Mr. Right Is Dead

by Rona Jeffe

Often regarded as her finest and most literary work, "Mr. Right Is Dead" is Rona Jaffe's collection of short stories from 1965. Containing five stories and one novella, each story has the savvy and sharp tone that characterize the best of Rona Jaffe's writing. The title novella centers on a call girl with "a heart of gold," who acquires lovers and money with her innocent charm, and closes with "Rima The Bird Girl," about a woman who assumes a new identity each time she has an affair. Each story carries its own unique and engaging voice; altogether they are about women looking for self-fulfillment and salvation through lovers, money, and fleeting worldly pleasures. "Mr. Right Is Dead" is about those searching desperately for "the best of everything" and learning a great deal about love, and its falsities, along the way.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Classics, Feminism, Summer Reads, Anthologies

Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Anika Azad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Right is dead was written by Rona Jaffe in 1965. This book was tough to get.
Even though it was written in 1965, all of it can be fitted perfectly in 2022. Mr. Right is dead consists of 6 short stories. Has love ever molded you? Or have you molded love? Has it given you power? Was it a play?

Mr. Right is dead- 4.5💫
A story about a new york stripper Melba Toast from the perspective of her friend who admires her and is jealous of her at the same time.
"I do think Mel is special because she has a capacity for survival on her own terms that surpasses any I have ever seen."
"Disrespect is a wonderful armor for the shy."
"I am so jealous of her for being able to be happy with so little."
"Melba doesn't know what she's doing- if she did, she wouldn't be able to do it so well."

Guess who this is- 3.5💫
A very flat storyline about a Hollywood couple who are just bored.

He can't be dead, he spoke to me- 0💫
If anyone reads the story, feel free to explain what's happening. My little brain couldn't grasp a thing.

Love me, love my dog- 4💫
Very funny and weird.

Trompe l'Oeil- 5💫
Gave me *convenience store woman* vibes. But in a very different way. Totally worth a read.

Rima the bird girl-4.5💫
Though it was very much like the first story, the message was very different here.
"Had there been a real Rima? Born and reborn to a splendid image, she had never looked for herself, nor had anyone else. Being each man's dream of love, she had eventually failed him, and so he had failed her and finally she had failed herself."

I have the exact replica of each of the characters in my life. Probably that's why I enjoyed this book this much.

[Aarthi Janakiraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It’s one thing to survive on other people’s terms; we all do that every day, and we call it adjustment, understanding, compromise, and some dead people even call it strength. But Melba not only gets along in life on her own terms, they are terms she has enthusiastically adopted from the silliest movie magazines, gossip columns, adolescent fantasies, and bits and pieces of the philosophies of one or two former boyfriends who happened to impress her. She has latched on to these clichés with a deadly earnestness that has made them come to life."

“I have begun to realize that people don’t break up because of one unforgivable incident, but rather, because of hopelessness. I used to think love could be killed with a mortal blow, but that’s not true. Love goes on and on, until one day you wake up and realize that the hopelessness is stronger than the love."

I mean..... !! I wish this was still in print every story is witty and charming and I had a great time reading it. If you loved Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados you will love this one.

[Sara Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first short story would be a 5 star, the rest range between a 3 and a 4 star.

[Egg · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster

Loved the first story so much! It reminded me a bit of The Bell jar/My year of rest and relaxation, in the sense that it's very "No plot just vibes" "Woman talking about her day to day life and about the people she knows".
I did enjoy the last story too. It was very similar to the first one. A few times I forgot I was reading about different characters. Really enjoy those kind of stories, so I don't mind as much.

Love me, Love my dog was also nice, but I didn't like the second and third story at all. I lost focus early on with the Mermaid story, and had to give up trying to figure out what was going on. The second story I kind of get, but I don't care about it.

So yeah, pretty mixed bag in the end

[lei · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Around her was quiet, loneliness, and within was a rage of color and life that was hardly aware of its own existence. That other life erupted in dreams which were forgotten in the morning, their colors trailing off into fragments like one petal left on the bedclothes."

"She laughed at herself, the reformer, and I wondered if life would at last be kind to her, she who could never be kind to herself."

Faves: trompe l’oeil, rima the bird girl

[luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

destaque, principalmente, para:

mr. right is dead;
trompe l'Oeil;
rima the bird girl.

de certa forma, todas as estórias me fizeram refletir bastante sobre solidão e o quanto isso nos afeta. melba, evelyn e rima lidaram com isso cada uma à sua maneira, porque não tem um jeito certo ou errado de fazê-lo.

[Angelique Katechis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not love every short story but the ones I liked I loved them. The writing is beautiful and sadly some of the stories were a miss so I’d put 4 &1/2

[Marilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
A primeira é a melhor história - o que gera um problema porque dá uma expectativa que as demais não sustentam. Não que sejam contos ruins, longe disso, só não estão no mesmo nível da primeira. As duas últimas conseguem recuperar um pouco do tom, do sarcasmo, da voz, da construção de universo e personagens da primeira, e acho que vale a pena seguir a leitura por elas. As histórias do meio não são ruins, mas não me marcaram muito.

[margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book very much gave thirty and flirty and thriving with a dash of gritty humor. reminded me a lot of sex and the city, and the writing style of eve babitz. very fun and entertaining light reading for during my shift!

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
i really enjoyed the first story, mr right is dead, but i just thought the rest were okay.

[kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the last story in this collection, but ultimately found the others a little bland. While the writing was enjoyable enough and well constructed, I just couldn’t form a solid connection to the majority of the stories.

[Amy Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Right is Dead: 5/5
Guess Who This Is: 4/5
He Can’t Be Dead, He Spoke to Me: 3/5
Love Me, Love My Dog: 4/5
Trompe l’Oeil: 5/5!!!
Rima The Bird Girl: 4/5

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the first four stories were good, but the last two (Trompe L'Oeil, Rima The Bird Girl) were beautiful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I have begun to realize that people don't break up because of one unforgivable incident, but rather, because of hopelessness. I used to think love could be killed with a mortal blow, but that's not true. Love goes on and on, until one day you wake up and realise that the hopelessness is stronger than the love."

[Amy Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here because of uncarley

It was weird, wonderful and poignant. Will definitely read it again, when I need a reminder of how far women have come, but how some have regressed.

[Nightshade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Right Is Dead- 5
Guess Who This is- 2
He Can't be Dead, He Spoke to Me - Left me befuddled.
Love me, Love my Dog -3
Trompe l'Oeil - 4.5
Rima The Bird Girl- 5

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection. The stories span in theme and also style, ranging from heartfelt, to humorous, to sprinkles of magical realism. And yet, they're all tied together and connected with the idea that Mr. Right, is in fact Dead. The "New York Girl" romps about her daily life, often watched with envy and told through the narrator's perspective, sometimes told through an omnipotent narrator and disclosed as realistically unsatisfied and untethered, often running from affair to affair (both literal affair and otherwise), but connected through the themes that romance is dead, taste is dead, affections is dead, fun is dead, genuine interest is dead. The inside flap of the edition I have notes that Mr. Right did not come for the girls expecting the best of everything, or for the girl assuming a new identity just hoping that he will come along. He didn't come for the girls experimenting with substitutes or the girl waiting for life to really start. And so what, what is the purpose of these stories, why do they hold so much weight? I think in some part, because there's so much hope and life and love and longing in all these girls. Every young woman, myself included, wants to feel the rush of life that luxury or adventure or purpose, or love, promises us. And Mr. Right is one fix, for all those things. I see myself in all these women. Not in their actions or lavish lifestyles exactly, but in bits and pieces of their hopes and dreams. Rona Jaffe has captured the essence of the hope of womanhood. What we imagine our lives would be like, and the crushing reality of how we our let down, not only by love, but also by so much more. But what is so brilliant about these stories is she tells them in a way that is full of humor, full of glamor, full of grace and fun and intelligence. So while we are in some ways confronted with parts of ourselves, we're also at the same time entertained. Everything you could ask for in a story. Brilliant.

My favorite stories in this collection were "Mr. Right is Dead" and "Rima the Bird Girl." The first being just fun and lovely, and also a great examination on friendship and personhood, the second being a really thoughtful and genuine look at what becomes of women who don't put themselves first. Who allow themselves to become a shadow in someone else's life. I found that story to be truly tragic in a way I wasn't expecting, and touched by how powerful a punch it was as a way to end the collection. Other stories were funny, enjoyable, also liked "Trompe l'Oeil" a lot, and found what she was doing with the magical elements to be really intriguing, and cool. Was bored with "Guess Who This Is" entertained but not stunned by "He Can't Be Dead, He Spoke to Me" and thought "Love Me, Love My Dog," was a great punch of a story, humor and brevity and fun in one.

So, all in all, really blown away by this collection. I can see myself picking up the individual stories from time to time and reading them on their own. Also, the copy I bought is truly fabulous, and just so happens to be signed by Rona herself!

"Around her was quiet, loneliness, and within was a rage of color and life that was hardly aware of its own existence. That other life erupted in dreams which were forgotten in the morning, their colors trailing off into fragments like one petal left on the bedclothes."

"She laughed at herself, the reformer, and I wondered if life would at last be kind to her, she who could never be kind to herself."

"It’s one thing to survive on other people’s terms; we all do that every day, and we call it adjustment, understanding, compromise, and some dead people even call it strength. But Melba not only gets along in life on her own terms, they are terms she has enthusiastically adopted from the silliest movie magazines, gossip columns, adolescent fantasies, and bits and pieces of the philosophies of one or two former boyfriends who happened to impress her. She has latched on to these clichés with a deadly earnestness that has made them come to life."

“I have begun to realize that people don’t break up because of one unforgivable incident, but rather, because of hopelessness. I used to think love could be killed with a mortal blow, but that’s not true. Love goes on and on, until one day you wake up and realize that the hopelessness is stronger than the love."

[Blen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a difficult time deciding what rating to give this. The first story was perfect. I would've given this book 5 stars if that was the entire thing but there are a few short stories after it that I didn't like at all to the point where I started skimming through them to get it over with so.. I guess four stars is a fair rating.

Here's a quote from the first story that has stuck with me because it's so relatable it hurts. "Here is the point where I should go into a treatise on the perversion of values and how bad company wrecks your soul, but the truth is that when it’s happening you never notice it. You hardly even feel guilty. You just don’t believe any of it is real. It’s all like a game, or a play, and the people in it are going to disappear soon and everything will be all right. You’re not you, even though the streets you walk through are familiar because you walked through them in happier and sadder times when you were you. And you know you’ll walk through them again when you are you again, and all that is happening right now is going to be a funny story you’ll remember, a little ashamed, a little incredulous, but busy going wherever you are going. And that’s all."

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explore the mind of women through their outings & means of living. While many of the stories revolved around city folk during the mid 1900's, the internal monologs of these characters still feel true. Often, the stories captured two sides of the coin of one woman doing & the other observing. Other times, the story overlooked a group dynamic & antics within their outings.
Women chasing love & approval versus the women who are at their side watching. Friends going out for the night to socialize searching for something over nothing. The strange individuals encountered & the men who flicker in & out of women's networks. Self identity as a working woman & other elements of status. The absurd happenings Rona Jaffe threw in there kept me on my toes.
To me, some of the pieces didn't weave as well with the others, but I surely enjoyed the read. If anything, the lack of connection between the shorter stories to the entire book added whimsy & humor.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding compilation of stories reflecting young American women circa the JFK/LBJ generation, OK boomer? Predating Eve Babitz (and exceeding her, IMO) Jaffee's stories are hysterical, poignant, and bitterly true. The figurehead story is a great fictionalized tale about a pill-popping, anorexic off-duty stripper named Melba Toast who hoards all of her possessions: sounds like Edie Sedgwick! Like Edie Sedgwick, she's a psychotic free spirit but hysterically funny, just the same.

The other stories are equally amazing, like the spoiled, young popular moviestar Hollywood couple who alleviate their boredom by making crank phone calls to their fans. Then there's the Radcliffe college girl who morphs into every boyfriend's personality until she loses herself. Every story was brilliant, funny and endlessly inventive. This took me by surprise.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but thought the first story was going to be the whole vibe throughout and it wasn’t. In the first story, I find funny how she thinks Melba is ugly but then she’s equally bewildered by her just like every man is. And then she constantly tries to be like her and fails. The other stories I gotta admit were kinda boring they needed more of the Mr. Right idea but the last one kind of went through with it. But I wanted there to be more of Rina and her escapades. Rina and Melba were the most memorable person in these stories and I enjoyed that but just wanted there to be more.

[daisy☽☆☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of 2024/reading slump over FOR REAL THIS TIME.

This was so excellent. I need every girlie I know to read this.

"She felt she was drawing into herself - waiting, hovering, as self-contained and blind as a flower wrapped in its bud. Around her was quiet, loneliness, and within was a rage of color and life that was hardly aware of its own existence. That other life erupted in dreams which were forgotten in the morning, their colors trailing off into fragments like one petal left on the bedclothes."

[reyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

this should be less than 5 stars. some of the short stories in this book were too short or simply confusing and not good but the ones i loved, I LOVED. they're so beautiful and timeless?? i don't understand how this was written in the 60s?50s? how was this not written today?? the first and last (mr right is dead and rima the bird girl) are just simply the best. the latter reminds me of hachi from nana a bit. wow. i just love them.

[Maddie Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this a 4.5 I would, knocking off half a point only for some of the outdated language and attitudes sprinkled throughout (though, that’s to be expected, given the year it was released). Without these intermittent reminders of its age, I would believe this collection of stories was just written, as so many of the passages feel incredibly pertinent to the modern female experience. would recommend !!!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first and last stories in the collection are beautifully written and truly engaging, immersing readers in their worlds. However, the other stories do not measure up, ultimately lowering the overall rating of the book. I would rate them as 3-star stories at best, while the first and last are definitely 5-star reads, in my opinion.

[callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5 actually. ok so i really liked Mr Right is Dead and He Can’t Be Dead he spoke to me. LOVED Tromp l’Oeil and Rima the Bird Girl. Guess who it is was just there and Love Me, Love My Dog was scary but led nowhere. this is the average of individual story ratings.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was delightful- it kind of encapsulates all the idealistic parts you imagine when thinking about this era- the 50s/60s. It's about girls living their lives, being hot, but also experiencing mental illness and heartbreak. Great collection of short stories.

[s. · Rating 3 out of 5]

while I really enjoyed the first and last novella (Mr. Right Is Dead and Rima The Bird Girl) and would rate them 4–5 stars, the rest of the stories kind of fell flat and felt a bit pointless…

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bookending stories reminded me of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes mixed with a little bit of Slow Days, Fast Company and Happy Hour. The ones in the middle of the collection stood out less (one of them was just fucking weird as hell lol). I think Rima The Bird Girl was probably my favorite. I also liked Trompe l'Oeil.

[Raul Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the titular story and the last one. Great balance between melancholy and humor. The rest of the stories are a mixed bag with a couple real duds.