gaillimh8's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
abbichuuu's review against another edition
2.0
I feel bad, but I really didn't enjoy this. Two of the stories made me feel sick: because of the subject matter, because of what was said and what was left unsaid. And they've stayed with me a bit, so that's a testament to the writing skill, I guess. And the writing is very realistic. But I found most of it quite tedious and lacking anything of interest or insight. I ended up just trying to get through the book because I chose it for my challenge.
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
4.0
The last story is exceptional. Tense and less distant than the others.
1mpossiblealice's review against another edition
2.5
I'd had this book on my shelves for years, since it was published, and thought that I'd bought it on a whim but wasn't sure how good it would be. At the start I was pleasantly surprised, I thought the first couple of stories were good, and four out of the first three. As the book went on I was less interested in the later stories, and skimmed through much of the last one. Three of the stories involved the same character called Claire and I really didn't care about her. It's a shame because had they continued on the level of the first 2, it would have been a 3.5-4 star book, but overall I'd say 2.5 stars maybe. Some of the stories I just wasn't sure what the point of them were, or they were dull. Probably not one I'll keep despite finding a few of them really good.
gabieowleyess's review
3.0
I enjoyed this, but not as much as I thought I would. I've really been attracted to short story anthologies recently. But, I haven't ever read an anthology of stories written the same person. It was really an interesting experience. I would say that I liked some of the stories but I wasn't in love with any of them. There is one character that comes back three times throughout the book and it took me halfway through the stories to realize that it was the same character. I enjoyed this, but it didn't really do anything for me.
deanna_etc's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in this collection drew me in, and I was so happy to be brought back to familiar characters at different parts of the book and their lives.
whatsjennareading's review
5.0
Ulman absolutely nails it in this debut short story collection. Her characters are so vividly imagined, incredibly relatable, flawed, and full of angst. I do not read a lot of short story collections, but Hot Little Hands has me both regretting and rethinking that habit. The beginning of each of the nine stories brought with it the excitement you feel when you start a really great new book; each one ending with a satisfying, and sometimes extremely surprising conclusion.
Every story is so unique, that I did not realize until after I was reading through it again in preparation for this review, that several of them center around the same character. While Claire is a recurring character throughout the book, each time she is introduced we are reading about a very different experience in her life. The fact that I read her as a new voice each time speaks to Ulman’s talent in capturing the way we are shaped by our past experiences. With each event, we grow and change, we can never be the same as we were before it.
While I enjoyed all of these stories, two in particular stuck out to me. In Warm-Ups, Kira is a talented young gymnast, who has just been presented with the opportunity to travel to America with her coach and a few other team members to perform at a conference. While her parents and grandparents are completely against it, the coach ultimately convinces them to allow her to go. The excitement leading up to and during their trip is so palpable, and these girls are so endearing. I could not have predicted the end of this story with a crystal ball, and I’m still reeling from it. I will likely never forget Kira and her friends.
My favorite story in the entire collection is the last one, Your Charm Won’t Help You Here. This is one of Claire’s stories, and in it, she is being held up in customs by TSA at an airport in Philadelphia after an eleven hour flight from Istanbul. She’s ultimately trying to make her way back to San Francisco, where she is currently living. Despite the fact that she is a London native, she spends the majority of her time traveling around the world, with her home base in California. After several hours of questioning, TSA charges her with a pre-crime (no idea this was a thing that existed) of the intent to migrate and she ends up in jail for the evening, where her ordeal is far from over. This one stirred up a lot of different emotions in me, the most prominent being anger and fear. I was on the edge of my seat up until the very end of this fast paced, and oftentimes frustrating tale.
Final Thoughts: Everyone should read this book. Whether you’re a parent, or a young adult, man or woman, it does not matter. I think this has an important message for everyone, and gives a no punches pulled look into the mind of a girl on the cusp of adulthood. I wish I had read this when I was younger, and I’m so glad I read it now. I’ve become a lifelong fan of Ulman, and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
Rating: 5 crowns
Favorite Characters: Kira, Amelia, Claire
I received a copy of Hot Little Hands from Random House LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
You can read more reviews like this at royalbookreview.wordpress.com.
Every story is so unique, that I did not realize until after I was reading through it again in preparation for this review, that several of them center around the same character. While Claire is a recurring character throughout the book, each time she is introduced we are reading about a very different experience in her life. The fact that I read her as a new voice each time speaks to Ulman’s talent in capturing the way we are shaped by our past experiences. With each event, we grow and change, we can never be the same as we were before it.
While I enjoyed all of these stories, two in particular stuck out to me. In Warm-Ups, Kira is a talented young gymnast, who has just been presented with the opportunity to travel to America with her coach and a few other team members to perform at a conference. While her parents and grandparents are completely against it, the coach ultimately convinces them to allow her to go. The excitement leading up to and during their trip is so palpable, and these girls are so endearing. I could not have predicted the end of this story with a crystal ball, and I’m still reeling from it. I will likely never forget Kira and her friends.
My favorite story in the entire collection is the last one, Your Charm Won’t Help You Here. This is one of Claire’s stories, and in it, she is being held up in customs by TSA at an airport in Philadelphia after an eleven hour flight from Istanbul. She’s ultimately trying to make her way back to San Francisco, where she is currently living. Despite the fact that she is a London native, she spends the majority of her time traveling around the world, with her home base in California. After several hours of questioning, TSA charges her with a pre-crime (no idea this was a thing that existed) of the intent to migrate and she ends up in jail for the evening, where her ordeal is far from over. This one stirred up a lot of different emotions in me, the most prominent being anger and fear. I was on the edge of my seat up until the very end of this fast paced, and oftentimes frustrating tale.
Final Thoughts: Everyone should read this book. Whether you’re a parent, or a young adult, man or woman, it does not matter. I think this has an important message for everyone, and gives a no punches pulled look into the mind of a girl on the cusp of adulthood. I wish I had read this when I was younger, and I’m so glad I read it now. I’ve become a lifelong fan of Ulman, and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
Rating: 5 crowns
Favorite Characters: Kira, Amelia, Claire
I received a copy of Hot Little Hands from Random House LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
You can read more reviews like this at royalbookreview.wordpress.com.
mizpurplest's review against another edition
3.0
Some of these stories I really loved; some went places I wasn't prepared for; and some were just strange. It took me a really long time to finish this collection, which is only partially the book's fault, but it meant that I spent a while thinking that I'd missed the connections between some of the stories when there actually doesn't seem to be one. Too bad, since I think some of them would have been stronger with a tie to the larger story arch. But I did enjoy this for the most part, and would pass it along to a curious reader.
lydz221b's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0