The Secret Names of Women

by Lynne Barrett

Set in the frantic pace of the hip, edgy contemporary world, the characters that fill Lynne Barrett’s second collection of stories are on the go. These are stories of savvy, sharp women—women who know the score—women who may be bitter, but who are resigned to the choices they’re about to make. These are women—and men—who are all making good time, because the strongest thing going for them is an unrelenting belief in themselves.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

152 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

My most recent book is Making Good Time: True Stories of How We Do, and Don't, Get Around in South Florida, edited and with an introduction by Lynne Barrett, Jai-Alai Books. WLRN Public Radio interview:
https://www.wlrn.org/post/new-collect...

My work is in these Fall 2020 anthologies:
Grabbed: Poets & Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment, and Healing, edited by Elisa Albo, Richard Blanco, Caridad Moro, and Nikki Moustaki, published Beacon Press. And Miami Noir: The Classics, edited by Les Standiford, published by Akashic Books.

Magpies received the Gold Medal in General Fiction in the Florida Book Awards.

Publishers Weekly says of Magpies: "Barrett portrays adult lives with minimal flourishes and a powerful command of setting. Florida is electric with the tension of "all that can happen"--hurricanes, sinkholes, and a boom-and-bust history. It becomes as eerie as it is richly imagined, whether stories take place in an Art Deco building or a gas station. One of the year's finer university press offerings, the collection is especially noteworthy for "The Noir Boudoir," an atmospheric tale of unsettling realizations and the ways past events shadow the present." Full review at http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0...

Lynne Barrett is the award-winning author of The Secret Names of Women, The Land of Go, and her third collection, Magpies, which won the Gold Medal in Fiction in the Florida Book Awards. Her mini book on submitting to magazines is ,i.What Editors Want,,/i> from Rain Chain Press. She co-edited Birth: A Literary Companion and The James M. Cain Cookbook. Her work has appeared in Necessary Fiction, Blue Christmas, Delta Blues, Miami Noir, One Year to a Writing Life, Simply the Best Mysteries, A Hell of a Woman, Fort Lauderdale Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, Real South, Night Train, The Southern Women’s Review, and many other anthologies and journals. She has received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery story from the Mystery Writers of America, the Moondance International Film Festival award for Best Short story, and fellowships from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. With her husband and son, she lives in Miami. She teaches in the M.F.A. program in Creative Writing at Florida International University and edits The Florida Book Review. More information can be found at http://www.lynnebarrett.com

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was recommended, in a roundabout way, by Caroline, and she was right-- a great collection of stories, told with aplomb and creativity, stories tackling a variety of themes and shapes-- pretty close to a perfect collection of stories.

I for one wasn't thrilled with the Elvis story, which I think is maybe supposed to be the standout here. There was something interesting in it, but the conclusion to me sort of didn't satisfy as much as some of the others did-- it seemed arbitrary rather than really prepared for, necessary but not artful.

But that was really the exception here: otherwise, a book of stories that surprised and entertained. I wish I had more specific things to say, but I've been lazy about adding to goodreads and I've got too many to post on to slow down.

[timy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Out of the 8 stories I only enjoyed 1.5.
Most of the writing was difficult for me to read due to its sporadic nature and I honestly cannot recall most of the material within this book even right after reading a story.
Based on the reviews I anticipated to feel more empowered, enlightened, informed, or gain a new perspective, but I didn't feel any of those things.
Im not sure what else to say. I was hoping for more.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be the most perfect short story collection ever.

A true inspiration- I was endeared the whole way through

[Hannah Mussatto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that is thoughtfully written and assembled. Embodies the essence of a creative writing course and inspires the reader to want to create something reminiscent of it.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give almost all of these stories a 5 individually ("Meet The Impersonators!" didn't draw me in, so I didn't finish that one.)

"Hush Money" is one of my faves. I'm no fiction writer, but I recognize the risks it takes, and that those risks work. Without spoiling--one of the characters has an unusual exchange with Marilyn Monroe. It's situated perfectly within and enriches the story, but it doesn't at all come off as "gimmicky," as a scenario like this might with a less capable writer.

"Beauty" is great too. That amazing lasting image of the Barbies and what happens to them--unexpected, but absolutely appropriate. A beautiful, strange, apt way to close that story and the collection.

[Stephen Dorneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne Barrett's wonderful characters certainly hold a plethora of secrets in this story collection; whether the source of Marilyn Monroe's sultry voice, what happened to the manager of three Elvis impersonators, a prim and proper grandmother's shame, or a punk rocker's lost love. But who doesn't have secrets? The magic here is not in the secrets and the plot turns themselves (as interesting as they may be), but rather in the unfolding of the details of these lives, doled out by Barrett in typically short, divided, passages - luxurious broken rhythms of prose. If you enjoy short fiction, you should read this book. If you write short fiction, you should study this book. The only thing you'll regret is that it ends after a mere 152 pages.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters in this collection of short stories are incredible! A master of the craft, Barrett writes each character with impeccable understanding. I've just spent an hour looking for my copy, ready to re-read it. I must have lent it out, but will order another copy. The stories in this collection are worth revisiting. Looking forward to Barrett's collection (Magpies) that will be released in the fall of 2011.

[Susan Bono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynne Barrett crafts the most PERFECT short stories! I go back to them whenever I have been forced to read too many "modern" (pointless?) stories. She gives me hope that good form hasn't died.