I've just recently gotten into the world of short stories after years and years of being a novel devotee. Although I still love novels for a plethora of reasons, I feel like the short story is such a diverse and compelling form---and as a college student, I am always grateful to have something I can read quickly! (Reading a short story between classes is a lot easier to accomplish than trying to finish a 400 page tome!)
Married Love by Tessa Hadley is an excellent collection of the short story form. Each story is well-written and narratively strong with unique characters. One of the things that appealed to me most about the book as a whole was Hadley's prose. She excels at being specific, without sacrificing any detail or artistry. This kind of conciseness is something that I struggle with as a writer, so it always impresses me when an author executes it with the kind of style Hadley employs.
My favorite story in the collection was the final one, "Post Production." It follow the life of Lynne after Albert Arno, her famous filmmaker husband, dies suddenly and unexpectedly. As the studio works to finish his last movie without him, Lynne tries to define exactly who Albert was and what he meant in her life--and uncovers new definitions of herself, as well. The closing line of the story is bittersweet and powerful and it knocked around in my head for days afterwards:
"Meanwhile she gave herself over to the ordinary dirty traffic, the laboring stop-start of her bus journey, the smells of wet wool and hair and trainers, and the motley collection of passengers mostly not talking to one another, only into their mobiles."A quick and yet powerful read, Married Love is a great way to finish out your 2012 reading list.
Recommended to: anyone who likes the J.K. Rowling's writing style or Chekov's short stories, tea drinkers, people who don't mind rainy days, anyone with a bus or subway commute that would rather read
Release Date: November 20th 2012 Pages: 240 Format: Paperback
Also By This Author: The London Train Source: TLC Book Tours
Publisher: Harper Perennial Buy It: Book Depository
This is a review by Meghan. You can find her here on Goodreads or on Twitter @meghanc303
The other day, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a
ReplyDelete40 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube
sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views.
I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!
Feel free to visit my page teenporn
I'm glad you enjoyed this collection! Thanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your review. I have not heard of that book before. I often don't have the time to read novels so perhaps I should give short stories a go. Post Production sounds like a good story.
ReplyDeletehttp://jonbearandcarlyngirl.blogspot.com.au/