Prendere o lasciare

by Lydia Millet, Gioia Guerzoni (Translator)

Nina è un’agente immobiliare di Los Angeles. Il suo lavoro è vendere abitazioni di lusso ad acquirenti capricciosi e imprevedibili, ma anche soddisfare le esigenze dei proprietari, che abbandonano la loro casa sperando di liberarsi dai fantasmi di una vita. Conosce così un presunto dittatore africano che all’improvviso cerca di annegarsi in piscina; un adolescente rabbioso che si fa beccare mentre guarda un porno; una donna abbandonata dal marito, convinta che ci siano degli gnomi pronti a riparare tutto quel che non funziona nelle stanze della sua villa. E in mezzo a una giostra irresistibile di personaggi, Nina entra ed esce da case che diventano specchi delle vite degli altri, scrigni di confidenze e verità nascoste, finché non viene toccata da un amore improvviso che la cambia per sempre. Prendere o lasciare è un romanzo a quadri, che intreccia vite di uomini e donne colti in bilico tra l’arrendersi al destino e lottare per i propri sogni. Lydia Millet racconta storie traboccanti di realismo e poesia, dove perfino l’esperienza più crudele trova riscatto nella compassione. E con uno sguardo ricco di ironia e tenerezza ci rivela che accettare il caos è l’unica strada per trovare la felicità e un posto nel mondo da chiamare casa.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Book Club, Adult

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 12, 2018

About the author

Lydia Millet has written twelve works of fiction. She has won awards from PEN Center USA and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and her books have been longlisted for the National Book Award, shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and named as New York Times Notable Books. Her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She lives outside Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews

[da AL · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start, I worried that the characters weren't compelling enough to keep reading about, but I'm glad I did. In these short stand-alone stories, Millet refers often to real estate. Like bricks, one by one the book builds into the story of how our best families are often the ones we make. The audiobook performer is excellent.

[Janet Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interconnected short stories that I couldn't stop reading. Finished the book in two days. Some are gut punching but all are amazing. Moved to read other books by this author. What a talent!

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not so much a short story collection but a novel with a different character narrating each chapter. Lydia Millet is a master of controlling the reader's emotions throughout, and you'll find empathy in places you'd never expect.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Lydia Millet.
That's all.
She can do no wrong for me.

[Conor Ahern · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how I became aware of this book, but I didn't love it. It started off whimsical and funny, engaging. But the story (which is told through a series of characters who are connected to the protagonist, a SoCal realtor) was just kind of fluffy and not very interesting. It ended abruptly and without much effect.

It's short but I still think it's worth skipping.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I want in connected stories. One of these was so creepy! I’m still feeling it. Great writing, I will definitely read her again.

[Txkikind · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm hesitant to say that I really liked this book. I was turned off by the treatment of the black character in the first story. He comes back. But, while all of the other characters were able to grow and be developed, the black character in the first story was just a prop. And, the way that Nina made assumptions about his background was certainly off putting. I think that's what's hard about being a black woman and reading white authors write about black characters. They're never fully developed and they're used in the story of the "more interesting" white characters.

Now, if I wasn't a black woman, and I didn't notice how the black character was used, I would say I really liked this book. I liked the story. I liked how there was a common thread among all of the characters. I liked how dark and sad the stories were. But, I am a black woman. Always will be. And because I read the stories through the lens of my experience, I couldn't fully enjoy this otherwise nicely written book.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've added 12 copies of Fight No More to Your Checkout Cart: People Who Purchased This Item Also Purchased The Very Best of the Smiths Box Sets: The Box Set and a potpourri mix that promises bliss

This generation's Visit from the Goon Squad. Read the first two short stories - OK, not terrible, passed the time. I imagine there will be a big audience for this collection, namely that sweet spot where "housewives" and "real estate agents" meets on the Venn, so I don't feel bad giving up: this book will be read by many others, I'm sure, and passed around the office and Sheila will all order us a copy on her Amazon Prime for the next book club. I bounced around the remainder of the book, was disappointed to see a Mercedes SUV described as a "gas-guzzler". There was another chapter about vampires (but unreal undead: the mocked guest on a Geraldoesque TV talkshow variety). It was OK, but I read it quick, without savoring. Page 101 has a great prose-poem about how Rocky Horror Picture Show fans eventually grow up: "Back then they went to watch a film about transvestite aliens, humanoid scientists in drag who made beautiful Frankenstein monsters...ate the body of Meatloaf out of a coffin. ...sang along to songs about unbridled lust...Later they turned into...gas station attendants and divorce lawyers." I chopped it up, here, because the full paragraph is a thing of beauty and you should at least, if you want to read it in full, take a look at a library copy or ask to borrow Sheila's when she's done. She's got it sitting there on the coffee table with a bookmark sticking out to let you know, full well, she's reading it and, hell or highwater, she'll be done by next Tuesday.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because Millet has moments of profound insight and my gurl can write!

This is a series of linked short stories, all brought together by Nina who is a realtor is Southern California who is selling or has sold the homes of central characters in each story, and who is friends with other characters. These are high end residences, but behind the gates and the bougainvillea terraces there is ugliness, there are countless mistakes, some regret, a lot of wistfulness, and a fair bit of evil. The stories are really smart. They are packed with moments of clear and heartbreaking truth, and are also often quite funny. My problem is that some of the characters are molded according to a modernized Freudian script -- Modernized because it is most often the fathers rather than the mothers who are to blame for "ruining" their kids. One example: The teen whose father walks out to shack up with a sweet but incredibly stupid younger woman whom he knocked up acts out through self-sabotaging often vaguely sexual behavior. Another example: A teen who drops out of school and launches an online sex site because her stepfather molested her. Don't worry, everyone worthy will be saved by love, clean living, and a sense of worth. So much of this is rich and surprising and canny and all of the very good highlights the parts that are crafted based on watching old troubled teen Lifetime movies and reading confessional YA and Psych 101 texts. Even with the clunk, this is a very worthwhile collection.

[William Mego · Rating 5 out of 5]

A set of stories which like many good stories, devastate you. After the first two, I pined at the thought that I desperately wanted to know what would happen in the characters lives. Delightedly, we find out. But for every sweet joy, a gut-punch. Unabashedly I say this is brilliant writing, and I’m in love.

[Laura Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publication date: June 12, 2018
Writing: 4 Plot: 4 Character: 4

A set of 13 interlocking stories about individuals loosely coupled through L.A. real estate transactions. A wide variety of topics - a depressed musician in a pool, a house whose owner swears little men have moved in to do all the work, a phone sex worker who lands a gig as a nanny, surprising new loves, an old woman giving up her home - each story is a told from the perspective of a single person reflecting on some aspect of their life.

I’m not a short story fan in general, but I quickly warmed to these stories, especially as characters reappeared and were allowed to develop. I found the women to be written with more depth and perception than the men. The men are either scumbags or saints (plus one teenage boy trying to choose between the two). For me the collection got better as it went on - the first few stories were OK but by the time I got to the 4th or 5th story I was hooked and they just kept getting better and better. The last story was my favorite.

These are intimate portraits of individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and while not a novel with a clear narrative arc, characters do continually brush up against each other, sometimes with impact and sometimes not. A clear reminder that while each person is the center of their own story, those near by are busily starring in their own.

Great for fans of Ellen Gilchrist

[Dave Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

thats three in a row. my favorite unappreciated author.
this is listed as short stories but its actually more of a novel broken up into more discreet pieces. it works very well as a coherent whole with several different stories woven together. good characters and good stories and good writing. its also a short quick read. so it ticks every box.

[Suesaroo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying collection

[Gila Gila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will need to read this again - twice more I’m thinking, first much more slowly to answer all the questions I couldn’t stop to find the answer to, and also to force myself to take in the bits I left in the dust as my mind stepped on the gas, we’ll come back, this is too much, too painful, keep going. Then I imagine I’ll want to tear straight through it, able to look at all of it, already knowing what the flashing red lights will bring.

I made notes on every story - but really this isn’t a collection of stories, it’s a novel of intertwined characters told from a range of their experiences. There are streaks of light, even of humour; but there is also suicide, incestuous rape and memories of life under the N*zis, a recurring trail of loss. And yet - there is also hope, there’s surprising honor where there had been none, sudden, unexpected good turns of fate and luck. There is Lydia Millet’s love for those in her pages who are struggling to do the right thing, even after failures, falling many times before, shown to us in the moments they try their best again to rise. Fight No More is as strong as they come.

[Melinda]

Realized I was hate reading so my friend convinced me to stop - DNF @50%

The homophobic and ableist remarks/slurs completely took away from whatever narrative was attempting to be told in these short stories and I just couldn't continue

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story collection. My favorite of Millet's work to date. 4.5 stars

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best short story collections I've read in a long time. The stories are linked through Nina, a real estate agent, and all the stories deal directly or indirectly with the idea of home -- what makes a home comfortable, meaningful, how attached we get and how that attachment brings out both the best and worst in us. Millet is especially adept at characterization, both with characters that make your skin crawl (Pete...but you can't stop reading) to characters that seem like a lost cause but have more depth and compassion than you realize (Jem and Lexie). Highly recommended.

[Jerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ rounded up. This book is a collection of interconnected short stories that revolve around a real estate agent and the people whose houses she sells. The stories have a very modern feel and encompass issues of race and poverty vs wealth. The characters are widely varied from wayward teens to older Holocaust survivor. Each is told from the perspective of a different character and the individual voices ring true. More of a character study than a story.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why on earth is Lydia Millet not a more well known author? These stories are truly wonderful, engaging, and just a little off kilter. So enjoyable. I loved Sweet Lamb of Heaven, and now that I've also loved this, I'm tempted to go back and read the entirety of her work.

[Jo Birdsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books this year. Each short story was complete. How each story related to the others was masterfully done. I wanted to keep reading but did not want to finish the book.

[Libriletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

8

Leggere questo libro è stato come osservare un mosaico di vite, frammenti che si incastrano senza mai completarsi del tutto. Lydia Millet costruisce una narrazione volutamente spezzata, come se ci invitasse a guardare attraverso l’occhiello esterno di una porta: vediamo scene di esistenze, scorci di case, persone colte in momenti sospesi, senza che ci sia concesso un prima o un dopo.

Questa struttura, che potrebbe sembrare dispersiva, diventa invece il vero punto di forza del libro. I personaggi sono ben delineati, ciascuno con il proprio bagaglio di ombre e desideri, e i diversi fili narrativi offrono spunti che incuriosiscono e tengono alta l’attenzione. Un romanzo da cui non bisogna pretendere risposte, ma che apre tante finestre su mondi possibili.

[_nuovocapitolo_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Èsempre affascinante entrare in un romanzo americano. I paesaggi, gli oggetti e soprattutto i pensieri. Sono i pensieri, e le parole con cui vengono espressi, a fare una cultura. E l’immaginazione. Che ha tanta parte in Prendere o lasciare, romanzo di Lydia Millet che svela qualcosa dell’America che forse sappiamo e forse no, ma che è importante tenere presente.

La protagonista del romanzo si chiama Nina e fa l’agente immobiliare a Los Angeles. Tratta dimore incredibilmente costose per clienti incredibilmente ricchi. La prima casa che vediamo con lei è una villa con piscina aggrappata a un canyon scosceso, sulle colline dietro Los Angeles. Vista imperdibile sulla città. Piscina dall’illuminazione psichedelica. Le 120 giornate di Sodoma nascoste in un cesto nel bagno padronale.

I primi acquirenti sono un giovane con un berretto di finto leopardo, accompagnato da altri due giovani, uno che guida la macchina e l’altro che sembra fare da guardia del corpo. Il giovane non ha chiesto un mutuo e ha detto che paga tutto subito. Forse anche per questo Nina si immagina sia un dittatore africano. Di quelli che hanno accumulato genocidi e ricchezze in pari quantità. Il presunto dittatore, mentre gli altri due fanno il giro della casa e vengono invitati a guardare le finestre e i particolari, si ferma davanti alla piscina. E in un attimo in cui nessuno guarda, nella piscina cade, o si butta, e resta dentro, immobile. Ma per fortuna i due accompagnatori sono veloci, lo tirano fuori, e con grande sforzo lo rianimano. Nina chiama l’ambulanza. Tutto si risolve per il meglio.

Ma il tempo breve in cui tutto questo si consuma è sufficiente per svelare che il giovane presunto dittatore caduto nella piscina è un musicista, e le presunte guardie del corpo e autista sono i musicisti della sua band. Ed è sufficiente perché il presunto autista, (Lenny) un nero maestoso, parli con Nina e la affascini con la sua voce oltre che con i rami di ciliegio che ha tatuati sul petto, con i fiori bianchi. Lenny e Nina si telefonano, escono insieme e si innamorano. Lenny è gentile, delicato, quasi a compensare la sua stazza. Nina riscopre quanto sia bello amare, con slancio e semplicità.

Intanto, nelle altre ville di L.A. oggetto di compravendita, altre vite si spostano e cambiano. La vecchia signora che lascia una casa molto amata per trasferirsi nella dependence della villa del figlio. La baby sitter improvvisata che riesce finalmente a sfuggire agli abusi del patrigno. L’adolescente che ha provato di tutto per evitare la vendita della lussuosa casa dei genitori che si sono separati. La vampira che tiene scoiattoli e altri animali nel congelatore e cerca una/un vampiro a cui vendere la proprietà. E la signora che pensa di abitare con i sette nani, purtroppo ormai cresciuti e diventati troppo invadenti.

Un catalogo di bizzarrie che certo attingono all’immaginazione ma che altrettanto certamente hanno radici nella vita reale e nella reale stranezza delle persone. Soprattutto in una società come quella americana che, pur essendo rigida e categorica come poche altre, ha un’infinita tolleranza verso le stramberie individuali. Purché restino individuali, e non vadano a intaccare il business e i soldi. Anzi se business e soldi se ne avvantaggiano, ben vengano. Anche se molto spesso, per non dire sempre, quelle stranezze sono il vestito di fragilità, ferite, sofferenze e inadeguatezze che non hanno trovato un altro spazio e un ascolto. Quando del tutto per caso lo spazio e l’ascolto si aprono, insieme al dolore e alla sensibilità emergono gentilezze, delicatezze, tenerezze e dolcezze preziose e bellissime. Che vanno anche a compensare un uso dell’immaginazione che è personale fino al parossismo e che è così privo di valori e conoscenze da vagare nel vuoto e disorientare ulteriormente. Mentre l’immaginazione che ci può salvare, che ci fa costruire il futuro, è quella guidata, condotta con rigore e disciplina. Quella che poggia su valori, saperi e approfondimenti.

Lasciar razzolare l’immaginazione in totale libertà rischia di farci perdere. E il totale disorientamento dei personaggi rispecchia sicuramente la realtà. La rispecchia anche involontariamente. E anche se proviamo affetto e comprensione verso di loro, ci resta il senso di una sprovvedutezza, di un’inconsapevolezza un po’ pericolosa. Ma poi ci sono le case. Le case che sono tante e diverse come le vite. Quelle amate e rimpiante, lasciate per cause di forza maggiore; quelle felicemente fuggite insieme agli abusi che vi si consumavano; quelle pensate e mai realizzate; quelle fredde come chi le abita, e quelle accoglienti. Le case che anche se passano di mano in mano in fretta, quasi fossero abiti, conservano la storia di chi ci ha abitato, e ne lasciano una traccia per chi arriva dopo.

Le case che possono raggiungere delle cifre impensabili, in certe zone degli Stati Uniti. In California i loro prezzi sono una delle cause dell’aumento del numero di homeless. Ci sono homeless che lavorano ma non guadagnano abbastanza da potersi permettere un’abitazione. Ci sono anche homeless impiegati nelle start up della tecnologia, nella Silicon Valley e dintorni: dormono in macchina perché la casa che di possono permettere dista due o tre ore di strada dal luogo di lavoro. Le case sono quindi anche il luogo dell’ingiustizia sociale, del grande divario tra ricchi e poveri, sempre più incolmabile e sempre più generatore di effetti perversi.

Ecco, anche da un romanzo che non ha intenti particolari, che indaga nell’animo e nell’intimità delle persone, che mette a confronto la realtà e l’immaginario in una dimensione appunto del tutto privata e individuale, anche da un romanzo “innocente” appare il ritratto di un’America alla deriva, prigioniera dell’estremizzazione e della nemesi di quegli stessi valori che l’hanno fatta grande e l’hanno resa irresistibile. E quindi oltre alla bellezza della lettura, della scrittura, della delicatezza e dell’umanità che pervadono le pagine, possiamo concederci anche qualche riflessione in più. Che si sa, è il mestiere della letteratura.

[Brita]

I didn't realize these stories were linked until the third or fourth one - a pleasant surprise. Judging by the Goodreads opinions of her last two novels - both of which I thoroughly enjoyed - Millet is a divisive figure. Some reviewers find her "too clever," which seems weirdly offensive to me. This collection is front-loaded with some mildly obscene material that sensitive readers may find off-putting, but I would urge them to push through, as the stories become increasingly subtle. My two favorite pieces come from the perspective of an extremely self-aware older woman, whose bittersweet insights on aging seem spot-on to me. ("She'd held it as an article of faith that distance gave you insight. But distance gave you distance.")

[Michele Harrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I grabbed this at the library - possibly because of the tag in the front that proclaimed it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Maybe because I thought some short stories would be a nice distraction to dip into, between other books. Ha! By the third story the characters had me by the throat and I’ve barely been able to put this down. I love how all the stories cleverly link together. Acerbic genius! With characters to love and loathe. I’m going straight from here to order up all her other work.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the easiest 5-star ratings I’ve given. Ms. Millet continues to amaze! No spoilers here, just kudos for writing at its best, when you forget you’re even reading a book because you’re so caught up in the lives of the characters. And boy, does she know how to end a story! This book may look like a collection of short stories, but they are connected, so it’s probably best to read them in order. My favorite one, though, is “The Fall of Berlin.” Outstanding!

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I take my hat off to Lydia Millet and will read anything and everything she puts out there. I don’t remember how many laugh-out-loud moments she gave me with these sharply observed and skillfully crafted stories. There is nothing cutesy about Millet: she writes like one of those really good, no-nonsense medical technicians would give you a swift poke directly into a vein. She just hits the mark every time and gets the job done.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read any of Linda Millet's work before, but I plan to get acquainted with her backlist. I don't usually read many collections of short stories, but this book received lots of good press, and I liked that the stories were connected by a real estate theme. The writing was descriptive without being fussy, and the characters didn't sound alike.

[Lauren Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. The book floats from different character's perspectives and it was a struggle to track what was going on chapter to chapter. Also, while some of the stories were interesting, some were super odd? There's literally a lady who think she has seven dwarves renovating her house.

[Andy Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia Millet is growing into one of my favorite authors. This is such a strange and compelling collection of short stories that I couldn’t put it down. She has a way with words, and with characters, that just feel like she’s telling you what she saw people do throughout her day. It’s just honest.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

interconnected stories from pov's of characters from wildly different socieconomic circumstances and dysfunction whose lives intersect in varying degrees. At turns, bleak and hopeful. brilliant.