Swim

by Jennifer Weiner

The short story that inspired Jennifer Weiner’s forthcoming novel The Next Best Thing.

Ruth has left her job writing for a hit television show for reasons she’d rather not discuss and is supplementing her increasingly dwindling savings with freelance writing projects—namely, helping anxious high school students craft a perfect college essay and lonely souls craft captivating online dating profiles. When she’s not working, she’s swimming—lap after lap at the local indoor pool, in a desperate attempt to wash away the sting of professional failure and heartbreak that she can’t seem to shake. It takes an unexpected client to show her that appearances can be deceiving, and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply dive back in.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Short Stories, Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Adult

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, most recently, That Summer. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read anything by Jennifer Weiner before, but thought I'd give her a try with this free e-short story, which was the inspiration for a forthcoming book, a preview of which is included with the download.

Based on just this read, Weiner is a great light fiction writer. Even within a short story and two chapters of the book, she has crafted a character for whom you are truly invested based upon the struggles she's had early in life - losing her parents in a car crash, which also badly scars her face. I'd be interested to read more of her work when I need an easy read.

[Samantha Boudreau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short...definitely think there could have been more to the story...felt like an abrupt ending.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much liked Weiner's Good in Bed. I was less excited about Goodnight Nobody, so I hadn't picked up any more of her books. This short was free, so I snagged it and now I remember what I liked about Jennifer Weiner. I'm not usually a fan of short fiction. Usually it doesn't leave me satisfied. This does. Short as it is, the heroine has a character arc and the ending is upbeat and hopeful. I will be reading Jennifer W's book The Next Best Thing, which is an outgrowth of this story.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up last night and glad I did.
I must admit I got confused (what else is new)



Got confused because I have a book called The Next big Thing by another writer, Johanna Edwards, and I loved that book.

The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards

This book is about a not so thin girl who ends up on a Reality TV show, so at first I thought, "hey I do not remember the main character to be like that...."

Yes I know. a bit stupid....



Once my brains finally realized that this was going to be Jen Weiner's new book, I checked my kindle and bingo!! it was on there.

So I started reading a bit more of Swim, (it is very short!) and I really enjoyed it. It had a bit of a message in it and yes, it made me curious to find out more about Ruth and her granny.

(So I am reading the Next Big Thing by Jen Weiner now.)

They should not allow 2 books to have the same title. It is cruel to people like me who have lot of brain farts.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a couple of Jennifer Weiner's books, "Good in Bed" and "In Her Shoes." I really enjoyed both of those books so when Amazon was offering "Swim" for free on the Kindle I jumped at the chance to read a short story about a character in her upcoming book, "The Next Best Thing." After finishing this short story I can't wait to get my hands on it!

"Swim" introduces the reader to Ruth, the main character who's lost both her parents at a young age in a car accident that left her face scarred after she flew through the windshield in her carseat. At 23 Ruth decided to move out to California with her grandmother to become a screen writer. She ends up helping students write their essays to get into colleges and also helps this guy fix his online dating page. At the end of the short story she goes back to a script that she wrote awhile ago and leaves the reader open to what will happen next...

Ruth struggles with her self worth, she hides her emotions by swimming all the time. I'm excited to see her blossom as a character both with the characters we met in "Swim" but also with a possible new/old romance. I look forward to more of her ...

[Kendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Swim is a short story that I had previously downloaded for free on my kobo. In my goals of cleaning up all of my devices (so I can fill them up with new and better things!) I came across Swim.

While it is a short story, I felt like it should have grabbed my attention more. I didn't want to read anymore about Ruth. I felt like I wanted to read more about Cailtyn and her attempts to get into college. And that's saying something! Based on this I'm not sure if I want to read the novel this inspired to be.

I know this is a short and shitty review, but it was kind of a short and shitty story. Alas, I really don't have much to go on. So, I will talk about the cover. Judging by it I would assume it would be more of a beach swim book. I mean, look at that suit!. A red ruffled, vintage inspired suit. (probably a mirclesuit!) The book was about fitness swiming. They should have put a polyeseter racerback suit up there. That red suit wouldn't make it!

(yes I did work in a bathing suit store once upon a time).

For more please check out teh blog!

http://justaddchampagne.blogspot.ca

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to have to read The Next Best Thing, the novel based on this short story, because I'll tell you what. This one didn't do it for me. It just kind of stopped right in the middle of nowhere, and left me feeling cheated. Nothing happened during the story of note, and all the things that could have led to something were just cut off abruptly at the end, with no regard whatsoever for loose ends (of which there were many). A decent enough story in and of itself, but one that just up and quit midway through. Perhaps the book will do a better job. I sure hope so, because if this is representative of her writing, you can be sure I won't read anything else from this author.

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I had already read this story before, but I had to read it again after finishing yesterday. I just wanted a little more Ruthie, and of grandma as well.

The characters are so completely real it makes reading so easy. It's like hanging out with friends you haven't seen in a while, and that you're really happy spending time with again!

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to know more about Ruth.
This story is about her and introduces us into her life. It seems a little hectic, her life. She's trying to date, has family drama, and her friends add to the mix too.
I got pulled in, but felt like I needed more at the end.
That's the thing with short stories. They are too short sometimes and don't quite come together. I hate to be left hanging in any way.
Still, I would read the full length book.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked that story and I was devasted for it to end so abruptly.

[Carrie Kellenberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been a big fan of short stories. Had I known this was a novella when I downloaded it, I probably would've reconsidered. Nevertheless, Swim is a good read about a young woman named Ruth who was involved in a car crash when she was quite young, leaving her orphaned and permanently disfigured. Ruth's grandmother raises her and they end up moving to Los Angeles were Ruth can pursue her dream of becoming a screen writer.

Ruth lands a job writing for a television show and ends up developing feelings for one of her co-writers, who ends up hurting her badly. The book opens with Ruth taking on safe and meaningless writing assignments while she recovers from her heartache. She ends up meeting a man named Gary, who hires her to help him put together an online dating profile. Ruth hides her feelings by swimming for hours every night in her gym pool, but she eventually starts to open her heart to this new man in her life.

The thing I liked best about Swim wasn't the story itself. It takes a talented writer to produce strong character development within a matter of chapters, but Weiner seems to excel at this. I thought she did an excellent job of painting a picture of both Ruth and her grandmother. I just wish the story was longer so I could get to know them better.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth has left her good job as a television screenwriter after an incident with a man she would rather forget. While between jobs, she discovers that she can help students putting their college applications together (for a fee, of course!) Then she meets Gary who wants her to help create his online dating profile. Hard as she may try, she can't help but face the feelings she has for the new man in her life.

I have never read Jennifer Weiner before and have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this short story. It is billed as an introduction to her novel The Next Best Thing - based on what I just read, there is every chance that I would pick that book up.

The characters are surprisingly well-developed for such a short piece - Ruth's history and personal issues are easy to believe and don't feel like they have been forced on the character. Her wise grandmother is a good addition that balances Ruth's insecurities. We find the biggest skill of Weiner's writing, though, is her warmth and compassion for her characters - and, ultimately, that's what we want from stories like these.

A great read and I will definitely look at more of her work as I come across it.


Paul
ARH

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it was free, and short, and because I read one of Jennifer Weiner's books at one point and liked it pretty well, but this short story...didn't quite do it for me. Part of it might be that it's sort of a prequel, so the ending felt a little too...open-ended? Non-concrete? Well, something. I didn't even realize it was over at first because there's a preview for the book about that same character right after it. But also, I just couldn't relate to Ruth. I liked the beginning, but as soon as Rob came into the story I started to really lose interest. I'm pretty sure I won't bother with the novel about Ruth, though I guess I'd still be willing to give something else of Weiner's a shot sometime.

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this short story was written. I enjoy chick lit and have read other books from this author. When I saw this and read a description calling it an inspiration to the author I expected it to be fabulous. The characters were interesting but built too one-dimensional. The grandmother's heavy furniture and cooking style are so repeated that if we heard anything else, I didn't notice it. The only person that displayed more than one facet of the self was the young college applicant. And I realize it was a prequel more than anything else, but it should have been included in the actual book or given an ending.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like this book was more of an unfinished thought than anything else. It had no plot, barely any characters, and absolutely no point.
So the woman reviews college essays & is thinking about starting to get into reviewing dating site profiles. So what?
Nothing happened besides proving to herself that she's judgemental & was wrong about that particular girl.
I don't know if this was a preview to a longer book or if it was a half assed attempt at a prequel, but it just isn't worth your time. I ended the book with questions & a sense of confusion.

[Duane Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swim is a short story, it's also a preview for her novel The Next Best Thing, which I haven't read yet. I liked swim enough to make me want to read the novel. Ruth is a free lance writer and former television writer with ambitions to be more. She hasn't had much success with romance but I suspect that will change in the novel. Jennifer Weiner is a good writer. She has had several successful novels with one being made into a movie. Swim is a free e-book available for Kindle users.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as short stories go, this one was short short short. Too short to really start and end. What it did do was wet my appetite for the follow-up, full size novel by Weiner: The Next Best Thing. The eBook had three of the first chapters of the sequel included. There was more story in three chapters than the whole of Swim. Can't wait to read the rest of it. My advice? Skip this and just read the Next Best Thing... or be prepared to read them both together.

[Lisa Bilbrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me, this review is difficult to write. I loved Swim. Found myself holding my breath while reading it, but the end totally ruined the novella. We are introduced to a potential love interest, just for,the storyline to go no where. Why even include Gary? It was pointless. Then, just as we are finding out that there is more to Caitlyn than met the eye, we don't find out what's going to happen with her.i honestly wanted more of this book.  

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Jennifer Weiner read. There was something about this story that it def. had a feeling of deeper character and character development than a number of author characters in her book. I actually found myself wanting to read the full lenght novel that this book was a short story to.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A writer is helping teenagers apply to universities, after having left her scriptwriting job.

There is a bit more to the story than this, but its so short, I don’t want to give it all away. The story does go back to show what happened and also a bit of her family life. I was liking the story until the really abrupt ending, so that was unfortunate.

[Nenette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story offers a peek into the novel The Next Best Thing. It's a peek alright, but it is also a complete storyi by Itself. It does not leave one hanging, but definitely wanting to read more.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written with good character development, which is an important plus in a short story. Glad she developed a novel out of it, I'd like to know more about Ruth. I really enjoy Weiner's point of view.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um, okay. Short? Yes. Good enough to draw me into reading, The Next Best Thing? Uh, maybe. Not in a rush though.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready for "The Next Best Thing" now.

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the emotions portrayed

[Ambrosia Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviewed first for my blog The Purple Booker

I had hopes for this one, I have enjoyed other books by Jennifer Weiner but this one for me was just a bomb. It was on my TBR on the E-reader for a while and when I finally got to it I really felt bored with it. I think maybe Jennifer Weiner should stick with full length books and stay away from short stories. I do seem to be in the minority with this book as others have enjoyed it. I didn't hate it, I just didn't enjoy it either. For me this was one of those books I finished reading to get it done and out of the way and I doubt I will remember much about it in the long term. They can't all be winners in the end. I know others have liked it, the characters weren't bad, so maybe someone else will enjoy it better than me. I was just not grabbed and bored, so I am glad I got it out of the way and it's on to another book.

[Ellen Behrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might have found a new author to follow! Jennifer Weiner has delivered a compelling main character in Ruth Saunders. A tragic accident has left her face noticeably altered but her emotional intelligence finely honed: she's attuned to the troubles of others, though isn't victimized nor willing to allow others to play the victim despite it all.

None of this seems nearly adequate to describe how fully absorbed Weiner managed to get me in "Swim," a novella that serves as a great introduction to Ruth and her story.

Frustrated with what some might consider a dream job writing for a TV show, Ruth has taken on the job of coaching well-heeled high school seniors in the fine art of finessing college admittance applications. Along the way, she's surprised by her ability to be surprised by people, for both good and bad reasons.

Thanks to "Swim," I'll likely be diving into another one of Weiner's books featuring the resistant and compelling Ruth Saunders.

[Natelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking relationship with a coworker, sends Ruth seeking employment outside of the entertainment industry, where she worked as a screenwriter for a dramedy. As she helps prospective college students prepare for interviews and refine essays, she discovers another way to earn money with her writing skills, helping prospective suitors make their profiles more desirable on dating websites. She learns more about herself and even gets surprised by other people in her life. I definitely see why the author plans to make this into a novel—people will want to see how life turns out for Ruth, her grandmother, and a few of her clients who seem to be turning into her friends.

[Stacey Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've missed you Jennifer! when I first found you when I was very young I read every book he wrote as quickly as I could get my hands on them then you just kind of disappeared for a while okay I get it you have a daughter you have a life you have a husband busy busy busy but your fans are waiting for a big book, a fully-realized novel, not just a little novella like this. Short but sweet and a big turn from you usual romcom style.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swim... this short story struggled to stay on topic and have a relatable conclusion. A writer turned college application consultant for hire is tired of sitting at Starbucks interviewing high school students to help improve their college admissions essay and applications. She ends up finding a person who wants her to expand her skill set. She swims at an expensive local gym. This seems unrelated to the story, but it is the title. Very abrupt, inconclusive ending.