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The Beautiful Changes
The title novella and four short stories in Molly McCloskey's dazzling second book vary in setting, tone and characterization, but their subject, always, is love. McCloskey writes of broken families, misbegotten relationships, the mysterious communion of brothers and sisters, and the invincible love of a father and daughter, in a voice at once witty, warm and sharp. Her characters are lonely when together, and pulled by the unfathomable imperatives of the heart when alone. From the dual quest narrative of 'The Beautiful Changes' - a daughter's quest for a lost father, and the father's quest for sobriety - to the funny and moving tales of family life and sexual misadventure in the shorter stories, Molly McCloskey shows herself to be a philosopher of tears, and a storyteller of the first rank.
- GenresShort Stories
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2013
The title story was great; "Snow" and "Dust" were alright. The rest felt too abstract and overly descriptive. "Here, Now" didn't make a whole lot of sense. I liked McCloskey's ability to describe emotions and sensations very precisely, but her constant need for precision in her descriptions often made reading her stories a laborious task.
Favorite quotes:
"Over the years, Nathan has been called: an old soul, a good soul, a good soldier, a good egg, a good bloke (by a British exchange student), an island, an oak tree, a lonely planet. This separateness of his, this agonized solemnity, this inaction for God's sake, so often mistaken for depth. When what he wishes for is fire, outrage, a cruel streak even. He wonders if he has ever been truly disliked in his life. He thinks not, and he puts this down to a sorry lack of conviction on his part."
"In the old days, she knows, you held back because you cared. And in the even older days you didn't have to hold back, because the stuff just wasn't there, there was no scorecard yet. You made untold allowances for each other's feelings. You hardly even knew you did it and you certainly never mentioned it. But pretty soon you wanted credit for all those allowances you'd made and from there it was only one step to the place where you just didn't make them anymore."
Favorite quotes:
"Over the years, Nathan has been called: an old soul, a good soul, a good soldier, a good egg, a good bloke (by a British exchange student), an island, an oak tree, a lonely planet. This separateness of his, this agonized solemnity, this inaction for God's sake, so often mistaken for depth. When what he wishes for is fire, outrage, a cruel streak even. He wonders if he has ever been truly disliked in his life. He thinks not, and he puts this down to a sorry lack of conviction on his part."
"In the old days, she knows, you held back because you cared. And in the even older days you didn't have to hold back, because the stuff just wasn't there, there was no scorecard yet. You made untold allowances for each other's feelings. You hardly even knew you did it and you certainly never mentioned it. But pretty soon you wanted credit for all those allowances you'd made and from there it was only one step to the place where you just didn't make them anymore."
December 13, 2013
Wow, the novella in the book, Beautiful Changes, was the most heart wrenching and beautifully written story of alcoholism and father/daughter relationships I have ever read. Ever. Had to take a short breather before beginning the next story in the book.
The stories that followed touched again and again on the frailty of human relationships. The last story left me a bit unsatisfied, it was a bit abstract for me, especially in comparison to the others in the collection. This could be partly my fault as I couldn't seem to let go the the story preceding it, often a problem I have when reading short stories. I need to take longer breaks between them.
The stories that followed touched again and again on the frailty of human relationships. The last story left me a bit unsatisfied, it was a bit abstract for me, especially in comparison to the others in the collection. This could be partly my fault as I couldn't seem to let go the the story preceding it, often a problem I have when reading short stories. I need to take longer breaks between them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews