Customer Reviews

The Ex-Files: New Stories About Old Flames

5 star:		(4)
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I began reading this book with low expectations. A number of the contributors were unknown to me, nearly half of the stories have been published before elsewhere, and "failed love" seems like such a tired theme. But after reading a few stories (specifically, by the time I finished Maggie Estep's story) I was quite impressed. It's fascinating to read these stories in sequence, to perceive the similarities. No matter how different the setting, it seems there are certain elements of tone and mood that persist from one story to the next.

My favorites were the clever, evocative pieces by Junot Diaz, Susan Perabo, and the previously unknown-to-me Evany Thomas. The book contains quite a few other gems as well, in addition to just a few failures--notably Paulina Borsook's flabby story, which for some reason is allowed not only to run 20 pages but then to leave off in the middle, to be continued online at the publisher's web site.

The editor, also-unknown Blake Ferris (pseudonym?), has for the most part chosen excellent stories, but apparently neglected to copyedit them: the book is littered with typographical and layout errors, enough to bother even such a hardcore non-perfectionist as myself. Hopefully these will be corrected in a second printing.

But despite these shortcomings, the book's marvelous, emotional moments and revelatory humor make it well worth owning, reading, and rereading. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I loved the witty short stories in this book. They show a more thorough and less sentimental look at past relationships. Some stories were better than others, but one thing is certain: you will see yourself in more than just one of the stories. If you enjoy reading about relationships as much as I do, you'd love this!

I couldn't stop reading...what a delicious collection of stories! I am so tired of sappy writing about love, how refreshing it was to read these smart reflections. Erotic, hopeful, sad, beautiful, wistful, happy--all tumbled into a tangle of stories connected by a theme with a twist and the keen perceptions of this talented group of writers. I am left hungry for more...

As often as we come across them, rarely do we find books that truly relate to the experience of love gained and lost. Most of us are left to mumble through Shakespearean aphorisms like mouths-full of sand spread on stale crackers. Not any more. The guide for the lovelorn has arrived. New Stories About Old Flames is everything you need to ease the pain, reach out your now-soothed heart, and -- if not actually touch the face of an angel -- at least be able to finally admit to yourself that yes, she had a moustache.