Jennifer Weiner's talent shines like never before in this collection of short stories, following the tender, and often hilarious, progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime. From a teenager coming to terms with her father's disappearance to a widow accepting two young women into her home, Weiner's eleven stories explore those transformative moments in our every day.
"These stories range from an old lady held hostage to a New Yorker who gives up killer real estate for a guy. Weiner's fans will recognize the kooky-kid-sister
sagas, but it's the new territory notably Swim and Dora on the Beach that
shouldn't be missed. A-" - Entertainment Weekly.
"The heroines-hooked-on-bad-boys notion wears thin, but fans will savor Weiner's confidential tone and salty wit. [3 out of 4 stars]." - People.
"Puts Weiner on the map as one of her generation's best literary voices." - The Boston Herald.
"Another delightful example of Jennifer Weiner's tender way with words and
emotions." - Harper's Bazaar.
"The Guy Not Taken showcases a maturing Weiner...In Her Shoes author
Jennifer Weiner is resigned to the fact that in some circles she is referred to
as the 'Queen of Chick Lit.' But I challenge anyone who says her short-story
collection, The Guy Not Taken, isn't serious women's fiction." - USA Today.
"This collection of 11 stories written over the past 15 years reads like a
series of studies for Weiner's larger chick lit portraits .... One roots for
Weiner's characters as they come to terms-and in some cases, heal-from
disappointment and neglect." - PW.
"In her recent novels, notably In Her Shoes, Weiner explores human relationships
in all their complexity, poignancy, and delight. Although Weiner's voice and
settings are very contemporary, the messes people make among family members,
friends, and lovers are as old as time." - Library Journal.
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Rated of 5
by
MM I love Weiner but she fell flat with this one I read A LOT. I have a long commute to and from work. I recently read my first Jennifer Weiner nove, Best Friends Forever. It contained one of the best literary chapters I have ever read in my life. It was the flashback chapter to a daytrip the two young girls take to Maine. This chapter could have been a short story. I made my teen daughter read this chapter because it was so good I wanted to hug it. I was so excited to see Weiner had a novel of short stories, but they really fell flat for me. They were good, just not fabulous. I can't recall one that had me talking or thinking about later. The namesake chapter, The Guy Not Taken was so predictable and I thought, "this reads like a short story hoping to be picked up for a movie deal". Sure enough, I read this is being picked up for a movie. Still a Weiner fan and will continue to read her novels. Maybe I'm a little spoiled and being tough on her because I just finished a collection of Alice Munoe's best short stories?
Jennifer Weiner was born in 1970 on an army base in Louisiana. She grew up in
Connecticut, and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English
literature. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Central Pennsylvania,
Lexington, Kentucky, and Philadelphia, before the publication of her first
novel, Good In Bed, in 2001. She is the author of the novels In Her
Shoes (2002), which was turned into a major motion picture; Little
Earthquakes, (2004), Goodnight Nobody (2005), the short story
collection The Guy Not Taken (September, 2006), Certain Girls
(April 2008), Best Friends Forever (2009), Fly Away Home (2010), and Then Came You (2011). Her work has appeared in Seventeen, Salon, Redbook, Glamour,...
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of 5
by
MM
