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Caryatids: Short Stories
For centuries, sculptors and architects have been fascinated with caryatids, the sculpted female figures used as support columns for classical buildings. But there are also human caryatids, metaphorical pillars of society. In Caryatids , author Michaele Benedict offers thirty-four remarkable short stories of transformation and survival that show lovers, teachers, artists and thieves supporting their various causes, but sometimes just getting fed up and walking away from the job. In the story “Caryatids,” the statues speak. “The Diener” reveals how the letter "Y" can sum up everything that's wrong. “A Moving Target” tells how a college psychology teacher is haunted by the ghost of Sigmund Freud—and by a number of hopeful ladies. Poppa does his best to take care of his motherless girls in “Poppa's Fiddle.” Annie becomes obsessed with trash after she loses the baby in “Temporary, Like Achilles,” Fleurette leads the good life on the French Riviera in “The Violin of Ingres,” and in “Michal’s Story” we learn about the first wife of King David, bought with a hundred Philistine foreskins. Who, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, would want to hold up a floor for others to dance upon? Caryatids suggests some answers.
270 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 13, 2016
Michaele Benedict’s book of short stories, Caryatids, is the kind of book a reader will return to time and again. Benedict can tell a wonderfully engrossing story and has such a command of her craft that you don’t even notice how skillfully she weaves description of time and place in such a way as to put you into the moment. Each story features thoroughly developed, wonderfully engaging characters who spring to life on the page. The stories are not interconnected and the book can be read by going to a title or two that look interesting, or it can be read sequentially.
Benedict’s subtle humor shines through in many of the stories, beginning with the first, “Caryatids,” which gives us a fanciful look at the Greek statues of the book’s title and weaves an intriguing story of how tiresome they must find it to have held up a roof for centuries on end …with a delightful twist.
As a musician, I appreciate how she weaves music into many of the stories and it is the focus in some, in particular my favorite, “Morning in Majorca,” a poignant vignette from the life of a dying composer and the woman who shared his life for a time.
Indeed, each story in this book is like a carefully chosen bead, each one different, which is placed thoughtfully on a string, and the result is a harmonious whole. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is the work of an exceptionally gifted author who leaves the reader remembering and thinking. And going back to re-read one or more stories … or perhaps all of them.
Benedict’s subtle humor shines through in many of the stories, beginning with the first, “Caryatids,” which gives us a fanciful look at the Greek statues of the book’s title and weaves an intriguing story of how tiresome they must find it to have held up a roof for centuries on end …with a delightful twist.
As a musician, I appreciate how she weaves music into many of the stories and it is the focus in some, in particular my favorite, “Morning in Majorca,” a poignant vignette from the life of a dying composer and the woman who shared his life for a time.
Indeed, each story in this book is like a carefully chosen bead, each one different, which is placed thoughtfully on a string, and the result is a harmonious whole. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is the work of an exceptionally gifted author who leaves the reader remembering and thinking. And going back to re-read one or more stories … or perhaps all of them.
February 6, 2016
Mikie Benedict has a way of creating a little vignettes with characters that you want to get to know more intimately. Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews