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‘I don't know which is more amazing, Emma Cline's understanding of human beings or her mastery of language’ Mark Haddon
The eagerly-awaited new book by Emma Cline, author of the global phenomenon The Girls
The stories in Emma Cline’s stunning first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present. A man travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done? And who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she’s playing. And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father.
These outstanding stories examine masculinity, male power and broken relationships, while revealing – with astonishing insight and clarity – those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. And there is an unexpected violence, ever-present but unseen, in the depiction of the complicated interactions between men and women, and families. Subtle, sophisticated and displaying an extraordinary understanding of human behaviour, these stories are unforgettable.
The eagerly-awaited new book by Emma Cline, author of the global phenomenon The Girls
The stories in Emma Cline’s stunning first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present. A man travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done? And who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she’s playing. And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father.
These outstanding stories examine masculinity, male power and broken relationships, while revealing – with astonishing insight and clarity – those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. And there is an unexpected violence, ever-present but unseen, in the depiction of the complicated interactions between men and women, and families. Subtle, sophisticated and displaying an extraordinary understanding of human behaviour, these stories are unforgettable.
266 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2021
1015 people are currently reading
29295 people want to read
About the author
Emma Cline
20 books4,542 followersEmma Cline is an American writer and novelist, originally from California. She published her first novel, "The Girls", in 2016, to positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the John Leonard Award from the National Book Critics Circle and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta and The Paris Review.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta and The Paris Review.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.
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May 7, 2020Interesting stories that dance around what they are really about. In every story there is something significant that goes unsaid as if it isn’t the point at all.
January 2, 2023
note to self: don't read this one on public transit.
doing my usual (when i have the will to live) mini review for each story here!
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A GENERAL
white christmas is my very favorite christmas movie so this does it for me on title alone.
also a great story (and perfect title) about men / fathers who have kind of lived through a period of a changing meaning of what fatherhood means...they're hard to pity (and i'm not sure that's the point) but it's interesting all the same.
rating:3.5
LOS ANGELES
"It had been bearable because it would become a story, something condensed and communicable." this is the truest ever.
confused how much these stories are working for me. do i need to reread the girls?
rating: 3.5
MENLO PARK
ah, there it is.
this was dull.
rating: 2
SON OF FRIEDMAN
almost exactly the first one, except LA.
so not only redundant but worse.
rating: 2
THE NANNY
one of our dog's nicknames is "nanny" (because louie > lamby > namby > nanny) so if this is not good i will take it as a personal affront not just to me, but to the most perfect living creature on this earth.
it was okay.
rating: 3
ARCADIA
it's like...too many of these have place names for it to be a coincidence, but not enough have them for it to be a theme. file under Dumb Things That Frustrate Me.
ok...i think i am growing fatigued by this book's central concept...but i'm trying to not be. it's so early.
rating: 2.5
NORTHEAST REGIONAL
well this had something.
rating: 3.25
MARION
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!
rating: 4
MACK THE KNIFE
THIS IS ALSO WHAT WE WANT!
rating: 3.5
A/S/L
most excited for this one based on title alone. prepared for crushing disappointment.
it was ok.
rating: 3
OVERALL
a lot of the time, short story collections are said to be More Than The Sum Of Their Parts. this was less. each of these stories would have been more interesting alone, without the potential redundancies waiting for you to recognize them when you read them one after the other.
as is, this was just What About The Creepy Man's Perspective over and over again. (interesting once or twice, but kind of a snooze without the shock value.)
i like emma cline's style but i always feel like there's something missing.
rating: 3
doing my usual (when i have the will to live) mini review for each story here!
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A GENERAL
white christmas is my very favorite christmas movie so this does it for me on title alone.
also a great story (and perfect title) about men / fathers who have kind of lived through a period of a changing meaning of what fatherhood means...they're hard to pity (and i'm not sure that's the point) but it's interesting all the same.
rating:3.5
LOS ANGELES
"It had been bearable because it would become a story, something condensed and communicable." this is the truest ever.
confused how much these stories are working for me. do i need to reread the girls?
rating: 3.5
MENLO PARK
ah, there it is.
this was dull.
rating: 2
SON OF FRIEDMAN
almost exactly the first one, except LA.
so not only redundant but worse.
rating: 2
THE NANNY
one of our dog's nicknames is "nanny" (because louie > lamby > namby > nanny) so if this is not good i will take it as a personal affront not just to me, but to the most perfect living creature on this earth.
it was okay.
rating: 3
ARCADIA
it's like...too many of these have place names for it to be a coincidence, but not enough have them for it to be a theme. file under Dumb Things That Frustrate Me.
ok...i think i am growing fatigued by this book's central concept...but i'm trying to not be. it's so early.
rating: 2.5
NORTHEAST REGIONAL
well this had something.
rating: 3.25
MARION
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!
rating: 4
MACK THE KNIFE
THIS IS ALSO WHAT WE WANT!
rating: 3.5
A/S/L
most excited for this one based on title alone. prepared for crushing disappointment.
it was ok.
rating: 3
OVERALL
a lot of the time, short story collections are said to be More Than The Sum Of Their Parts. this was less. each of these stories would have been more interesting alone, without the potential redundancies waiting for you to recognize them when you read them one after the other.
as is, this was just What About The Creepy Man's Perspective over and over again. (interesting once or twice, but kind of a snooze without the shock value.)
i like emma cline's style but i always feel like there's something missing.
rating: 3
October 8, 2025
A series of ten short stories by the author of The Girls.
- A father frets over his distracted daughter and reflects on life and family during a visit from his grown up children over the Christmas holiday.
- An aspiring actress who works in a store selling overpriced clothes sells her own worn underwear to men she doesn’t know.
- A man ruminates on his own troubles as he edits the biography of a billionaire who seems set on rewriting his own lifetime achievements.
- An ageing and fading movie man meets an old friend for dinner ahead of attending a showing of the first film produced by his son.
- A young woman hides from the paparazzi following a brief affair with an actor, for whom she’d been a nanny to his son.
- A young man who lives with his pregnant partner and her brother dreams of escaping to a new life.
- A middle-aged man travels to his son’s boarding school to attempt to resolve a problem whilst wrestling with issues in his own life.
- A woman remembers her first real friend and time spent with her free-living parents as an eleven-year-old.
- A man in his early fifties meets old friends for a meal and then broods over his past and present relationships with women and his financial worries.
- Two women attending a ‘pre-rehab’ centre in the desert become obsessed with a male celebrity who checks in.
These stories show glimpses of people’s lives, with the focus typically on one participant in each tale. In most cases, we witness a good deal of reflection: how did I get to this place, what might have gone differently? There is disillusionment here, too, as each seems to feel that things might have taken a different path, that it could have worked out better. Relationships with friends, family, and lovers are dissected and examined, worries and frailties exposed.
Like all short story collections I’ve read, some engaged me more than others but I did find myself wondering if I’d made some of the same erroneous decisions, if I harboured a number of identical regrets or if I hid similar weaknesses to the protagonists here. Yes, it’s one of those books that made me think about my own life, what I’ve done, and what I haven’t done. Have I lived, as they say, ‘my best life’? I suppose that question is almost certain to be answered in the negative, perhaps the more so the older you get.
A few stories ended a little too abruptly for me, just as I was becoming invested in where it would go next - but that’s just how it works with short stories. And mostly, I was happy to witness these segments of a bigger story and move on. These satisfying snacks can be gobbled up quickly, and I really enjoyed the of settings, the diversity of characters, and mixture of emotions the stories stirred in me. I wouldn’t call the stories uplifting, but most captured my attention, made me pause and think.
My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
- A father frets over his distracted daughter and reflects on life and family during a visit from his grown up children over the Christmas holiday.
- An aspiring actress who works in a store selling overpriced clothes sells her own worn underwear to men she doesn’t know.
- A man ruminates on his own troubles as he edits the biography of a billionaire who seems set on rewriting his own lifetime achievements.
- An ageing and fading movie man meets an old friend for dinner ahead of attending a showing of the first film produced by his son.
- A young woman hides from the paparazzi following a brief affair with an actor, for whom she’d been a nanny to his son.
- A young man who lives with his pregnant partner and her brother dreams of escaping to a new life.
- A middle-aged man travels to his son’s boarding school to attempt to resolve a problem whilst wrestling with issues in his own life.
- A woman remembers her first real friend and time spent with her free-living parents as an eleven-year-old.
- A man in his early fifties meets old friends for a meal and then broods over his past and present relationships with women and his financial worries.
- Two women attending a ‘pre-rehab’ centre in the desert become obsessed with a male celebrity who checks in.
These stories show glimpses of people’s lives, with the focus typically on one participant in each tale. In most cases, we witness a good deal of reflection: how did I get to this place, what might have gone differently? There is disillusionment here, too, as each seems to feel that things might have taken a different path, that it could have worked out better. Relationships with friends, family, and lovers are dissected and examined, worries and frailties exposed.
Like all short story collections I’ve read, some engaged me more than others but I did find myself wondering if I’d made some of the same erroneous decisions, if I harboured a number of identical regrets or if I hid similar weaknesses to the protagonists here. Yes, it’s one of those books that made me think about my own life, what I’ve done, and what I haven’t done. Have I lived, as they say, ‘my best life’? I suppose that question is almost certain to be answered in the negative, perhaps the more so the older you get.
A few stories ended a little too abruptly for me, just as I was becoming invested in where it would go next - but that’s just how it works with short stories. And mostly, I was happy to witness these segments of a bigger story and move on. These satisfying snacks can be gobbled up quickly, and I really enjoyed the of settings, the diversity of characters, and mixture of emotions the stories stirred in me. I wouldn’t call the stories uplifting, but most captured my attention, made me pause and think.
My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
April 1, 2024
LA CADUTA DEGLI DEI
Emma Cline procede per accenni, trattenendo, usando le parole come tratteggio più che contorno, indefinita. Dove siamo, chi è questa gente, che succede veramente, e - forse ancor più - cosa è successo prima di trovarci qui…
Come se rinunciasse ai punti fermi per appoggiarsi a quelli sospensivi. Come se procedesse per sottrazioni e spazi bianchi, fuoriscena e abbozzi, parte sommersa ed ellissi a go go.
Solo che l’iceberg è quasi sommerso, risulta difficile vederne spuntare anche solo la parte minore.
Si ha spesso la sensazione di essere all’ovest, anche quando invece il racconto è perlopiù ambientato all’est.
Tra ristoranti “implacabilmente eccellenti” e altri a mala pena dignitosi – cibo e bevande vengono spesso elencate, sembrano importanti, ma anche no – descrizioni di vario abbigliamento e monili, un po’ di fumo di tipo diverso e altri anestetici o stimolanti in pillola o polvere, tra divorzi e nuove relazioni e un altro divorzio e storielle passeggere, opening night e fotografi, i dieci racconti qui raccolti hanno spesso a protagonisti uomini. E questa sì che è una sorpresa, almeno per me, Cline è quella dell’esordio intitolato Ragazze.
Non che manchino le figure femminili. Ma quelle maschili sembrano più numerose, in varo stadi d’età e vari livelli di caduta, dipendenza, precarietà, fallimento, inadeguatezza, inettitudine… L’età adulta è una sòla, mai come la si immaginava e aspettava.
In fondo gli uomini sono principalmente Daddy, anche quando padri non sono, sono patriarchi in caduta libera e sessualmente anziani.
Tra chat e social e messaggi senza risposta, centri di disintossicazione centrifughe e succhi di ogni cosa, le donne e le ragazze forse non stanno meglio. Ma hanno almeno capito come gira il mondo, sanno da che parte è stato finora il potere, e sembrano capaci di poterci mettere le mani sopra e cambiare il gioco.
Se allo stesso modo Cline fosse capace – se non altro intenzionata, se ci provasse – di cambiare il ritmo, di qualche impennata – no, non colpo di scena, ma momento clou – di abbandonare per un attimo il suo tono tra freddezza, indifferenza e monotonia, la lettura se ne avvantaggerebbe senza dubbio alcuno.
Vivere in quel modo sembrava richiedere doti che a Thora facevano difetto. La capacità di prendere la tua vita sul serio, di crederti un’entità così concreta da richiedere manutenzione, come se la somma di quelle cose potesse produrre un risultato.
Tutte le fotografie sono di Neil Stewart, così come quella sulla copertina del libro.
Emma Cline procede per accenni, trattenendo, usando le parole come tratteggio più che contorno, indefinita. Dove siamo, chi è questa gente, che succede veramente, e - forse ancor più - cosa è successo prima di trovarci qui…
Come se rinunciasse ai punti fermi per appoggiarsi a quelli sospensivi. Come se procedesse per sottrazioni e spazi bianchi, fuoriscena e abbozzi, parte sommersa ed ellissi a go go.
Solo che l’iceberg è quasi sommerso, risulta difficile vederne spuntare anche solo la parte minore.
Si ha spesso la sensazione di essere all’ovest, anche quando invece il racconto è perlopiù ambientato all’est.
Tra ristoranti “implacabilmente eccellenti” e altri a mala pena dignitosi – cibo e bevande vengono spesso elencate, sembrano importanti, ma anche no – descrizioni di vario abbigliamento e monili, un po’ di fumo di tipo diverso e altri anestetici o stimolanti in pillola o polvere, tra divorzi e nuove relazioni e un altro divorzio e storielle passeggere, opening night e fotografi, i dieci racconti qui raccolti hanno spesso a protagonisti uomini. E questa sì che è una sorpresa, almeno per me, Cline è quella dell’esordio intitolato Ragazze.
Non che manchino le figure femminili. Ma quelle maschili sembrano più numerose, in varo stadi d’età e vari livelli di caduta, dipendenza, precarietà, fallimento, inadeguatezza, inettitudine… L’età adulta è una sòla, mai come la si immaginava e aspettava.
In fondo gli uomini sono principalmente Daddy, anche quando padri non sono, sono patriarchi in caduta libera e sessualmente anziani.
Tra chat e social e messaggi senza risposta, centri di disintossicazione centrifughe e succhi di ogni cosa, le donne e le ragazze forse non stanno meglio. Ma hanno almeno capito come gira il mondo, sanno da che parte è stato finora il potere, e sembrano capaci di poterci mettere le mani sopra e cambiare il gioco.
Se allo stesso modo Cline fosse capace – se non altro intenzionata, se ci provasse – di cambiare il ritmo, di qualche impennata – no, non colpo di scena, ma momento clou – di abbandonare per un attimo il suo tono tra freddezza, indifferenza e monotonia, la lettura se ne avvantaggerebbe senza dubbio alcuno.
Vivere in quel modo sembrava richiedere doti che a Thora facevano difetto. La capacità di prendere la tua vita sul serio, di crederti un’entità così concreta da richiedere manutenzione, come se la somma di quelle cose potesse produrre un risultato.
Tutte le fotografie sono di Neil Stewart, così come quella sulla copertina del libro.
August 12, 2020
I was such a huge fan of The Girls that I overlooked my dislike of short stories when I requested this book. But while The Girls took me in with its lush writing and engaging story and characters, these stories felt flat. I didn’t care for any of the characters and in most cases, nothing really happens. in fact, over and over again, they just end. No resolution, no meaning. I just could not get invested.
She focuses on relationships, those that are intimate and those that are profane. The mood in all the stories is dark, morose really. Nobody is happy. Any love that exists, is one sided.
I can only hope Cline returns to a full length novel for hew next book.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
She focuses on relationships, those that are intimate and those that are profane. The mood in all the stories is dark, morose really. Nobody is happy. Any love that exists, is one sided.
I can only hope Cline returns to a full length novel for hew next book.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
September 5, 2023
all shame evaporated from my body the day i decided to read this book on the public transportation
July 18, 2020
I am having troubles writing this review. I really enjoyed Cline’s debut novel and thought I would adore this – I thought her writing style (vague, filled with weird metaphors) that worked well for me in novel form would work even better in the short format; this, however, was really not the case. I found this disappointingly and surprisingly bad. The prose was clumsy, filled to the absolute brim with unecessary commas, and the stories felt unfocussed, as if the interesting stuff was happening just off page.
The stories, as the title alludes to, often feature father figures – and most of those were horrible. This could have worked for me as I often enjoy difficult characters in fiction but here I did not find them drawn vividly enough (or too vividly, having them remain vague might have worked better for me). The stories are, without exception very grim in a way that felt hopeless to me.
I did not get on with this at all.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The stories, as the title alludes to, often feature father figures – and most of those were horrible. This could have worked for me as I often enjoy difficult characters in fiction but here I did not find them drawn vividly enough (or too vividly, having them remain vague might have worked better for me). The stories are, without exception very grim in a way that felt hopeless to me.
I did not get on with this at all.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2021
I put this down for about five days, and when I picked it up again, I realized that I forgot EVERYTHING about the stories I had already read. Then I read some more (I've skipped two of the ten stories included here) and realized: This is completely forgettable prose about uninteresting characters, many of them slightly cliched men. The gimmick is the "empty center" (hello, In Praise of Shadows), in this case meaning that key information about the plot is withheld, and while my favorite writer Christian Kracht frequently works with this technique, Cline doesn't pull it off: Here, it's just annoying.
Emma Cline is certainly a good writer, but this collection does not showcase her talent: There is no urgency in these stories. Why is it important to tell these tales, what does she want to convey to the reader? This adds nothing to the #metoo debate or any other debate about male behvior for that matter, although the title does imply it. If it was simply entertaining, that would certainly be enough, but alas, it's not, at least not for me.
You can learn more about this collection in our latest podcast episode (in German).
Emma Cline is certainly a good writer, but this collection does not showcase her talent: There is no urgency in these stories. Why is it important to tell these tales, what does she want to convey to the reader? This adds nothing to the #metoo debate or any other debate about male behvior for that matter, although the title does imply it. If it was simply entertaining, that would certainly be enough, but alas, it's not, at least not for me.
You can learn more about this collection in our latest podcast episode (in German).
November 1, 2020
If you were following my updates as I read this collection, you probably saw that I didn't really enjoy any of the stories here. While I do enjoy Emma Cline's writing style, I thought these stories lacked substance.
Much like the title of the collection, these stories have a tongue-in-cheek veneer that doesn't go any deeper. They're 'shocking' only in the sense that they present you with morally bankrupt characters you may not normally read about. However, these characters rarely learn anything or even contemplate things beyond how they're seen by others, what their lives should be like vs. what they are, and other vain topics. I'm all for reading about unlikeable characters when they seem to be on a journey to uncover something or make a statement. These stories don't really say anything.
As bummed as I am that I didn't gel with this collection, Cline is a skilled writer and I liked The Girls enough to check out whatever she does next. Hopefully she writes another novel where she can develop her characters and themes beyond a dozen or so pages.
Much like the title of the collection, these stories have a tongue-in-cheek veneer that doesn't go any deeper. They're 'shocking' only in the sense that they present you with morally bankrupt characters you may not normally read about. However, these characters rarely learn anything or even contemplate things beyond how they're seen by others, what their lives should be like vs. what they are, and other vain topics. I'm all for reading about unlikeable characters when they seem to be on a journey to uncover something or make a statement. These stories don't really say anything.
As bummed as I am that I didn't gel with this collection, Cline is a skilled writer and I liked The Girls enough to check out whatever she does next. Hopefully she writes another novel where she can develop her characters and themes beyond a dozen or so pages.
June 28, 2021
The Girls for me was more successful as creative writing than a novel. Emma Cline's talent for insightful observation was the standout feature. The same is true in these stories. She has much of interest to say about the world we live in. In each of these stories she sets up a mystery which she doesn't solve. She begins to tell a story and then leaves it hanging. Most of the stories examine very contemporary forms of depression and loneliness. With the women characters it's often the delusions marking quests to restore innocence she focuses on. With the men bloated and even violent ideas of virtue. These are sometimes people who live on the internet as much as in the physical world. It's perhaps surprising how rare this still is in contemporary literature. I enjoyed all the stories in this book without being blown away by any of them.
December 21, 2020
The best short story collection I read in 2020! ( ok, Exhalation: Stories was grand as well and I might have missed several other contenders... but still, this was pretty enjoyable).
On behalf of Ms Cline, I am a feeling miffed at this GoodReads rating of 3.4. Her 2016 debut novel The Girls , a book I ended up lavishing 5-stars on, is also to be found in the same 3.4 netherworld. Criminal! Luckily, Emma Cline has her Granta Best Young Novelist Award to console herself with.
I read this collection like a detective, constantly trying to pinpoint the bad guy. Almost everybody here is messed up, but who is to blame? Several stories deal with undefined public humiliations and infamy. One character finds herself in a high-end rehab facility with someone that could be a Harvey Weinstein, what results is fascinating. There is a significant amount of bad parenting on display as well as a familiar "girls gone wrong" story, set amongst the chaparral.
My sympathies swirled around unsure where to land. Did that sly, off-hand remark hint at a darker story beneath the ambient cool of the writing? Many questions remain.
Now look, I am no California dream girl nor do I feel any spark of real recognition between myself and these privileged and woebegone characters. They are all deeply embedded in their Southern Californian settings, in a social milieu unfamiliar or strange. But it seems Cline's style has met a reader it is particularly suited for. Her writing is subtle, minimal, things are stated flatly, there are no crashingly overblown exchanges between characters. I liked it a lot.
Finally, I can't do better than to point you in the direction of Brandon Taylor's review in the NYT*. His review a perfect description of my experience of this book.
Cline is an astonishingly gifted stylist, but it is her piercing understanding of modern humiliation that makes these stories vibrate with life
*https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/bo...
July 26, 2023
emma cline has a clear creative preoccupation with old cishet white men (often washed up hollywood/hollywood-adjacent figures + fathers) for whom fulfillment is volatile and unaffectionate. maybe to her and her editors, there’s something distinct / unique about these male protagonists arriving to readers through a female writer’s eyes (slash pen).
i can tell you that (personally speaking) subject matter like this holds absolutely no interest or creative value to me. i find the domestic dread niche and its growing popularity among litfic connoisseurs fascinating BECAUSE this niche is all about locating unraveling women in writing produced by women. if i desperately wanted to experience sex-obsessed, cheating men with terrible relationships to their families, i’d look no further than reality (or most books written by men).
so, this collection felt borderline stale, moved at a snail’s pace, and relied on abrupt, incomplete endings to deliver mystery and meaning. i can’t remember the vast majority of the stories in this, and i’ve been steadily plowing through it all week (which should tell you how indistinguishable each piece is from those before it). after a while, cline’s writing style begins to feel stagnant and uninspired; everyone is pill-addicted and having affairs and watching their children turn into gradual little monsters. they’re bored of their work after a lifetime of burnout and obsessed with the maintenance of women’s bodies. it all feels the same. the only two from this collection that strike me as worth reading are “arcadia” and “marion,” and only “marion” felt at all colorful or alive.
cline is great at inducing dread, but doesn’t seem to know what to do with it after slapping it onto the page. 2.7/5.
i can tell you that (personally speaking) subject matter like this holds absolutely no interest or creative value to me. i find the domestic dread niche and its growing popularity among litfic connoisseurs fascinating BECAUSE this niche is all about locating unraveling women in writing produced by women. if i desperately wanted to experience sex-obsessed, cheating men with terrible relationships to their families, i’d look no further than reality (or most books written by men).
so, this collection felt borderline stale, moved at a snail’s pace, and relied on abrupt, incomplete endings to deliver mystery and meaning. i can’t remember the vast majority of the stories in this, and i’ve been steadily plowing through it all week (which should tell you how indistinguishable each piece is from those before it). after a while, cline’s writing style begins to feel stagnant and uninspired; everyone is pill-addicted and having affairs and watching their children turn into gradual little monsters. they’re bored of their work after a lifetime of burnout and obsessed with the maintenance of women’s bodies. it all feels the same. the only two from this collection that strike me as worth reading are “arcadia” and “marion,” and only “marion” felt at all colorful or alive.
cline is great at inducing dread, but doesn’t seem to know what to do with it after slapping it onto the page. 2.7/5.
December 31, 2020
WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!
this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.
this is the FIFTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your 2020 reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards, because i have not compiled as many as usual this year.
IN ADDITION, this may be the last year i do this project since GR has already deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. because i don't have a lot of time to waste, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case gr decides to scrap 'em again. 2020 has left me utterly wrung out and i apologize for what's left of me. i am doing my best.
DECEMBER 31: A/S/L - EMMA CLINE
ending this short story advent calendar on a comparatively long story that feels like reading a highly-compressed novel for how much of an emotional and psychological journey the reader experiences. the character does, too, although her journey isn't about change so much as it is about solidifying and sharpening her already-present characteristics, like taking a weapon and making it even more deadly.
AND THAT'S THE END OF THIS PROJECT! SUCK IT, 2020!
read it for free here
DECEMBER 1: PG - COURTNEY SUMMERS
DECEMBER 2: THE JUMPING MONKEY HILL - CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
DECEMBER 3: ORIGIN STORY - T. KINGFISHER
DECEMBER 4: THE GREAT SILENCE - TED CHIANG
DECEMBER 5: A CLEAN SWEEP WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS
DECEMBER 6: BORED WORLD - ANDY WEIR
DECEMBER 7: VAMPIRE - ROBERT COOVER
DECEMBER 8: A STATEMENT IN THE CASE - THEODORA GOSS
DECEMBER 9: STET - SARAH GAILEY
DECEMBER 10: MARGOT'S ROOM: EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 11: HORROR STORY - CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
DECEMBER 12: TERRAIN - GENEVIEVE VALENTINE
DECEMBER 13: IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN - ZEN CHO
DECEMBER 14: GHOUL - GEORGE SAUNDERS
DECEMBER 15: DURING THE DANCE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 16: CLEARING THE BONES - CELESTE NG
DECEMBER 17: THE WAITER'S WIFE - ZADIE SMITH
DECEMBER 18: DEMOLITION - FIONA MCFARLANE
DECEMBER 19: NO PERIOD - HARRY TURTLEDOVE
DECEMBER 20: DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE - GG
DECEMBER 21: RUB-A-DUB-DUB - TONY MILLIONAIRE
DECEMBER 22: HANSA AND GRETYL AND PIECE OF SHIT - REBECCA CURTIS
DECEMBER 23: BRIDESICLE - WILL MCINTOSH
DECEMBER 24: I, CTHULHU, OR, WHAT'S A TENTACLE-FACED THING LIKE ME DOING IN A SUNKEN CITY LIKE THIS (LATITUDE 47° 9' S, LONGITUDE 126° 43' W)? - NEIL GAIMAN
DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS TALE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 26: THE MONSTERS OF HEAVEN - NATHAN BALLINGRUD
DECEMBER 27: TWO DREAMS ON TRAINS - ELIZABETH BEAR
DECEMBER 28: THE MARTIANS CLAIM CANADA - MARGARET ATWOOD
DECEMBER 29: UNDER THE WAVE - LAUREN GROFF
DECEMBER 30: MR. SALARY - SALLY ROONEY
come to my blog!
this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.
this is the FIFTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your 2020 reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards, because i have not compiled as many as usual this year.
IN ADDITION, this may be the last year i do this project since GR has already deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. because i don't have a lot of time to waste, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case gr decides to scrap 'em again. 2020 has left me utterly wrung out and i apologize for what's left of me. i am doing my best.
DECEMBER 31: A/S/L - EMMA CLINE
ending this short story advent calendar on a comparatively long story that feels like reading a highly-compressed novel for how much of an emotional and psychological journey the reader experiences. the character does, too, although her journey isn't about change so much as it is about solidifying and sharpening her already-present characteristics, like taking a weapon and making it even more deadly.
AND THAT'S THE END OF THIS PROJECT! SUCK IT, 2020!
read it for free here
DECEMBER 1: PG - COURTNEY SUMMERS
DECEMBER 2: THE JUMPING MONKEY HILL - CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
DECEMBER 3: ORIGIN STORY - T. KINGFISHER
DECEMBER 4: THE GREAT SILENCE - TED CHIANG
DECEMBER 5: A CLEAN SWEEP WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS
DECEMBER 6: BORED WORLD - ANDY WEIR
DECEMBER 7: VAMPIRE - ROBERT COOVER
DECEMBER 8: A STATEMENT IN THE CASE - THEODORA GOSS
DECEMBER 9: STET - SARAH GAILEY
DECEMBER 10: MARGOT'S ROOM: EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 11: HORROR STORY - CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
DECEMBER 12: TERRAIN - GENEVIEVE VALENTINE
DECEMBER 13: IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN - ZEN CHO
DECEMBER 14: GHOUL - GEORGE SAUNDERS
DECEMBER 15: DURING THE DANCE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 16: CLEARING THE BONES - CELESTE NG
DECEMBER 17: THE WAITER'S WIFE - ZADIE SMITH
DECEMBER 18: DEMOLITION - FIONA MCFARLANE
DECEMBER 19: NO PERIOD - HARRY TURTLEDOVE
DECEMBER 20: DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE - GG
DECEMBER 21: RUB-A-DUB-DUB - TONY MILLIONAIRE
DECEMBER 22: HANSA AND GRETYL AND PIECE OF SHIT - REBECCA CURTIS
DECEMBER 23: BRIDESICLE - WILL MCINTOSH
DECEMBER 24: I, CTHULHU, OR, WHAT'S A TENTACLE-FACED THING LIKE ME DOING IN A SUNKEN CITY LIKE THIS (LATITUDE 47° 9' S, LONGITUDE 126° 43' W)? - NEIL GAIMAN
DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS TALE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 26: THE MONSTERS OF HEAVEN - NATHAN BALLINGRUD
DECEMBER 27: TWO DREAMS ON TRAINS - ELIZABETH BEAR
DECEMBER 28: THE MARTIANS CLAIM CANADA - MARGARET ATWOOD
DECEMBER 29: UNDER THE WAVE - LAUREN GROFF
DECEMBER 30: MR. SALARY - SALLY ROONEY
come to my blog!
August 22, 2020
I really enjoyed Emma Cline’s novel “The Girls”, so was excited to read her new short story collection coming in September. I am sorry to say they did not meet my expectations.
Each story started off with an interesting premise. Each of then captured my interest. The writing was excellent. I was feeling so positive, then came the ending- rather vague for each one, left me feeling flat and I hate to say it but thinking WTF, what does this mean? What do I do with this ending?
I am not an afficiando of short stories, but have really been reading more of them over the past few years and enjoying them. Sorry to say this one did not meet my standards, albeit the writing and topics were excellent and interesting, respectively.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Emma Cline for allowing me an early copy to read.
Look forward to reading Emma’s next book:)
Each story started off with an interesting premise. Each of then captured my interest. The writing was excellent. I was feeling so positive, then came the ending- rather vague for each one, left me feeling flat and I hate to say it but thinking WTF, what does this mean? What do I do with this ending?
I am not an afficiando of short stories, but have really been reading more of them over the past few years and enjoying them. Sorry to say this one did not meet my standards, albeit the writing and topics were excellent and interesting, respectively.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Emma Cline for allowing me an early copy to read.
Look forward to reading Emma’s next book:)
May 13, 2020
Genre: Literary Fiction/Short Story Collection
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: Sept. 1, 2020
Once again, due to an injury, I am writing this review via voice to text. Please forgive any errors.
I wish this short story collection had a different title. “Daddy’” makes it sound like you’re about to read erotica. Thankfully, these stories are not. Maybe Cline wanted the reader to be surprised. I certainly was. What captured my interest when agreeing to read and review this book was its description as "literary short stories." It’s the word “literary” that sold me. Plus, I appreciate short stories.
What you get in these ten stories are edgy slice-of-life tales that explore human nature. Cline portrays moments in her characters' lives that reveal the dark parts of themselves that they would prefer to keep hidden. She does this well. Dare I say, there are traces of Joyce Carol Oates in this young author. Connecting all the stories is a father or father-like figure, though they are not always the main character.
One story in the collection, “Marion,” was the winner of the 2014 Plimpton Prize. From its first sentence, the writing is vivid. “Cars the color of melons and tangerines sizzled in cul-de-sac driveways.” Here, Cline takes the reader inside the mind of an eleven-year-old girl who does not understand the sexual desires of her 13-year-old best friend. There is a ”Mean Girls" vibe to it, but the reader will find themselves forgiving the older girl since she appears to be at the mercy of her own unstable parents and the questionable boundaries between herself and her father. The short is good but I found “Arcadia” more chilling.
“Arcadia” is the type of story that sticks with you and you really wish it didn’t. An older brother acts as a parent to his 18-year-old sister. The sister is pregnant. Her boyfriend, the protagonist, moves in with her and her brother. The three live in the house the siblings grew up in. The sister and her boyfriend sleep in her childhood bedroom, still decorated as when she was a child. This is the author's first hint that something might be off with this brother/sister relationship. What is so creepy about this short is that the boyfriend slowly begins to realize that there are inappropriate sexual intimacies between the siblings. He tells his girlfriend ”this is no place to raise a baby.” The power in this short is how the boyfriend chooses to look the other way because he gets sucked into the unhealthy family’s dynamics.
”Son of Friedman” is a sad tale of a father who is, rightly or not, disappointed in his son. George Friedman, a washed-up movie producer, has dinner with an old friend, who still has a thriving acting career. The actor is also the godfather of Friedman's adult son. The reason for this get-together is that Friedman's son is having a screening of a short movie he created, a pure vanity project. During dinner, the actor asks Friedman about his godson. Friedman thinks, ”It never even crossed my mind to invite him to their dinner.” With that line, we know what we are about to read. A father who is utterly embarrassed by his son's project. I thought the author's talent shines brightest with how she goes deep into the relationship between father and son without ever spelling it out. The father thinks, ”he was always a nervous child." He often recalls all the expensive drug addiction centers his kid has been in. He never admits his own drinking problem to himself.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. Her perceptions are close to brilliant. With a few more years under her belt, I believe she will get there. Part of what makes this collection so good is that in each story there is some sort of perversity right underneath the surface. You can sniff it but you cannot see it. And what will really scare you is when you recognize some of her characters’ traits in yourself. Well done, Emma Cline.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list…
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/review…
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.instagram.com/martie6947/
https://www.pinterest.com/martienreco…\
https://www.amazon.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRec
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: Sept. 1, 2020
Once again, due to an injury, I am writing this review via voice to text. Please forgive any errors.
I wish this short story collection had a different title. “Daddy’” makes it sound like you’re about to read erotica. Thankfully, these stories are not. Maybe Cline wanted the reader to be surprised. I certainly was. What captured my interest when agreeing to read and review this book was its description as "literary short stories." It’s the word “literary” that sold me. Plus, I appreciate short stories.
What you get in these ten stories are edgy slice-of-life tales that explore human nature. Cline portrays moments in her characters' lives that reveal the dark parts of themselves that they would prefer to keep hidden. She does this well. Dare I say, there are traces of Joyce Carol Oates in this young author. Connecting all the stories is a father or father-like figure, though they are not always the main character.
One story in the collection, “Marion,” was the winner of the 2014 Plimpton Prize. From its first sentence, the writing is vivid. “Cars the color of melons and tangerines sizzled in cul-de-sac driveways.” Here, Cline takes the reader inside the mind of an eleven-year-old girl who does not understand the sexual desires of her 13-year-old best friend. There is a ”Mean Girls" vibe to it, but the reader will find themselves forgiving the older girl since she appears to be at the mercy of her own unstable parents and the questionable boundaries between herself and her father. The short is good but I found “Arcadia” more chilling.
“Arcadia” is the type of story that sticks with you and you really wish it didn’t. An older brother acts as a parent to his 18-year-old sister. The sister is pregnant. Her boyfriend, the protagonist, moves in with her and her brother. The three live in the house the siblings grew up in. The sister and her boyfriend sleep in her childhood bedroom, still decorated as when she was a child. This is the author's first hint that something might be off with this brother/sister relationship. What is so creepy about this short is that the boyfriend slowly begins to realize that there are inappropriate sexual intimacies between the siblings. He tells his girlfriend ”this is no place to raise a baby.” The power in this short is how the boyfriend chooses to look the other way because he gets sucked into the unhealthy family’s dynamics.
”Son of Friedman” is a sad tale of a father who is, rightly or not, disappointed in his son. George Friedman, a washed-up movie producer, has dinner with an old friend, who still has a thriving acting career. The actor is also the godfather of Friedman's adult son. The reason for this get-together is that Friedman's son is having a screening of a short movie he created, a pure vanity project. During dinner, the actor asks Friedman about his godson. Friedman thinks, ”It never even crossed my mind to invite him to their dinner.” With that line, we know what we are about to read. A father who is utterly embarrassed by his son's project. I thought the author's talent shines brightest with how she goes deep into the relationship between father and son without ever spelling it out. The father thinks, ”he was always a nervous child." He often recalls all the expensive drug addiction centers his kid has been in. He never admits his own drinking problem to himself.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. Her perceptions are close to brilliant. With a few more years under her belt, I believe she will get there. Part of what makes this collection so good is that in each story there is some sort of perversity right underneath the surface. You can sniff it but you cannot see it. And what will really scare you is when you recognize some of her characters’ traits in yourself. Well done, Emma Cline.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list…
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/review…
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.instagram.com/martie6947/
https://www.pinterest.com/martienreco…\
https://www.amazon.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRec
December 26, 2020
Yeah, I loved this book. Cline’s collection of short stories is a clever, insightful study of power in human relationships. Cline is especially nuanced in her exploration of male power, and the range of ways it influences the lives of both men and women, directly and indirectly. As in Cline’s novel, sense of place, atmosphere, and internal dialogue are on point. I found this hard to fault.
September 28, 2020
Cline is a talented writer, but these stories seem sad with unsympathetic characters. There is John in “What Can You Do With a General” who is at a loss as to how to connect with his adult children over the holidays; or the struggling producer appalled at his son’s pathetic efforts at creating a movie short in “Son of Friedman”. In “Menlo Park”, a disgraced book editor is trying to edit a memoir written by an awful businessman. In “The Nanny”, a star-struck 24-year-old revels in her affair with a celebrity that resulted in a tabloid scandal. There is the unsavory family in “Arcadia” that an idealistic young man got himself involved with; or the online sex addict in “A/S/L”. These are unhappy people!
She received high praise for her novel The Girls (2016), which focused on a Manson-like cult that gave me ‘the creeps’. Indeed, her short story “Marion” (from 2013) seems like a preview of that book. None of Cline’s stories have a resolution or insight on the human condition. Pass.
She received high praise for her novel The Girls (2016), which focused on a Manson-like cult that gave me ‘the creeps’. Indeed, her short story “Marion” (from 2013) seems like a preview of that book. None of Cline’s stories have a resolution or insight on the human condition. Pass.
April 25, 2020
There's no denying that Emma Cline is a fantastic writer. Even though I had mixed feelings regarding her debut novel, "The Girls", I knew whatever Cline decided to publish next I would be willing to read it. I was surprised that her latest creation is a short story collection, but I'm happy she went that route. I think these 10 short stories burst with personality and dramatic tension. Even though some stories left me feeling unsatisfied, Cline's writing is smooth like butter. Her prose just flows so effortlessly, no awkward sentences or dialogue. Short stories can be tricky because they usually have abrupt endings, but I enjoyed my reading experience. "What Can You Do with A General", "Los Angeles", "The Nanny", "Arcadia", "Marion", and "A/S/L" were some of my favorites.
Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.
Release date: September 1, 2020
Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.
Release date: September 1, 2020
May 18, 2020
1 star--I didn't like it. This rating has nothing to do with the quality of the book, which is stellar. The writing was excellent (the reason I requested this book from NetGalley is that I enjoy Cline's writing). In fact, Cline's ability to capture characters and situations is precise and detailed.
But that's the problem. Every story in this collection was a picture of despair. The characters were stuck in horrible situations--but not big outward horrors like car crashes, cancer, or global pandemics (heh). Rather they were stuck by their bad decisions or paralysis or just the minor helplessness of our late-capitalist society. Every single story was about a terrible person in a depressing situation. No options, no joy, no hope.
2020 is not the year for a book like this. Sorry, Emma Cline. It's not your fault--it's just really bad timing. I'm currently watching sitcoms and reality tv as a distraction from what's going on in the world. This collection of stories was the opposite of what I want to read right now.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
But that's the problem. Every story in this collection was a picture of despair. The characters were stuck in horrible situations--but not big outward horrors like car crashes, cancer, or global pandemics (heh). Rather they were stuck by their bad decisions or paralysis or just the minor helplessness of our late-capitalist society. Every single story was about a terrible person in a depressing situation. No options, no joy, no hope.
2020 is not the year for a book like this. Sorry, Emma Cline. It's not your fault--it's just really bad timing. I'm currently watching sitcoms and reality tv as a distraction from what's going on in the world. This collection of stories was the opposite of what I want to read right now.
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
September 19, 2020
4 Stars
“It hurt him, suddenly, to see it. How plain it was - she was trying so very hard. Still waiting to find out whether this would turn out to be a bad story or a good one.” - Daddy.
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
REVIEW: This book is a collection of short stories by author Emma Cline. The stories follow a man who travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack, a young woman trying to make it in LA who is forced to confront the danger of the games she is playing, a family who is coming together for Christmas but struggle to get past their lingering dark past, and many more. This story collection examines masculine, male power, broken relationships, and those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. Moments where the violence is ever-present but unseen.
Emma Cline is one of my favorite authors, and although this book is very different than her first book, “The Girls” I still enjoyed it. The stories in this book are like little snapshots into the lives of these characters. In a way, we do not get their full stories and sometimes not even a full sense of who they are. I think that there is just as much to be analyzed with what is not said, as there is with what is said. Many of the stories are not blatant with their content and leave room for the reader to speculate or infer about their happenings and connections. I know I will read this book again in the future to get more insight on it and I think it would be such a great book to discuss with others.
SYNOPSIS: The stories in Emma Cline’s stunning first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present. A man travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done? And who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she’s playing. And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father.
These outstanding stories examine masculinity, male power and broken relationships, while revealing – with astonishing insight and clarity – those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. And there is an unexpected violence, ever-present but unseen, in the depiction of the complicated interactions between men and women, and families. Subtle, sophisticated and displaying an extraordinary understanding of human behaviour, these stories are unforgettable.
“It hurt him, suddenly, to see it. How plain it was - she was trying so very hard. Still waiting to find out whether this would turn out to be a bad story or a good one.” - Daddy.
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
REVIEW: This book is a collection of short stories by author Emma Cline. The stories follow a man who travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack, a young woman trying to make it in LA who is forced to confront the danger of the games she is playing, a family who is coming together for Christmas but struggle to get past their lingering dark past, and many more. This story collection examines masculine, male power, broken relationships, and those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. Moments where the violence is ever-present but unseen.
Emma Cline is one of my favorite authors, and although this book is very different than her first book, “The Girls” I still enjoyed it. The stories in this book are like little snapshots into the lives of these characters. In a way, we do not get their full stories and sometimes not even a full sense of who they are. I think that there is just as much to be analyzed with what is not said, as there is with what is said. Many of the stories are not blatant with their content and leave room for the reader to speculate or infer about their happenings and connections. I know I will read this book again in the future to get more insight on it and I think it would be such a great book to discuss with others.
SYNOPSIS: The stories in Emma Cline’s stunning first collection consider the dark corners of human experience, exploring the fault lines of power between men and women, parents and children, past and present. A man travels to his son’s school to deal with the fallout of a violent attack and to make sure his son will not lose his college place. But what exactly has his son done? And who is to blame? A young woman trying to make it in LA, working in a clothes shop while taking acting classes, turns to a riskier way of making money but will be forced to confront the danger of the game she’s playing. And a family coming together for Christmas struggle to skate over the lingering darkness caused by the very ordinary brutality of a troubled husband and father.
These outstanding stories examine masculinity, male power and broken relationships, while revealing – with astonishing insight and clarity – those moments of misunderstanding that can have life-changing consequences. And there is an unexpected violence, ever-present but unseen, in the depiction of the complicated interactions between men and women, and families. Subtle, sophisticated and displaying an extraordinary understanding of human behaviour, these stories are unforgettable.
September 21, 2020
Yeah.... this was not it.
I cannot say there was a stand out story, they all felt underdeveloped. Writing short stories is an art fitting fully developed characters and plot in 10 pages is a gift and I am not sure Cline developed it. The stories felt unfinished and I just was not wowed.
I cannot say there was a stand out story, they all felt underdeveloped. Writing short stories is an art fitting fully developed characters and plot in 10 pages is a gift and I am not sure Cline developed it. The stories felt unfinished and I just was not wowed.
March 25, 2021
(4.5) No duds, just a couple that weren't quite as good as the rest, which were exceptional.
September 12, 2020
*3-3.5 stars.
I may not be the right audience for a collection of short stories because, although I thought these stories were interesting and well written, I also found them frustrating, as if the author just skirted around what I wanted her to confront in the human experiences she was depicting. I often thought That's it?? when I finished a story.
I received an arc of this new book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.
I may not be the right audience for a collection of short stories because, although I thought these stories were interesting and well written, I also found them frustrating, as if the author just skirted around what I wanted her to confront in the human experiences she was depicting. I often thought That's it?? when I finished a story.
I received an arc of this new book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.
September 13, 2020
"She had never been the focus of so much attention. So many men trying to coax or trick her into giving them what they wanted. And that was the part she liked best, the knowing/unknowing—it wasn't impossible to summon artificially, role-play wouldn't do it. It had to be real." — "A/S/L," Emma Cline
Emma Cline's gift as a storyteller is pretty much irrefutable, and if The Girls didn't already establish her reputation as a rising literary star, Daddy certainly commands it. Despite a few duds (IMO: "Son of Friedman" and "Mack the Knife," both of which possessed so much potential), this was a damn-good collection. Centering myriad Serena van der Woodsen-esque types (pretty, privileged white women) and failed, aging men and the "daddy issues" of their troubled spawn, Cline has written a strong, affirming collection with heavy themes of abuse, abandonment, power, and control. There's a strong (albeit white) feminist current to many of the stories, and I was deeply responsive to that, but Cline also cautions of the versatility of power and how quickly one can relinquish power with or without consent. EC can ruin me anytime.
Highlights: "Los Angeles," "The Nanny," "Northeast Regional," and "A/S/L."
Thanks, Random House friends, for sending me the free book.
Emma Cline's gift as a storyteller is pretty much irrefutable, and if The Girls didn't already establish her reputation as a rising literary star, Daddy certainly commands it. Despite a few duds (IMO: "Son of Friedman" and "Mack the Knife," both of which possessed so much potential), this was a damn-good collection. Centering myriad Serena van der Woodsen-esque types (pretty, privileged white women) and failed, aging men and the "daddy issues" of their troubled spawn, Cline has written a strong, affirming collection with heavy themes of abuse, abandonment, power, and control. There's a strong (albeit white) feminist current to many of the stories, and I was deeply responsive to that, but Cline also cautions of the versatility of power and how quickly one can relinquish power with or without consent. EC can ruin me anytime.
Highlights: "Los Angeles," "The Nanny," "Northeast Regional," and "A/S/L."
Thanks, Random House friends, for sending me the free book.
May 22, 2020
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: September 1, 2020
Emma Cline, author of “The Girls”, returns with “Daddy”, a collection of ten short stories on the frailty of human relationships, and the consequences of choices we make.
First of let me say, I am not a fan of short stories. I feel they don’t give me enough, and just as I start getting into the plots and developing relationships with the characters, they switch to another story. “Daddy” was this way for me. Although the stories themselves were well-told, I felt disappointed with each and every one. I wanted more from them, and although they have minor connecting themes, the stories were not related enough to each other to allow for the flow and engagement that I desire from my novels.
Emma Cline is a great storyteller. Her characters are poignant, and her themes are thought provoking. The characters in these stories are flawed and exceptionally human, and Cline highlights their flaws in bold and upfront ways. I would’ve loved any of these stories to have been expanded on, I wanted to know more of these characters. I felt gypped, and ripped off, to be brought to the edge and left there.
Again, I am not the person you should come to when short stories need to be evaluated. But I can say, Cline is entertaining and passionate, and definitely has the creative chops you expect from a rising author. This is definitely a collection that would be enjoyable for those who can tolerate short stories. I just wish I was one of them.
Expected publication date: September 1, 2020
Emma Cline, author of “The Girls”, returns with “Daddy”, a collection of ten short stories on the frailty of human relationships, and the consequences of choices we make.
First of let me say, I am not a fan of short stories. I feel they don’t give me enough, and just as I start getting into the plots and developing relationships with the characters, they switch to another story. “Daddy” was this way for me. Although the stories themselves were well-told, I felt disappointed with each and every one. I wanted more from them, and although they have minor connecting themes, the stories were not related enough to each other to allow for the flow and engagement that I desire from my novels.
Emma Cline is a great storyteller. Her characters are poignant, and her themes are thought provoking. The characters in these stories are flawed and exceptionally human, and Cline highlights their flaws in bold and upfront ways. I would’ve loved any of these stories to have been expanded on, I wanted to know more of these characters. I felt gypped, and ripped off, to be brought to the edge and left there.
Again, I am not the person you should come to when short stories need to be evaluated. But I can say, Cline is entertaining and passionate, and definitely has the creative chops you expect from a rising author. This is definitely a collection that would be enjoyable for those who can tolerate short stories. I just wish I was one of them.
August 11, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It contains several short stories about different people and how they live out their lives. Each story brings you into a person or family's lives and how they deal with it. I found the characters compelling and genuine. It makes you wonder how I would react in the same situation. Even though this is a work of fiction I found it to be very realistic. A must read.
February 11, 2021
I truly despise these New Yorker short stories that can’t muster up a plot or compelling tension and so just wallow about in upper-middle-class malaise for pages upon pages. It may be fashionable to write boring lit-fic about miserable people that doesn’t actually go anywhere—but that doesn’t make it profound.
August 3, 2020
This book was filled with short stories that I had a hard time getting into. I was disappointed that I had a hard time keeping interest. I just felt like this wasn't for me.
Thank you Netgalley for an early release for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for an early release for an honest review.
January 4, 2025
Primera lectura de este 2025. Emma Cline es SIEMPRE buenísima.
June 8, 2020
A first collection of stories by one of my favorite emerging writers, Daddy is enjoyable, thoughtful, and subtle. These stories tiptoe around secrets and unknowable truths, their real meanings elusive and slippery.
The stories struck me by their wistfulness, their nostalgia for sepia-toned better days. Yet thrumming beneath the words is the steady sense that many of the characters never had better days. Many of the stories seem to show characters at a moment of great loss, a sudden reversal of fortunes—a nanny hiding from the paparazzi after her affair with her boss, a famous actor, is discovered; a successful businessman who must cancel a weekend getaway with his mistress to retrieve his expelled son from boarding school—but if you squint, you see it's not a precipitous downfall but a loss that has accumulated, simply a new low point on what has been a slow decline.
What happens to a person caged in the insurmountable reality of who they are? For a moment, Cline lets many of her characters believe that they might find a reprieve, begin a slow climb back to somewhere they want to be, but her endings tend to lean towards an unmitigated pragmatism. The characters, no matter their wishes for redemption or something better, can't leave the place they've always been. All they can do is yearn for the bygone days, pretending those days were different.
Favorite stories:
What Can You Do with a General
Menlo Park
Son of Friedman
Arcadia
The stories struck me by their wistfulness, their nostalgia for sepia-toned better days. Yet thrumming beneath the words is the steady sense that many of the characters never had better days. Many of the stories seem to show characters at a moment of great loss, a sudden reversal of fortunes—a nanny hiding from the paparazzi after her affair with her boss, a famous actor, is discovered; a successful businessman who must cancel a weekend getaway with his mistress to retrieve his expelled son from boarding school—but if you squint, you see it's not a precipitous downfall but a loss that has accumulated, simply a new low point on what has been a slow decline.
What happens to a person caged in the insurmountable reality of who they are? For a moment, Cline lets many of her characters believe that they might find a reprieve, begin a slow climb back to somewhere they want to be, but her endings tend to lean towards an unmitigated pragmatism. The characters, no matter their wishes for redemption or something better, can't leave the place they've always been. All they can do is yearn for the bygone days, pretending those days were different.
Favorite stories:
What Can You Do with a General
Menlo Park
Son of Friedman
Arcadia
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