The Falling Nun: And Other Stories

by Pamela Rafael Berkman

In this collection of twelve dazzling and sensual stories, Pamela Rafael Berkman explores the perplexities of contemporary life through the eyes of women searching for love, truth, and faith. In the title story, a group of coworkers who order miniature plastic nuns rumored to bring love suffer surprising and disheartening consequences. In "Tat," the heroine gets an elaborate Victorian valentine tattooed on her arm and learns the real meaning of wearing her heart on her sleeve. And in "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown," the classic holiday program brings temporary peace to a troubled young woman. Throughout, miracles and revelations abound, appearing in the most unexpected places -- a planetarium on a college campus, a yuppie Christmas party, a silversmith's booth at an outdoor fair, a corner bar on Halloween. In capturing the dilemmas and difficulties of our times, Berkman brings to life the eternal longings of the human heart.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2003

Reviews

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

P.R. Berkman provides a window into the thoughts and feelings of several different young women in her collection of 12 short stories. Honesty exists as the women focus on the interior, but twists and turns of the truth happens as these ideas & sensations are expressed publicly. Written in great detail with surprising grit.

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a lot of mediocre short stories in my career as an English major. This book is a collection of your typical, over-thought, pretentious short stories. The saving grace of this book is the final story, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown." I really think the author was trying to hard to make the stories deep and meaningful.
Her writing wasn't bad, I just found the stories very melo-dramatic.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading these short stories because they were different than most things I read. I felt the author was interesting and novel!
I bought the book because of the name... why else!

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pamela Berkman has a gift in her characterization and dialogue...very real! For me it was much too liberal, and too many Catholic school references, though.