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Homely Girl, A Life: And Other Stories
A sumptuously packaged, gift volume of short fiction by the author of The Crucible, issued to coincide with his eightieth birthday, gathers three stories set in Manhattan before and after World War II. 35,000 first printing. National ad/promo.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
7 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Miller
546 books3,222 followersWorks of American playwright Arthur Asher Miller include
Death of a Salesman
(1949), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, and
The Crucible
(1953).
This essayist, a prominent figure in literature and cinema for over 61 years, composed a wide variety, such as celebrated A View from the Bridge and All My Sons , still studied and performed worldwide. Miller often in the public eye most famously refused to give evidence to the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives, received award for drama, and married Marilyn Monroe. People at the time considered the greatest Miller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...
This essayist, a prominent figure in literature and cinema for over 61 years, composed a wide variety, such as celebrated A View from the Bridge and All My Sons , still studied and performed worldwide. Miller often in the public eye most famously refused to give evidence to the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives, received award for drama, and married Marilyn Monroe. People at the time considered the greatest Miller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 12, 2009
Arthur Miller's collection of three short stories describe the lives of three ordinary, yet extraordinary Americans in the mid-19th century.
The first, "Homely Girl, A Life," deals with a young woman whose identity is so wrapped around her flawed appearance that I cannot recall if readers ever even learn her name. Her invisibility is so resolute. The story begins with her relationship with her father, who consistently hammers on her lack of physical beauty as though it is a moral deficiency. When he dies, she accepts the attention of an abusive and unfaithful suitor because she believes this is all the love she will ever receive. The circumstances which compel her to leave at last are truly revolting.
Miller's compassion comes through loud and clear, and there is a strong sense of the writer recounting the story as it unfolds simply and straightforwardly. There is nothing forced or false about it. Yet it's such a oldfashioned and white male view of how women perceive themselves, as though their identities are truly defined by their relationships with the men in their lives. Maybe at the time when this was written, they were.
"Fame" is a delightful, short little piece about how perception changes with the shift of a latitude or two. Meyer Berkowitz is the king of Broadway, but when someone from his forgotten podunck past meets him by chance, his view of the world undergoes some much-needed seismic shifting.
"The Fitter's Night" is by far the best story in the series, about men who do what needs to be done, no matter under what conditions for the love, honour and respect of other men. The protagonist is no cartoon hero, and his life is small and sordid, but for the heroism of one night's work when all he needed to do was his job. This is a wonderful man vs. the elements story.
The first, "Homely Girl, A Life," deals with a young woman whose identity is so wrapped around her flawed appearance that I cannot recall if readers ever even learn her name. Her invisibility is so resolute. The story begins with her relationship with her father, who consistently hammers on her lack of physical beauty as though it is a moral deficiency. When he dies, she accepts the attention of an abusive and unfaithful suitor because she believes this is all the love she will ever receive. The circumstances which compel her to leave at last are truly revolting.
Miller's compassion comes through loud and clear, and there is a strong sense of the writer recounting the story as it unfolds simply and straightforwardly. There is nothing forced or false about it. Yet it's such a oldfashioned and white male view of how women perceive themselves, as though their identities are truly defined by their relationships with the men in their lives. Maybe at the time when this was written, they were.
"Fame" is a delightful, short little piece about how perception changes with the shift of a latitude or two. Meyer Berkowitz is the king of Broadway, but when someone from his forgotten podunck past meets him by chance, his view of the world undergoes some much-needed seismic shifting.
"The Fitter's Night" is by far the best story in the series, about men who do what needs to be done, no matter under what conditions for the love, honour and respect of other men. The protagonist is no cartoon hero, and his life is small and sordid, but for the heroism of one night's work when all he needed to do was his job. This is a wonderful man vs. the elements story.
May 16, 2018
All three short stories were great but I especially liked the first story. It was written so long ago, yet in the story he addresses divorce and how it should be accepted and not shamed. The way he describes the relationship with the woman and the blind man is really sweet. I love how he weaved humour into the story as well!
March 17, 2020
Even though it was so short, it took me about a month to finish it because it was so boring. Sometimes interesting events took place but sadly they were quickly put aside to talk about the dull ones. My fav story was the second one, it was short and really well written.
February 1, 2023
“I like everything falling apart; it’s less competition for when I start falling apart.”
The titular story really is the star here. A girl adrift until she bumps into the one person capable of anchoring her. Miller deftly brought her and every other character to life in fewer words than I thought possible.
All three are excellent, the two novellas sandwiching a shining short story. All three are very readable but leave a strong impression.
The titular story really is the star here. A girl adrift until she bumps into the one person capable of anchoring her. Miller deftly brought her and every other character to life in fewer words than I thought possible.
All three are excellent, the two novellas sandwiching a shining short story. All three are very readable but leave a strong impression.
September 4, 2021
Hmmm, my first Arthur Miller was ho hum. I would have been a fan if the stories continued to be as good as the first, unfortunately they didn’t. I only read the first 3/4 the rest was too boring even to skim. It’s never good when your thrilled that a book has ended. I was driven to pick this up. I would look at and walk away, the book remaining in its spot on the nightstand.
August 23, 2019
It’s great reading, Arthur Miller can do little wrong, in my opinion, but the book should have been named after the third and final story, Fitter’s Night (a five star story!). Here you Miller at his classic working class stiff best. Homely Girl was okay, but simply had an eye catching title.
July 16, 2023
Nicely presented volume. It's only 3 stories - two almost novella length. The titular story isn't up to much but the other two rank up there with the best of this writing. they're lean and objective insights into his character's lives.
March 19, 2021
A good 4.5 stars. I very much enjoyed "A Fitter's Night."
August 14, 2023
This was just okay. The title story was good but the other two weren't worth the time. Not my favourite Miller.
November 16, 2023
One of my fav books this year. Absolute must if you like short stories
September 21, 2024
Written between 1960s and 1990, the three stories take us back to the 1940s and I enjoyed them a lot.
January 21, 2025
the first story was remarkable. wasn't too fond of the other two.
August 21, 2016
In this well-balanced little book, Arthur Miller’s two novellas are complemented by the short story “Fame,” which opens with a playwright selling the movie rights to his hit for half a million dollars. The exhilaration of success is tempered by a crisis of identity. The playwright is embarrassed every time someone recognizes him but can’t stop hoping to be recognized; he savors a free drink from the bar owner yet worries how the scotch may interfere with an upcoming business dinner. How different is he, really, from his old, frumpy self? And how different does he need to be? In the story’s final moments, the playwright is recognized for another reason altogether, which provides a clever ending that closes things a little too cutely.
The title novella is an epic account of the main character’s life as told through her marriages and worries. She has a horse-face, she believes, a defect (probably overstated) that obsesses her thanks to her mother. The defect defines her until she meets her second husband, a blind man, and feels like herself at last. Miller opens the novella with this blind man’s death, so his narrative darts through time and doubles back on itself, a life in retrospect. It’s a good enough read but, weirdly, the collection's weakest story.
The last piece, by far the best, is a fable for workmen that investigates the tension between drudgery and dignity on the job. In an exploitative system, the resentments and rebellion of the laborers ultimately leave them yawning through slow nights, looking busy for their supervisors while stealing a nap before lunch. The main character’s pro-forma job performance has even bled into his private life, where circumstances have trapped him in a loveless marriage. Even his mistresses have ceased to make him feel alive. All this changes when a navy captain desperately needs his help with a quick repair despite hazardous weather. The worker can reasonably refuse to make the repair, and this decision tests his conviction that his job is no more than a hollow, money-making time-waster. The conflict feels stripped down, almost mythic thanks to Miller’s precise writing: “For the first time in his life he had a kind of space around him in which to move freely, the first time, it seemed, that it was entirely up to him, with no punishment if he said no, nor even a reward if he said yes. Gain and loss had suddenly collapsed, and what was left standing was a favor asked that would profit nobody. The captain was looking at him, waiting for his answer.” This is how the worker remembers honor, and how he learns whether he still has any.
The title novella is an epic account of the main character’s life as told through her marriages and worries. She has a horse-face, she believes, a defect (probably overstated) that obsesses her thanks to her mother. The defect defines her until she meets her second husband, a blind man, and feels like herself at last. Miller opens the novella with this blind man’s death, so his narrative darts through time and doubles back on itself, a life in retrospect. It’s a good enough read but, weirdly, the collection's weakest story.
The last piece, by far the best, is a fable for workmen that investigates the tension between drudgery and dignity on the job. In an exploitative system, the resentments and rebellion of the laborers ultimately leave them yawning through slow nights, looking busy for their supervisors while stealing a nap before lunch. The main character’s pro-forma job performance has even bled into his private life, where circumstances have trapped him in a loveless marriage. Even his mistresses have ceased to make him feel alive. All this changes when a navy captain desperately needs his help with a quick repair despite hazardous weather. The worker can reasonably refuse to make the repair, and this decision tests his conviction that his job is no more than a hollow, money-making time-waster. The conflict feels stripped down, almost mythic thanks to Miller’s precise writing: “For the first time in his life he had a kind of space around him in which to move freely, the first time, it seemed, that it was entirely up to him, with no punishment if he said no, nor even a reward if he said yes. Gain and loss had suddenly collapsed, and what was left standing was a favor asked that would profit nobody. The captain was looking at him, waiting for his answer.” This is how the worker remembers honor, and how he learns whether he still has any.
October 13, 2011
This short compilation of Miller short works includes just three stories: "Homely Girl, A Life", "Fame", and Fitter's Night". The shortest of the three, "Fame", is a possibly autobiographical look at how a popular playwright deals with his new-found celebrity. Random strangers approach him on the street, offering their unsolicited opinions of his work or gushing as if they were old friends. Rich people in restaurants think nothing of interrupting his meal to make him meet their friends. The key point of the story is when an old schoolmate recognizes him in a bar. The schoolmate, unaware of the playwright's celebrity, brags about his own success in life, but when the playwright is approached by a stranger asking for his autograph, the schoolmate completely changes his behavior, becoming shy and taking back an invitation for the playwright to join him for dinner. Success changes not only the celebrity, but also his relationships with those around him.
Oddly, the story I enjoyed least was the title story. A woman, treated badly in life because of her lack of physical good looks, comes to the realization that she doesn't need affirmation from others to feel good about herself.
The third story in the volume, "Fitter's Night", was the one I found most enjoyable. A pipefitter, working in the New York shipyards during World War II, spends most of his time (at work and at home) trying to land the easy jobs and find a way to avoid responsibility. But when he's forced into a repair job on a ship heading out to war, he realizes how important it is for him (and all his coworkers) to do the best job they can, because all these sailors' lives depend on the quality of his work.
Oddly, the story I enjoyed least was the title story. A woman, treated badly in life because of her lack of physical good looks, comes to the realization that she doesn't need affirmation from others to feel good about herself.
The third story in the volume, "Fitter's Night", was the one I found most enjoyable. A pipefitter, working in the New York shipyards during World War II, spends most of his time (at work and at home) trying to land the easy jobs and find a way to avoid responsibility. But when he's forced into a repair job on a ship heading out to war, he realizes how important it is for him (and all his coworkers) to do the best job they can, because all these sailors' lives depend on the quality of his work.
August 25, 2013
Acabo de darme cuenta que este libro forma parte de una serie de historias que me hubiera encantado leer. Por desgracia, la edición que encontré -de Tusquets- no las tenía así que me quedé con esta historia (en español llamada "Una chica cualquiera") que tiene ciertos elementos rescatables, como la forma fragmentada en la que está narrada, pero que va a pasar a una lista que debería titular "sin pena ni gloria".
October 25, 2008
A wonderful collection of three short stories by Miller which provide glimpses into common American characters during World War II. Although short these these stories are rich in imagery and character development. An unexpecte delight.
August 31, 2014
There is a good reason why Arthur Miller is among my favourite writers. His characters are so finely crafted and he never fails to disappoint. i stumbled upon this little volume and fell in love with all the stories, especially "Homely Girl." Love, love, loved it!
November 28, 2007
These little stories reveal a great deal about American's greatest mid-century playwright...
August 5, 2008
Homely girl is in my opinion the best of the three.
July 21, 2015
I admire arthur miller for being able to creatively get a profound message across. Artistic. :)
August 6, 2016
3 1/2 stars
November 3, 2007
I particulalry enjoyed the story, "The Fitter's Night" in this collection.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews