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Everybody Loves Somebody
Joanna Scott's unparalleled gift for storytelling has inspired hyperbole from critics and her devoted fanbase, which includes some of the most preeminent writers of our time. But not since Various Antidotes, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, has she turned her talents toward short stories.
At the seaside wedding of two lovers kept apart by the caprices of fate, a doting uncle looks on while his errant brother, father of the bride,struggles to free himself from a locked bathroom across town. A young woman arrives in Jazz Age New York with stars in her eyes and a few coins in her pocket and after a string of failed jobs, she thinks she's found salvation in a romance with her boss at a local greasy spoon but learns that her idea of herself and others' ideas of her are quite different. A bright business man seems content with all the trappings his good fortune affords, until a flat tire and a chance encounter with a couple of mechanics in the country upsets his entire view.
Here Joanna Scott offers a group of tales that celebrate her acknowledged sense of character, plot and her gift for capturing the breathtaking tension even in life's quietest moments.
At the seaside wedding of two lovers kept apart by the caprices of fate, a doting uncle looks on while his errant brother, father of the bride,struggles to free himself from a locked bathroom across town. A young woman arrives in Jazz Age New York with stars in her eyes and a few coins in her pocket and after a string of failed jobs, she thinks she's found salvation in a romance with her boss at a local greasy spoon but learns that her idea of herself and others' ideas of her are quite different. A bright business man seems content with all the trappings his good fortune affords, until a flat tire and a chance encounter with a couple of mechanics in the country upsets his entire view.
Here Joanna Scott offers a group of tales that celebrate her acknowledged sense of character, plot and her gift for capturing the breathtaking tension even in life's quietest moments.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2006
6 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Scott
25 books66 followersfrom the backcover:
Joanna Scott is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rochester. She has also taught in the creative writing programs at Princeton University and the University of Maryland. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship during the writing of Arrogance.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Joanna^^Scott
Joanna Scott is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rochester. She has also taught in the creative writing programs at Princeton University and the University of Maryland. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship during the writing of Arrogance.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Joanna^^Scott
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 3, 2017
This short story collection by Joanna Scott is as gorgeous as that cover. Really, it is. I think when you can say that 8 out of the 10 stories presented here are wonderful and memorable, then that says something about the quality and originality of the writing contained within.
(As much as I love short stories (and I do), it is a very rare thing indeed when I love every story in a particular collection. This one comes really, really close to fitting that bill. I'll admit, "Yip" and "Or Else" didn't quite grab me, but that's OK.)
Everybody Loves Somebody is a remarkable collection of just 10 stories filled with unforgettable characters and prose rendered so beautiful that it is almost breathtaking.
Like this, from "The Queen of Sheba is Afraid of Snow," a story about an 11 year old illiterate girl living in poverty with her great-grandmother, who sells sweet potatoes and popcorn from a street cart in order to provide for the twosome. (The girl's mother is an "angel" in a religious cult.) This story is one of the very best and if I had to pick one, probably my favorite in the collection.)
"Not that the child had any sort of queenly shine to her. Her coffee skin was splotched with freckles, and her eyes usually had a startled gleam to them, as if she couldn't believe what she'd seen. Truth was, she believed too much. She believed that sinners spend eternity tied to a roasting spit over a huge bonfire; she believed her mother was a sinner, just as Granny said; she believed that when she grew up she'd have her own huckster cart and sell sweet potatoes and popcorn along Lenox Avenue; she also believed that the angels were waiting for her granny, tapping their silver slippers expectantly, though Granny never said as much and instead kept on like a mechanical soldier march, march, marching across a toy-shop floor. But the old woman had a way of moaning in her sleep that made her sound like she was saying goodbye to life. The girl didn't think far enough ahead to worry about who would take care of her when Granny died, - she wondered about that strange moment when Granny would drift from her bed up to heaven, imagined that the angels would hover outside the window blowing trumpets while the neighbors came running. The girl only hoped she'd reach the rooftop in time to see her grandmother slip through the glided door at the crest of the sky." (pg. 98)
See what I mean?
I also liked Scott's final story in this book. "The Lucite Cane," where an elderly man's cane almost becomes a character itself. How this simple cane and the presence thereof manages to ensnare so many lives is a heartbreaking tale.
As the description on the back cover says, "At a seaside wedding in 1919, a doting uncle observes the happy scene while his errant brother - the father of the bride - struggles to free himself from a locked bathroom ["Heaven and Hell"]. A young woman new to Jazz Age New York strikes up a dangerous relationship with her boss ["Stumble"]. Two old women gamble with a diplomat who counts General Franco as his friend ["Freeze-Out"]. An apartment building burns ["Across from the Shannonso"]. Children are lost ["Worry"]. Children are found. [not saying which story this is, for fear of spoilers]. A single character experiences life in multiple versions ["Or Else"]. And everybody keeps looking for someone to love."
Don't these stories sound intriguing? They are. One of the other original qualities about Everybody Loves Somebody is that the stories span an entire decade. They're not interconnected, but rather the first one starts in 1919, then the next is set in the Jazz Age, etc. One of the last few (I forget which one) ends circa 1972. I really liked that continuity throughout the book.
I think this collection would be especially good for people who claim not to like short stories for one reason or another. Yes, you might grow a little attached to some of these characters, but that only means they might stay with you longer.
Although I'd heard of Joanna Scott before picking up this collection, I only knew of her recent novel, Follow Me, which I had borrowed from the library and had to return unread before it was due. I'm glad I was introduced to her work through her short stories though. I happened to stumble on this while browsing the library's stacks. If these stories are any indication of Joanna Scott's talent, you can bet I am looking forward to reading more.
(As much as I love short stories (and I do), it is a very rare thing indeed when I love every story in a particular collection. This one comes really, really close to fitting that bill. I'll admit, "Yip" and "Or Else" didn't quite grab me, but that's OK.)
Everybody Loves Somebody is a remarkable collection of just 10 stories filled with unforgettable characters and prose rendered so beautiful that it is almost breathtaking.
Like this, from "The Queen of Sheba is Afraid of Snow," a story about an 11 year old illiterate girl living in poverty with her great-grandmother, who sells sweet potatoes and popcorn from a street cart in order to provide for the twosome. (The girl's mother is an "angel" in a religious cult.) This story is one of the very best and if I had to pick one, probably my favorite in the collection.)
"Not that the child had any sort of queenly shine to her. Her coffee skin was splotched with freckles, and her eyes usually had a startled gleam to them, as if she couldn't believe what she'd seen. Truth was, she believed too much. She believed that sinners spend eternity tied to a roasting spit over a huge bonfire; she believed her mother was a sinner, just as Granny said; she believed that when she grew up she'd have her own huckster cart and sell sweet potatoes and popcorn along Lenox Avenue; she also believed that the angels were waiting for her granny, tapping their silver slippers expectantly, though Granny never said as much and instead kept on like a mechanical soldier march, march, marching across a toy-shop floor. But the old woman had a way of moaning in her sleep that made her sound like she was saying goodbye to life. The girl didn't think far enough ahead to worry about who would take care of her when Granny died, - she wondered about that strange moment when Granny would drift from her bed up to heaven, imagined that the angels would hover outside the window blowing trumpets while the neighbors came running. The girl only hoped she'd reach the rooftop in time to see her grandmother slip through the glided door at the crest of the sky." (pg. 98)
See what I mean?
I also liked Scott's final story in this book. "The Lucite Cane," where an elderly man's cane almost becomes a character itself. How this simple cane and the presence thereof manages to ensnare so many lives is a heartbreaking tale.
As the description on the back cover says, "At a seaside wedding in 1919, a doting uncle observes the happy scene while his errant brother - the father of the bride - struggles to free himself from a locked bathroom ["Heaven and Hell"]. A young woman new to Jazz Age New York strikes up a dangerous relationship with her boss ["Stumble"]. Two old women gamble with a diplomat who counts General Franco as his friend ["Freeze-Out"]. An apartment building burns ["Across from the Shannonso"]. Children are lost ["Worry"]. Children are found. [not saying which story this is, for fear of spoilers]. A single character experiences life in multiple versions ["Or Else"]. And everybody keeps looking for someone to love."
Don't these stories sound intriguing? They are. One of the other original qualities about Everybody Loves Somebody is that the stories span an entire decade. They're not interconnected, but rather the first one starts in 1919, then the next is set in the Jazz Age, etc. One of the last few (I forget which one) ends circa 1972. I really liked that continuity throughout the book.
I think this collection would be especially good for people who claim not to like short stories for one reason or another. Yes, you might grow a little attached to some of these characters, but that only means they might stay with you longer.
Although I'd heard of Joanna Scott before picking up this collection, I only knew of her recent novel, Follow Me, which I had borrowed from the library and had to return unread before it was due. I'm glad I was introduced to her work through her short stories though. I happened to stumble on this while browsing the library's stacks. If these stories are any indication of Joanna Scott's talent, you can bet I am looking forward to reading more.
August 28, 2021
Everybody loves some short stories. But not in this instance:
scattered good ones, some just o.k, one way too long.
I give it a grudging 2.99 stars.
scattered good ones, some just o.k, one way too long.
I give it a grudging 2.99 stars.
March 8, 2019
Although I have (so far) read only two of Joanna Scott's books, a novel and this book of highly unusual short stories, she has become one of my favorite authors. The stories published in "Everybody Loves Somebody" are mostly written from third person perspective, but all are so minutely detailed that we seem to live each experience described.
May 5, 2021
The stories about Nora were fascinating, sort of like the Midnight Library!
May 9, 2009
After reading Follow Me, I had very high expectations for the remainder of Scott's books. In this collection of short stories, her writing really focuses on character sketches more than narrative, despite that fact that her ability to weave together plot lines into a cohesive story is second-to-none.
After my initial disappointment that the stories were not as compelling as what I found in Follow Me, I realized that this collection was a good resource for me as a writer. I spent a lot of time focused on her description of characters - the way they moved, spoke, smelled, dressed, and behaved. Rather than feeling like an outside observing a situation unfolding, I found that I was very much side by side with the characters, learning about their unqiue personality quirks and histories.
As a writer, this book was very helpful to me from a character study point-of-view. It answers all of the questions that an author must consider to create characters that truly spring from the page. It reminded me of break-outs you might read in preparation for a theatre performance. They are the back stories for colorful characters who could each easily be made into their own full-length novels.
After my initial disappointment that the stories were not as compelling as what I found in Follow Me, I realized that this collection was a good resource for me as a writer. I spent a lot of time focused on her description of characters - the way they moved, spoke, smelled, dressed, and behaved. Rather than feeling like an outside observing a situation unfolding, I found that I was very much side by side with the characters, learning about their unqiue personality quirks and histories.
As a writer, this book was very helpful to me from a character study point-of-view. It answers all of the questions that an author must consider to create characters that truly spring from the page. It reminded me of break-outs you might read in preparation for a theatre performance. They are the back stories for colorful characters who could each easily be made into their own full-length novels.
March 3, 2009
I went to the library, looking for another book by Joanna Scott and picked this up instead, thinking it was a novel. I was disappointed to see it was short stories, but I'm trying to be more open to the genre. So, I opened it. And, now that I've closed it, I'm keeping my long-standing prejudice. These stories are forgettable, so much so that I had to thumb backwards to refresh my memory of only a few days. I didn't care about the characters, either. The moral of the story is to open and skim the books before I take them home from the library. Now, to wrestle with the question of second chances and redemption with Scott's novel, Tourmaline.
October 8, 2013
This collection is a very different animal than Various Antidotes, which I loved. Is it fair to call Everybody Loves Somebody more right-brained than Various Antidotes? Joanna Scott is an extraordinary writer. Read this book in a weekend, which never happens, even with story collections I really like. I just kept needing to see what else she could pull off.
Yikes, that cover. Really, Back Bay? Really?!
Yikes, that cover. Really, Back Bay? Really?!
March 26, 2010
As with many collections of short stories, these vary in quality from quite good to boring. Quite good would encompass the interconnected stories titled "Or Else" which follow the possible adventures of Nora. Each story posits a different life choice for her and it is up to the reader to imagine which he prefers. Not an original concept,but well done in this instance.
March 31, 2011
This is a series of short stories which I didn't realize when I started, but ended up being perfect for a beach vacation read. The stories were good but a little TOO short for my liking; I needed a few more pages of each storyline b/c i often felt like it left me wondering too much at the end of each and was slightly incomplete.
April 27, 2008
interesting collection of short stories set in post WWI era. "worry" was my favorite of all the stories
Not easy to read straight through though, I would do a story read something else and then return to the book
checked it out of the library b/c of the bee on the cover
Not easy to read straight through though, I would do a story read something else and then return to the book
checked it out of the library b/c of the bee on the cover
December 20, 2008
Various stories of people and those they love. I had to force myself to get even half-way through with this book. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. Once again, I was drawn in by the beautiful picture on the cover.
July 11, 2011
It's very hard to give this book a rating. Some of the stories were absolutely superb (the four-part Nora Owens story gave me goosebumps) while others didn't move me at all.
What fantastic writing, though.
What fantastic writing, though.
May 21, 2007
I didn't realize this was short stories when I started. I wished each story would continue. I probably won't finish it as I never sit down anymore.
July 19, 2007
a collection of short stories, this book has a nice feel to it. the writing is stronger in some parts than others but the book was a pleasant read.
February 4, 2008
Expertly-crafted short stories, super good.
June 6, 2008
Very well written short stories-Scott has a flair for descriptive details.
July 16, 2009
short stories
September 19, 2010
Excellent short stories
February 4, 2015
A collection of short stories about a variety of relationships. Very imaginative.
July 30, 2007
Great short stories to enjoy
March 2, 2008
I liked a couple of these stories but was unimpressed by the rest.
April 27, 2013
well so far its really good and interesting
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews