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Jun 12, Coralie Bru rated it it was amazing. Apr 02, Mary rated it it was amazing. Beautiful, marvelous, painfully wonderful collection. Un libro intenso, a tratti duro, bellissimo e scritto davvero bene. Siamo a Roma, piccola cittadina del Kentucky che dei fasti della Roma italica non ha proprio nulla.
Con la morte di Felicia, Dana perde tutto: Dana, che viveva in funzione della figlia, diventa un niente con la sua morte. Feb 03, Sarah Hand rated it really liked it. Girl Trouble is a collection of short stories about the interconnected people in a small Kentucky town. Perhaps more accurately, it is a collection of character studies, exploring the complexities inherent in even the most seemingly simple people.
Overall, the tone was morose and not light reading. Concepts that gave me pause: Jun 17, Ly Madden rated it it was ok. Wonderful turns - particularly notable for character work, some plot turns, and just as often critical missteps. Aug 20, Courtney Leblanc rated it really liked it. Jones keeps the readers engaged throughout the book, narrating these quiet yet disturbing stories about a rural Kentucky town.
Jun 01, Ann Douglas rated it it was amazing Shelves: A truly remarkable collection of short stories. Holly Goddard Jones has a gift for injecting sensitive characters into impossible situations. The results are mesmerizing. Jan 15, Gabriel Valjan rated it really liked it. Holly Goddard Jones is a talented writer in the same way Richard Yates, Andre Dubus, and Raymond Carver convey the dangers of dead end streets in suburbia or domestic complacency.
Jacob is a widower, trying to redefine love in his relationship with Helen when his son is arrested for rape. Helen is the voice of reason. A father has to make a choice. Coach has a daughter at home with cystic fibrosis. Some readers might think that this is a tale told by an idiot man-child. Dana has lost a part of her life, her daughter Felicia. This story plumbs the depths of grief and mourning, the inane legal system, violence and the dissolution of a marriage.
The allusion to Plato in the title is subtle, but some things are just not worth seeing or knowing, even if they are half-lit against the wall. Ellen wants a lot of things. Privacy is one of them. A summer outing, a wine cooler as her first taste of alcohol, and a moment of empathy turns south on her is a prelude to other disasters. The underwear drawer scene was brilliant. Libby is stuck, struggling to articulate what she believes in. She was a victim of a crime. She has spent twenty years with the wrong man.
One of her kids calls her a martyr. She feels alone and lonely. Libby stalks the past for closure. This story is a continuation of Parts. Life is cheap as fake wood paneling. Rather than seeing the stories as melancholic vignettes, I interpret them as cautionary warnings, as calls for self-awareness.
I particularly liked what she had to say about choosing third-person point of view over first-person narration. Jones evinces sincerity, if not self-deprecation about her experiences as student, writer and teacher. A final essay provides a rationale on why she wrote about Kentucky for this volume. Mar 23, Casey rated it liked it. Girl Trouble, Holly Goddard Jones's debut collection , is the third or fourth debut collection that I've read in row, though it isn't by any design.
I suppose part of it is intentional; I have made a conscious effort to read new-ish collections by new-ish writers, so it's not a complete accident that I've read so many debut collections recently. Perhaps it's not completely fair to the respective writers, though, because inevitably I hold each collection up against the others.
I guess that' Girl Trouble, Holly Goddard Jones's debut collection , is the third or fourth debut collection that I've read in row, though it isn't by any design. Girl Trouble is one of those cases. After reading a collection like Alan Heathcock's Volt, it'll be hard for other collections to match up. To begin with, Jones's writing is really suburb. Six of the eight stories are in the third person, but Jones's style and voice, even in her third person narrators, is strong and singular. They have nearly as much character as what you usually expect from a first person voice.
There are also some really great images spread throughout. One that sticks with me is in "An Upright Man. The girl, who has remained fairly composed, gets out of his car and goes up the sidewalk to her house, only she trips and falls up the front steps. The boy, who realizes what awful insensitive thing he's done, watches her fall but doesn't do anything to help. Instead, quickly back out of the driveway and speeds away.
For whatever reason, this image stood out to me probably more so than any other maybe someone could read into that, I don't know. Jones's stories are long--the shortest is 26 pages. Also, the conflict in the majority of her stories is internal. In that way her stories remind me of those of Andre Dubus, another writer of long stories.
Jones is a Kentucky writer, but her stories don't have the kind of regional feel of say, Chris Offutt, but Jones admits she not as interested in setting and place--at least not in that way there's a good interview with Jones at the back of copy of Girl Trouble , so it's not really fair to criticize her on that account.
Next to the actual writing itself, Jones's strongest work is in her characters. She creates complete, real people on the page with the exception of only a few characters, most notably Theo and Josie in "Life Expectancy". We have complete access to their deepest thoughts and fears. This came through the most for me in "Parts.
To her credit, I was often pulled in to feel with them. For the years since his wife died, Jacob has been stranded in his life, his only companions the no-good son who comes and goes as he pleases without offering his father the love he deserves, and the dog the son brought home on a whim and then refused to take care of. Christ Jesus these stories pack a whollop. Nothing is contrived; every story is steeped in reality, and clarity comes with a price. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: I particularly liked what she had to say about choosing third-person point of view over first-person narration.
This also comes through in "Proof of God," a companion piece of sorts to "Parts," only this story is from the perspective of one of the "accused" rapists it's a complex situation, and I don't want to give anything away. Ultimately, I enjoyed Jones's characterizations, if at times, her plots were a little stale.
Charles Baxter, channeling Flannery O'Connor, says that all stories should be "surprising yet inevitable. For more, see my blog: Apr 21, Michael rated it really liked it. I will admit that I am somewhat picky rating short stories. Only because there are separate stories, thus you have to make sure that the characters are developed, concise and it makes you appreciative of the content.
Although there were some parts of the story that was not my favorite, it still was not forgettable. Jones has a way in pulling the readers in, luring you to sympathize with them. Each story left a memorable impression on me but I did enjoy other parts than the first. The first story- I will admit that I am somewhat picky rating short stories. The first story-Good girl was my favorite story. I liked how Jacob wanted to be close to his reckless son who was accused of raping a girl. It seemed like he always wanted to see the bright side of things and not treat his son as horrible child.
Also I liked how he found love, after losing his wife Nora awhile back. The character of Jacob was a character that I can relate too, he was a struggling dad that tried to make everyone happy. I can tell that he was miserable trying to defend his son actions but he did not know how to cope with all the suspicious evidence against his son.
Additionally, the relationship he shared with Nora was symbolic to the current relationship he had with another woman, but obviously not the same. My only complaint was that this story ended in a cliffhanger, that seemed to be the case for all the stories. The second story- Life Expectancy was my second favorite. Theo and Josie story was interesting to say the least.
The whole story about Josie being pregnant with his child is something that would have made press, especially considering he was her coach. Theo was a understandable character but I thought that he should have been honest with his infidelity. Despite that flaw, I enjoyed both characters. The other stories were good but not all that captivating,However I did enjoy this book tremendously! Dec 28, Lobotomy42 rated it really liked it Shelves: The pieces do not drag with existential angst or vagueness.
Although many types of suffering are present, they are alike in their precision. Characters are haunted by a definite thing, a definite moment or collection of moments that went horribly wrong. Regret is for many of these characters almost tangible, a person or place or time that should have been destroyed. Girl Trouble focuses on the suffering and reality of the experiences of its characters.
Such a presentation relies almost entirely on empathetic characters to carry the weight of immersing the reader, and indeed Jones excels at this. Characters are at once completely ordinary and distinctly memorable. They are people you almost know, might even be friends with, but with their lives and thoughts laid bare in a way that no one could ever see from outside.
Jun 14, Erin Tuzuner rated it it was amazing Shelves: The unnameable, but certainly not unknowable emotions that lurk in the tall grass of envy, love, slow simmering resentment, and a tame bastard of meanness and ill figured spite is an excellent breeding ground for literature.
The jerky dance of attraction and repulsion, one wobbly emotion leaning on the syntax, predictability, and fascination of another person. Christ Jesus these stories pack a whollop. While the comparisons to Flannery O'Connor will surely come, and they are not wrong, there is no Christ haunted tone, no mocking salvation, present in these tales. After finishing this in a hammock on a lovely summer day I feel as though I just survived a minor car accident.
Infused with understanding, disgust, and a mystical secularism, Girl Trouble reminds me why short stories are the greatest medium of literary truth telling. Definitely NOT chick lit, these stories left me gasping for air, sometimes in tears, but always satisfied with the written word. His dad is a truck driver and gone during the work week, leaving Ben and his mom alone most of the time, a situation they find easy to live with. Ben and his mom are close and have an outstanding relationship.
Ben is a good kid, but lonely, and after an incident at school his dad tries to help him along and teach him a life lesson. Does his dad make a good decision? He runs a tight team and demands a lot from his girl players. His life is turned upside down when his star player tells him she is pregnant. How does this effect both of their lives? These are just two of the eight. Don't expect sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows from these stories. These shorts are hard-hitting and tough dealing with divorce, affairs, pregnancy, rapes, murder.
They relate the thoughts and feelings of every character involved -- and the characters! These characters are people you could know, they are so real and down to earth.
These two stories really make you question many situations in both stories -- excellent plot and writing. If you are looking for an exciting book that takes you to dark places, take a trip to Roma, Kentucky, and meet the people within the pages of this book. You can't ask for a better reading experience and for a more thrilling and exciting ride. Holly Goddard Jones packs a heck of a punch. It's sitting here on my shelf -- can't wait to dive in. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase.
This is an excellently written collection of stories. One of them may be one of the best short stories I've ever read. Boys and girls come of age, adults nurse their wounds, and sometimes they catch a glimmer of healing or briefly escape the tangles of their lives. Instead, they become very sad springboards for exploring emotions like regret, desire, fear, revenge, and loss. It's this exploration that exposes Jones' true talent.
She writes about feelings in ways that feel fresh and very real, raw and extremely poignant, with layers of emotions for characters to experience, digest, and balance. To her credit, I was often pulled in to feel with them. I found the deep sense of loss and pathos in each story harder to digest because of the way each story was crafted, to reflect the mundane and the everyday.
Each story speaks to loss of dreams and acceptance of the inability to change the protagonists story from a tragedy to a story of overcoming or joy. I thoroughly enjoyed the rich characters of Roma, agonising over their fate to be ultimately part of a larger landscape of sadness and suffering. One person found this helpful. I've been familiar with Holly's work for a little while now, having read "Parts" online.
I can't remember the last short story collection I read that was as powerful and emotional as this book. Every story ends not with a whimper or subtle realization but with a bang.
I showed "Parts" to my wife, who isn't really a big reader, and she loved it, even though she cried three times. Buy this book, you will not regret it, there is not a weak story in here, and it touches on all of the emotions that we've all been though - regret, loss, anxiety, hope, love, lust, betrayal Excellent work Holly, I can't wait to read your novel. As a Kentucky native I find works set in my home state appealing. This book of short stories did not disappoint. Interesting and entertaining characters and situations made for a great read. I can't remember the last time I read such heartfelt stories.
I can only take them one at a time. Each one leaves an ache. In these stories Holly Goddard Jones has a way of putting one humble sentence after another to create something extraordinary. The result is true artistry, an invisibility impossible to categorize or imitate. Perhaps this is one reason all the reviews and articles have overemphasized the regionalism of the stories -- the seamless prose is hard to explain except to say, gee it's really good.
For me the stories are universal rather than regional. There's a wisdom and compassion here that makes me want to read more of her work. Picked up this book to read beachside, thinking I'd be able to put it down easily. Very compelling, well drawn characters.
Unique structure of stories, and a resolution to a terrible conflict set up in the first story comes full circle in the last. Would definitely like to read more by this author! See all 22 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published 1 year ago. Published on January 25, Published on January 15, Published on April 24, Published on March 3, Published on January 4, Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
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