Customer Reviews

This Life She's Chosen: Stories

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First-time author Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum's "This Life She's Chosen" is far from anything I might normally pick up for pleasure reading, but after hearing Ms. Lunstrum read at a bookstore near my home, I couldn't resist. The subtle elegance of her prose, the tension and complexity she earns from seemingly simple character relationships, and the narrative control she exhibits throughout this collection form an engaging, memorable read. The book actually delivers on Pam Houston's ecstatic jacket blurb. Look for this author to have a long, successful career.

I'm not an avid reader, and I typically prefer non-fiction, but I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I do read the short stories in the New Yorker to keep me exposed to new writers and styles. These short stories are great for an afternoon when you want to drift into another life for a spell. I finished them in one lazy, summer weekend. I like how they lingered in my mind. I highly recommend them.

There was some hype about this book - it made it to a few 'Great New Books' Lists, so I was eager to read it. I haven't been able to finish it and have abandoned it for more interesting (captivating) works. The short stories are adequately written and could actually have been something if there was ever a purpose to the writing. They leave you scratching your head and saying, "so, where's the end - what's the point?" It did not hold my attention, I was not engaged by it, which is why it was shelved before finishing in favor of something else.