I had not read anything by Lydia Davis before this book. I had also not read anything by anyone that was quite like this. My first reaction shortly after starting this book was, 'Wow!' Now that I am finished with it, that is still my reaction. This is a fabulous book of short and very short stories about small aspects of everyday life that most of people would either miss or forget about shortly after they took place. Yet, as this collection reminds us, these are the moments that make up our lives and they're worth noticing and paying attention to. Some of the stories are several pages long and some are just a few sentences. Even the very short stories leave traces of larger stories that the reader can fill in in whatever way their imaginations takes them. A few of the stories provide different versions of the same events within them. There are stories that made me laugh out loud, stories that made me feel the awkwardness of a given situation, and stories that are poignant. I devoured this book in one sitting, but it would also be a good book to keep in a handy spot so one can easily dip in and out of it. It also warrants rereading. It may also make readers want to notice the usually unnoticed as they go about their daily lives. I can't wait to read more Lydia Davis and I am thrilled to have discovered her work. 5+ stars.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.
13 comments:
It's amazing how she can create such vivid scenes in so few words. I've requested The Collected Stories from the library.
An excellent review, Shari. It’s the minutiae of life that we all share, after all.
This does sound very good.
I'll keep my eyes open for it.
All the best Jan
Thanks, David. One of the stories involved a friend saying, 'Are you into lichen? It seems like you're the kind of person who would be really interested in lichen.' And she got really interested in lichen as a result. I love that kind of curiosity about various things.
I've never read anything quite like it, Jan. Happy reading!
The story related about this book seems very interesting. A good reading for this August.
Yes! Looking forward to reading more by this author.
Nice review.
Thank you
Dear Shari,
the book seems to be a little gem.
You wrote "but it would also be a good book to keep in a handy spot so one can easily dip in and out of it." It may sound strange now, but for us that would be a book for the toilet ;-DD. There we have a bookshelf for just such short stories, which we would like to have at hand from time to time ;-)
All the best from Austria and have a nice weekend
Traude
🌼❤️🌼
This book would actually be perfect for that purpose, Traude :-)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
;-DD
Hi Shari, haven't heard from you in a while - I hope you're okay!
All the best, Traude
🌺🪶🍂 🪶🌺
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/09/die-kunstvollsten-schulklassen-der-welt.html
Thanks, Traude--I'm fine. Took a tumble a few weeks ago so letting my leg heal. Nothing broken, but I did have pain, bruising and swelling--almost back to normal now. I hope you and Edi feel better very soon!
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