Publication
Waterville, Me. : Thorndike Press, 2009.
Collection
Call number
Large Print Fiction E
Physical description
499 p.; 23 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
The sum of these stories is a rich tapestry of people struggling to find contentment with one another--and with themselves--in a rapidly changing Ireland.
Genres
Media reviews
There is mischief in these stories, and some of them are quite funny, though a world-weary wisdom is the recurrent note.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Booksnyc
Yesterday's Weather: Storiesis Anne Enright's collection of short stories which were written over the course of 19 years. Enright, winner of the 2007 Man Book Prize for The Gathering (Man Booker Prize), is an Irish author and she writes melancholic stories very typical of many Irish writers. This
I enjoyed this collection of short stories due in large part to the author's writing style - her prose is beautiful and seems almost poetic. The stories were not, however, all consistently good. Some really stood out while others fell flat for me. The cumulative effect of the melancholy that pervade these stories also started to weigh on me as I moved through the collection. I found myself yearning for something hopeful or uplifting in the next story. Although I appreciate dark stories, I think I need them in smaller doses!
Anne Enright's beautiful writing style and her ability to convey so much with few words far outweigh the sometimes gloomy tone of these stories.
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collection includes 29 stories which are set in modern Ireland and tell mostly mundane tales of daily life. Enright skillfully creates stories with impact which is even more impressive considering the backdrop of everyday life against which the stories are set. The characters grapple with marital strife, infidelity, and the strain of motherhood and Enright's description of the small injuries suffered while shouldering these burdens is precise. The descriptions allow the reader to relate to the characters in an intimate way.I enjoyed this collection of short stories due in large part to the author's writing style - her prose is beautiful and seems almost poetic. The stories were not, however, all consistently good. Some really stood out while others fell flat for me. The cumulative effect of the melancholy that pervade these stories also started to weigh on me as I moved through the collection. I found myself yearning for something hopeful or uplifting in the next story. Although I appreciate dark stories, I think I need them in smaller doses!
Anne Enright's beautiful writing style and her ability to convey so much with few words far outweigh the sometimes gloomy tone of these stories.
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LibraryThing member Ccyynn
I'd probably give this book 3.5 stars if I could.
The first half, or so, of the book's stories are written in Enright's mature, sophisticated, painfully sharp, sarcastic, rare style. The women in her stories are never simple-minded or sentimental. But, they are always filled with feeling. I
I think it's possible many do not like Enright's writing because she brings up uncomfortable, dark or complex subjects, many revolving around sex and marriage, infidelity and compromise in the face of shame and betrayal. What I don't believe is that her tone is negative, as I read in some reviews on GR. The negative feelings in some readers may be brought on because women, at least in the U.S., cannot afford to admit to these types of very personal and deep insecurities; to the weaknesses, the meanness, perhaps, of very strong, but feeling and feminine women. The combining of these seemingly conflicting forces cannot be tolerated. Enright's women are too strong, too honest and perhaps too crude in their sexual honesty. They are very sexual and intelligent. What they are not is innocent or saintly. Yet, they suffer. And they continue. They live on with their pain or loneliness. They start over again. What I find in her writing, her stories, is that she has a deep compassion for these suffering women. Most of whom seem to be some reflection of this writer's own deeper self. I most admire her honesty.
Of course, I get that perhaps many don't like her writing because, bottom line, her subjects are not "happy". Finally, I have to say that the final half of the book's stories are, for the most part well-written, with a few exceptions, but I found myself going into her younger writing with some impatience (the book is arranged chronologically reversed, her newer stories come first). Her voice and style change; the subjects are less personal, and her lines are a bit cloudy. At the end, I felt grateful to be finished. Her mature writing deserves its accolades. Gratefully, we do grow up.
The first half, or so, of the book's stories are written in Enright's mature, sophisticated, painfully sharp, sarcastic, rare style. The women in her stories are never simple-minded or sentimental. But, they are always filled with feeling. I
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appreciate, as in, I understand, the view she gives of the underside of intimacy. She writes about the things we don't admit, to ourselves, partners, friends, family. I think most people are more or less oblivious to the repulsions, fears, jealousies, neediness, shame that move about in their intimate relationships, and I think this is especially true in our American culture. This is what Enright seems to do best. She writes these stories with what might be called a cold but tender compassion.I think it's possible many do not like Enright's writing because she brings up uncomfortable, dark or complex subjects, many revolving around sex and marriage, infidelity and compromise in the face of shame and betrayal. What I don't believe is that her tone is negative, as I read in some reviews on GR. The negative feelings in some readers may be brought on because women, at least in the U.S., cannot afford to admit to these types of very personal and deep insecurities; to the weaknesses, the meanness, perhaps, of very strong, but feeling and feminine women. The combining of these seemingly conflicting forces cannot be tolerated. Enright's women are too strong, too honest and perhaps too crude in their sexual honesty. They are very sexual and intelligent. What they are not is innocent or saintly. Yet, they suffer. And they continue. They live on with their pain or loneliness. They start over again. What I find in her writing, her stories, is that she has a deep compassion for these suffering women. Most of whom seem to be some reflection of this writer's own deeper self. I most admire her honesty.
Of course, I get that perhaps many don't like her writing because, bottom line, her subjects are not "happy". Finally, I have to say that the final half of the book's stories are, for the most part well-written, with a few exceptions, but I found myself going into her younger writing with some impatience (the book is arranged chronologically reversed, her newer stories come first). Her voice and style change; the subjects are less personal, and her lines are a bit cloudy. At the end, I felt grateful to be finished. Her mature writing deserves its accolades. Gratefully, we do grow up.
Show Less
Awards
Edge Hill Short Story Prize (Shortlist — 2009)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry — 2008)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction — 2008)
Language
ISBN
9781410413093