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A New and Glorious Life
A collection of three novellas by Michelle Herman.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Michelle Herman
24 books34 followersMichelle Herman‘s newest book is If You Say So, her fourth collection of essays/memoirs. You can read her parenting, family, and relationship advice weekly in the Sunday Care and Feeding column at Slate.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Michelle has lived for many years in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives in a 120-year-old house with her husband, the painter Glen Holland.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Michelle has lived for many years in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives in a 120-year-old house with her husband, the painter Glen Holland.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 27, 2013
I know! I'll give this book lots of stars! Because I liked it!
I have several things to say about this book.
The first is that I don't know how I found this book or how I came across it. I know that I came across it, years ago (probably online, somehow), and put it on my Christmas wish list on the elfster web page one year for a family gift exchange.
Then, in December, I participated in another elfster exchange. My giver asked if my wishlist was still relevant. I checked what was on the list, and found several interesting things that I had never received or even looked at in three years. So I said yes, it was still relevant, and received this book from Sinterklaas.
It was a pleasure to read this book, and (or possibly because of this) it was fun to think about what had drawn me to it in the first place.
The writing itself was particularly likeable, for me, because Herman writes... kind of the way I write. I mean to say of course that I write the way she writes (she's been doing it longer), and she seems drawn to the same kind of things as I do. For example, names of characters seem to be of especial importance to her; naming characters is perhaps my favorite part of the writing process. Writing about little bits of normal life instead of huge, life-changing events also is more important to me. The little bits of happiness she describes are, an afternoon snack of fresh fruit and chocolate, or a couch from Goodwill, or the one fancy new piece of furniture a character can own. The arts at the forefront, and behind that all of the regular struggles of people with little to no money who are just trying to get some kind of happiness.
This is something I will definitely want to reread some day.
I have several things to say about this book.
The first is that I don't know how I found this book or how I came across it. I know that I came across it, years ago (probably online, somehow), and put it on my Christmas wish list on the elfster web page one year for a family gift exchange.
Then, in December, I participated in another elfster exchange. My giver asked if my wishlist was still relevant. I checked what was on the list, and found several interesting things that I had never received or even looked at in three years. So I said yes, it was still relevant, and received this book from Sinterklaas.
It was a pleasure to read this book, and (or possibly because of this) it was fun to think about what had drawn me to it in the first place.
The writing itself was particularly likeable, for me, because Herman writes... kind of the way I write. I mean to say of course that I write the way she writes (she's been doing it longer), and she seems drawn to the same kind of things as I do. For example, names of characters seem to be of especial importance to her; naming characters is perhaps my favorite part of the writing process. Writing about little bits of normal life instead of huge, life-changing events also is more important to me. The little bits of happiness she describes are, an afternoon snack of fresh fruit and chocolate, or a couch from Goodwill, or the one fancy new piece of furniture a character can own. The arts at the forefront, and behind that all of the regular struggles of people with little to no money who are just trying to get some kind of happiness.
This is something I will definitely want to reread some day.
January 11, 2009
Even though these stories are fun to read, they never challenge, question, nor attempt to transcend the ethnic stereotypes that the author evokes in creating her characters and building the plots. Great literaure, and above-average literature is distinguished by just that: a refusal to trade in popular steretypes, however harmless and endearing, and an attempt to challenge popular and preconceived notions of other cultures . Michelle Herman not only refrains from such an effort but actually reinforces banal stereotypes while appearing to pock fun at them.
October 3, 2015
Three long stories about relationships. Well written and thoughtful read. The characters all have such realistic flaws that I see in folks I know.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews