that is exactly what it is.
‘Al Jolson’ is still my favorite short story.
‘Al Jolson’ is still my favorite short story.
knittingraccoon's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
erinray82's review
5.0
Loved this. Minimalist writing. Lovely glimpses into life. When she throws a dart, they land perfectly on those perfect moments. I was never overfed, but I was always full. For a small collection, I find myself completely satisfied.
taysbookshelf's review
2.0
I just finished "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" and it didn't really resonate with me at all. People call the style minimalist, but I found it overloaded with way too many metaphors and excessive descriptors, saying nothing about the story itself, which did not impart a lesson or even inspire much thought besides this review.
chiyeunglau's review
5.0
They say if you want to learn how to write, you should read Amy Hempel. Whoever said this wasn’t wrong; I was blown away by this collection and I will be reading this again and again.
There are so many gems:
“She laughs, and I cling to the sound the way someone dangling above a ravine holds fast to the thrown rope.”
“Here’s a trick I found for how to finally get some sleep. I sleep in my husband’s bed. That way the empty bed I look at is my own.”
While some compare her to Carver, I enjoyed reading her stories much more. She tackles loss, love and death with much more wit and humanity, yet intertwined with that is a sense of yearning and heart ache that you feel with every sentence. In that way she reminds me of Denis Johnson more so than Carver; there is a empathy I feel for all of her characters, something that I never felt for Carver’s.
Hempel’s stories are short but they’re thousand piece puzzles that require attentive reading; stories like Celia is back took me a few rereads to fully understand. She never outright explains anything, and you really have to read in between the lines.
My favorite stories from the collection:
San Francisco
In the cemetery where Al Jolson is buried
Beg, Sl Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep
The man in Bogota
There are so many gems:
“She laughs, and I cling to the sound the way someone dangling above a ravine holds fast to the thrown rope.”
“Here’s a trick I found for how to finally get some sleep. I sleep in my husband’s bed. That way the empty bed I look at is my own.”
While some compare her to Carver, I enjoyed reading her stories much more. She tackles loss, love and death with much more wit and humanity, yet intertwined with that is a sense of yearning and heart ache that you feel with every sentence. In that way she reminds me of Denis Johnson more so than Carver; there is a empathy I feel for all of her characters, something that I never felt for Carver’s.
Hempel’s stories are short but they’re thousand piece puzzles that require attentive reading; stories like Celia is back took me a few rereads to fully understand. She never outright explains anything, and you really have to read in between the lines.
My favorite stories from the collection:
San Francisco
In the cemetery where Al Jolson is buried
Beg, Sl Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep
The man in Bogota
m_yawn_key's review
4.0
My favorite was the short story Beg,Sl Tog, Inc, Cont, Rep... all the K1D2 ladies should read it.
alsmilesalot's review
3.0
All I ever hear about Amy Hempel is "It's the sentences!"
The sentences were fine. The stories uneven. Then again, I think this is her first collection. Perhpas I should read another. I will.
The sentences were fine. The stories uneven. Then again, I think this is her first collection. Perhpas I should read another. I will.
alilalalalalala's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0