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1 of 1 copy available
Every now and then, right in the middle of an ordinary day, a woman rebels, kicks up her heels, and commits a small act of liberation.
What would you do, if you were going to break out and away? Go AWOL from Weight Watchers and spend an entire day eating every single thing you want–and then some? Start a dating service for people over fifty to reclaim the razzle-dazzle in your life–or your marriage? Seek comfort in the face of aging, look for love in the midst of loss, find friendship in the most surprising of places?
Imagine that the people in these wonderful stories–who do all of these things and more–are asking you: What would you do, if nobody was looking?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 15, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415943946
- File size: 230041 KB
- Duration: 07:59:15
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Berg narrates a varied mix of her short stories about break-free women who face death, aging, diets, and more. There are dark, rich stories, like the one about a man who's been an almost-lover for decades before he gets a brain tumor. These are balanced by the satisfying laugh-out-loud pleasure provided by the title story and its companion, "The Day I Ate Nothing I Even Remotely Wanted," both yummy with details. Surprises and poignant endings make you think, as when an older woman's write-up of an apple pie recipe serves up a slice of memory and advice. As narrator, Berg fills each story with maximum emotion, occasionally giving an accented cameo, for a character from Brooklyn, for example. Her affection for all her characters comes through clearly. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine -
February 11, 2008
In this collection of mostly uplifting stories, Berg (Dream When You’re Feeling Blue
) explores the everyday challenges that women face. Whether teenaged or octogenarian, Berg’s heroines brave the emotional landmines underlying domestic scenes (from holiday dinner parties to visiting family), navigate the slippery slope of constant dieting and address the process of aging. The title story features an unnamed, insouciant narrator who flees from a Weight Watchers meeting and allows herself to indulge her most fattening food cravings. In “Full Count,” an introspective army brat begins to decipher what she looks like to others. The wistful and nostalgic “Rain” features a woman reminiscing about a good friend who dropped his successful corporate life to live closer to nature. Berg’s men are surprisingly supportive and well behaved; it is often the women in these stories who manipulate and mistreat their partners. The protagonist of “Truth or Dare,” for example, struggles to accept that her ex-husband moved on after she left him. Berg has a knack for sentimental but authentic stories about women who find affirmation in true-to-life situations, and if her endings are slightly predictable, it’s in a good way, like comfort food that never disappoints.
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