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Girls of a Certain Age
This darkly playful and subversive debut story collection explores the many impossible choices that accompany 21st century femaleness.
What is the right way to handle an abusive partner? An unexpected pregnancy? A toxic friendship? Chronic unemployment? A family member going to war? A disability? Anger? Loneliness? Finding themselves in disempowering, frightening, or otherwise unendurable circumstances, the girls and women in Maria Adelmann's stories look for ways to free themselves into new lives or, at the very least, new states of feeling. Sometimes they do this by hurting someone else or getting hurt; sometimes by submitting, other times by mounting a rebellion. With a special talent for pressing the sharp up against the tender, Adelmann explores the many pathways through the titular condition.
Ranging in style from the magical to the terrifying to the calm tones of a self-help manual, GIRLS OF A CERTAIN AGE captures the spectrum of strategies we apply to the pain of life, strategies that we persist in pretending might actually work.
What is the right way to handle an abusive partner? An unexpected pregnancy? A toxic friendship? Chronic unemployment? A family member going to war? A disability? Anger? Loneliness? Finding themselves in disempowering, frightening, or otherwise unendurable circumstances, the girls and women in Maria Adelmann's stories look for ways to free themselves into new lives or, at the very least, new states of feeling. Sometimes they do this by hurting someone else or getting hurt; sometimes by submitting, other times by mounting a rebellion. With a special talent for pressing the sharp up against the tender, Adelmann explores the many pathways through the titular condition.
Ranging in style from the magical to the terrifying to the calm tones of a self-help manual, GIRLS OF A CERTAIN AGE captures the spectrum of strategies we apply to the pain of life, strategies that we persist in pretending might actually work.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2021
156 people are currently reading
12736 people want to read
About the author
Maria Adelmann
3 books298 followersMaria Adelmann’s work has been published by Tin House, n+1, The Threepenny Review, Indiana Review, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Lit Hub, Electric Literature, and others. She has been awarded prizes by the Baker Artist Awards and the Maryland State Arts Council, and her work has been selected as a Distinguished Story in The Best American Short Stories. She has an MFA in fiction from The University of Virginia. She enjoys learning complicated new crafts and letting personal projects take over her life. A longtime resident of Baltimore, Adelmann recently ended up in Copenhagen after getting stuck there during the pandemic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
July 8, 2022
"I don't like how impressed guys are with themselves when their lines work, as if girls are idiots, as if we don't know what's going on."
It's a collection of 13 dark short stories telling about the different lives of different women showing their dark sides, things they cannot handle, their insecurities, their relationships, their characters they cannot help becoming into.
1. Only the Good
4 🌟
Talks about midlife crisis, family
*Warning: abortion
2. Elegy
3 🌟
*Coming of age
3. Pets Are for Rich Kids
3 🌟
*How jealousy harms people
4. Middlemen
4 🌟
*LGBTQIAP
5. The Replacements
3 🌟
*Wickedness unfolds
6. None of These Will Bring Disaster
3 🌟
*".. inevitable result of unemployment"
"If you keep stepping in the same ditch over and over, people stop feeling sorry for you because you're either an idiot or a masochist."
7. The Portrait
3 🌟
*deals with disability
8. How to Wait
3 🌟
9. Unattached
4 🌟
10. The Lunatic Report
5 🌟
11. First Aid
4 🌟
12. Human Bonding
4 🌟
13. The Wayside
4 🌟
It's a collection of 13 dark short stories telling about the different lives of different women showing their dark sides, things they cannot handle, their insecurities, their relationships, their characters they cannot help becoming into.
1. Only the Good
4 🌟
Talks about midlife crisis, family
*Warning: abortion
2. Elegy
3 🌟
*Coming of age
3. Pets Are for Rich Kids
3 🌟
*How jealousy harms people
4. Middlemen
4 🌟
*LGBTQIAP
5. The Replacements
3 🌟
*Wickedness unfolds
6. None of These Will Bring Disaster
3 🌟
*".. inevitable result of unemployment"
"If you keep stepping in the same ditch over and over, people stop feeling sorry for you because you're either an idiot or a masochist."
7. The Portrait
3 🌟
*deals with disability
8. How to Wait
3 🌟
9. Unattached
4 🌟
10. The Lunatic Report
5 🌟
11. First Aid
4 🌟
12. Human Bonding
4 🌟
13. The Wayside
4 🌟
April 14, 2022
Mid.
I truly don't have anything else to say I'm not gonna write a long review for this.
I truly don't have anything else to say I'm not gonna write a long review for this.
July 2, 2024
wish i could get my time back☹️
August 24, 2020
This was a really interesting book. I loved the premise of the short stories and the snapshots of different women/girls' lives, just a tiny glimpse was enough. I stopped about halfway through and thought, "this book is sad." And it was, intentional or not I don't know, but as I read this book about the different life stages and experiences the women went through, I couldn't help but think how much loss there was and how little control women have over a lot of things. So I guess in that way it was a realistic telling of women's lives. Just the peek into each story left one with the feeling that hopefully things would change or get better, much as in real life. I didn't love every story, but there were definitely things in each woman's story that I could relate to, which was great and unique from a lot of books.
This writing and storytelling in this book were really great, as was the originality of the idea of the book itself. I give three stars because I wasn't expecting to feel as sad and melancholy about it as I ended up feeling. This book has an expected publication date of March 2021, and I give my thanks to the publisher for the chance to read it ahead of time.
This writing and storytelling in this book were really great, as was the originality of the idea of the book itself. I give three stars because I wasn't expecting to feel as sad and melancholy about it as I ended up feeling. This book has an expected publication date of March 2021, and I give my thanks to the publisher for the chance to read it ahead of time.
May 5, 2021
Since this was a collection of short stories, some were better than others, so I wanted to rank each one in this review before summing up my feelings in total. (Purposefully vague to avoid spoilers.)
“Only the Good” — 2.5/5. Evocative imagery and appropriately bleak, but it left me wanting more. I feel like this story (and others) teeters on the precipice of exploding without actually going that far. This story had drama, for sure, but it felt like the narrator was seeing her own life through a haze without much raw action. Which, I suppose, was intentional.
“Elegy” — 4/5. Haunting and just secretive enough to leave you asking (good) questions. I like how it mostly alluded to the action through the narrators backwards storytelling rather than being frank and linear. It made the prose feel poetic.
“Pets are for Rich Kids” — 5/5. I went into this collection assuming that most of the stories would be about young girls, and this was one of the only ones that was, and it was one of my favorites. I liked the title and premise, and just how awkward and mean our narrator was in the way children only are. I like stories that present realistic children, and this one did so very well. In years to come, I can see this story being assigned reading in college courses. It has that certain “it” factor.
“Middlemen” — 1.5/5. This story could have been so much more. The hinted-at queer representation was disappointing, since it quickly reduced the lady lovers to little more than eye candy for men in the most blatant way possible. The ending was shocking, but it didn’t match the tone of the story. It could have been raw and terrifying, but it felt cheap and tawdry.
“The Replacements” — 4/5. I liked this one for some reason. Consciously, I feel like I shouldn’t, given how I knocked the precious story for being cheap and tawdry, but this story felt honest and rebellious in the best way. There was a vicarious thrill as well as a stark sadness to it, leaving me feeling mixed, as I believe the author intended. The prose was strong, too, painting visceral images.
“None of These Will Bring Disaster” — 3/5. This story was darkly ironic and a bit too reminiscent of quarantine for me; the novelty of someone wasting away in their apartment is unfortunately lost on most people now. But it was still clever and honest. Not much else to say other than it was fine, not the worst or the best.
“The Portrait” — 2.5/5. This story felt like a snapshot when it should have been an album. I loved the set-up and the narrator but I wanted more from the climax. This is a common theme in this collection: greatness that is cut short. But then again, dragging something out can be worse than cutting it short. Either way, it was an intriguing little piece that I wished had been a larger piece.
“How to Wait” — 3.5/5. A stark and effective piece about waiting for your partner to come back from war. I cannot relate to this experience but I related to the narrator’s emotions quite well.
“Unattached” — 3/5. Points for creativity. The purpose of this story was a bit murky; I think I got it, but it could easily go over one’s head (like many things do in this zero-gravity scene). I loved the shower mat analogy and the last few pages, though. It wasn’t my favorite but I’m glad I read it. It was one of the lighter (no pun intended) stories in this volume, which was refreshing.
“The Lunatic Report” — 3/5. I loved how unapologetic the narrator is, and how despite her dark side, she’s obviously a regular, idealistic teen, but (again!) I wanted more from the story. This narrator had an interesting family dynamic and a very interesting work/school life. This could have been a novel, and I honestly wish it had been. But I shall be content with a smaller portion, I suppose.
“First Aid” — 3.5/5. First off, MAJOR trigger warning for self harm. That said, I think it was an interesting take on an often stale subject (in fiction, not real life). I can imagine a younger reader taking it the wrong way and romanticizing self harm, but honestly, in most cases, good art cannot “think of the children” and remain good art.
“Human Bonding” — 3/5. I enjoyed many parts of this story, but the main action was strange. I wasn’t sure why Wendy was acting the way she was. Was she disappointed? Ashamed? Indifferent? Maybe I read it too quickly to figure it out.
“The Wayside” — 5/5. My favorite story in the collection by far. The double-entendre of the title is poetic, and the way the author captured the mixed desires of budding sexuality was genius. I’ve rarely seen it on display like it was here. The way the narrator described wanting to move slow shortly before she makes a phone call to lose her virginity captures that adolescent feeling perfectly. The peer pressure, the lack of confidence, the confusion over what you really want. I loved it. I would re-read this one in a heartbeat, and it was one of the only stories that did not leave me asking for more. It gave me just enough.
In all, this was a worthy collection. There are several stories that I hope get republished in anthologies for more people to see. This seems to be the Maria Adelmann’s first published work, which makes it even more impressive. I think every reader will identify with at least one of these stories. That being said, some of them felt half-finished, which is likely just my personal taste, but still, I would have liked more stories that were as sharp and layered as “Wayside”. I think there’s a fine line between treating your reader like a child that needs everything explained to them and keeping the meaning too shrouded for proper interpretation. Adelmann errs on the side of mystery, which is more respectful than the former, but I wish that balance had been struck in more stories than it was. I also think the title and book cover makes this look almost like a YA collection about coming of age, but it’s much darker and heavier in some parts, which is good, but I think that light and bright marketing may turn some readers off to what is on the inside.
“Only the Good” — 2.5/5. Evocative imagery and appropriately bleak, but it left me wanting more. I feel like this story (and others) teeters on the precipice of exploding without actually going that far. This story had drama, for sure, but it felt like the narrator was seeing her own life through a haze without much raw action. Which, I suppose, was intentional.
“Elegy” — 4/5. Haunting and just secretive enough to leave you asking (good) questions. I like how it mostly alluded to the action through the narrators backwards storytelling rather than being frank and linear. It made the prose feel poetic.
“Pets are for Rich Kids” — 5/5. I went into this collection assuming that most of the stories would be about young girls, and this was one of the only ones that was, and it was one of my favorites. I liked the title and premise, and just how awkward and mean our narrator was in the way children only are. I like stories that present realistic children, and this one did so very well. In years to come, I can see this story being assigned reading in college courses. It has that certain “it” factor.
“Middlemen” — 1.5/5. This story could have been so much more. The hinted-at queer representation was disappointing, since it quickly reduced the lady lovers to little more than eye candy for men in the most blatant way possible. The ending was shocking, but it didn’t match the tone of the story. It could have been raw and terrifying, but it felt cheap and tawdry.
“The Replacements” — 4/5. I liked this one for some reason. Consciously, I feel like I shouldn’t, given how I knocked the precious story for being cheap and tawdry, but this story felt honest and rebellious in the best way. There was a vicarious thrill as well as a stark sadness to it, leaving me feeling mixed, as I believe the author intended. The prose was strong, too, painting visceral images.
“None of These Will Bring Disaster” — 3/5. This story was darkly ironic and a bit too reminiscent of quarantine for me; the novelty of someone wasting away in their apartment is unfortunately lost on most people now. But it was still clever and honest. Not much else to say other than it was fine, not the worst or the best.
“The Portrait” — 2.5/5. This story felt like a snapshot when it should have been an album. I loved the set-up and the narrator but I wanted more from the climax. This is a common theme in this collection: greatness that is cut short. But then again, dragging something out can be worse than cutting it short. Either way, it was an intriguing little piece that I wished had been a larger piece.
“How to Wait” — 3.5/5. A stark and effective piece about waiting for your partner to come back from war. I cannot relate to this experience but I related to the narrator’s emotions quite well.
“Unattached” — 3/5. Points for creativity. The purpose of this story was a bit murky; I think I got it, but it could easily go over one’s head (like many things do in this zero-gravity scene). I loved the shower mat analogy and the last few pages, though. It wasn’t my favorite but I’m glad I read it. It was one of the lighter (no pun intended) stories in this volume, which was refreshing.
“The Lunatic Report” — 3/5. I loved how unapologetic the narrator is, and how despite her dark side, she’s obviously a regular, idealistic teen, but (again!) I wanted more from the story. This narrator had an interesting family dynamic and a very interesting work/school life. This could have been a novel, and I honestly wish it had been. But I shall be content with a smaller portion, I suppose.
“First Aid” — 3.5/5. First off, MAJOR trigger warning for self harm. That said, I think it was an interesting take on an often stale subject (in fiction, not real life). I can imagine a younger reader taking it the wrong way and romanticizing self harm, but honestly, in most cases, good art cannot “think of the children” and remain good art.
“Human Bonding” — 3/5. I enjoyed many parts of this story, but the main action was strange. I wasn’t sure why Wendy was acting the way she was. Was she disappointed? Ashamed? Indifferent? Maybe I read it too quickly to figure it out.
“The Wayside” — 5/5. My favorite story in the collection by far. The double-entendre of the title is poetic, and the way the author captured the mixed desires of budding sexuality was genius. I’ve rarely seen it on display like it was here. The way the narrator described wanting to move slow shortly before she makes a phone call to lose her virginity captures that adolescent feeling perfectly. The peer pressure, the lack of confidence, the confusion over what you really want. I loved it. I would re-read this one in a heartbeat, and it was one of the only stories that did not leave me asking for more. It gave me just enough.
In all, this was a worthy collection. There are several stories that I hope get republished in anthologies for more people to see. This seems to be the Maria Adelmann’s first published work, which makes it even more impressive. I think every reader will identify with at least one of these stories. That being said, some of them felt half-finished, which is likely just my personal taste, but still, I would have liked more stories that were as sharp and layered as “Wayside”. I think there’s a fine line between treating your reader like a child that needs everything explained to them and keeping the meaning too shrouded for proper interpretation. Adelmann errs on the side of mystery, which is more respectful than the former, but I wish that balance had been struck in more stories than it was. I also think the title and book cover makes this look almost like a YA collection about coming of age, but it’s much darker and heavier in some parts, which is good, but I think that light and bright marketing may turn some readers off to what is on the inside.
February 6, 2023
1.5/5
Not to reveal my bias against books written by people with American MFAs in creative writing, but almost every single time I read one I find it so utterly lifeless and lacking in charm that it makes me scared to write anything ever again.
I wouldn't call this book terrible, exactly, but it wasn't quite mediocre either. It was bad in a nondescript way; it didn't get me up in arms about the quality, but I was skimming parts of it and even skipped a few short stories to save myself the trouble. It was purely lousy and not a single story in the collection hit home or made me feel anything but mild disappointment. I was hoping for, if not expecting, tales of conflicted femininity, snapshots into different moments of women's lives, lives which were dynamic or sad or complex. Instead it was blandly written chronicles of bland women, nouveau riche and tasteless. Even when Ademann was trying to capture something 'gritty' or 'real' it was painfully suburban and insipid.
'None of These Will Bring Disaster' felt a like a piss poor attempt to capture the spirit of Halle Butler's 'The New Me' (which is a thousand times better), an attempt which was frankly insulting.
Not to reveal my bias against books written by people with American MFAs in creative writing, but almost every single time I read one I find it so utterly lifeless and lacking in charm that it makes me scared to write anything ever again.
I wouldn't call this book terrible, exactly, but it wasn't quite mediocre either. It was bad in a nondescript way; it didn't get me up in arms about the quality, but I was skimming parts of it and even skipped a few short stories to save myself the trouble. It was purely lousy and not a single story in the collection hit home or made me feel anything but mild disappointment. I was hoping for, if not expecting, tales of conflicted femininity, snapshots into different moments of women's lives, lives which were dynamic or sad or complex. Instead it was blandly written chronicles of bland women, nouveau riche and tasteless. Even when Ademann was trying to capture something 'gritty' or 'real' it was painfully suburban and insipid.
'None of These Will Bring Disaster' felt a like a piss poor attempt to capture the spirit of Halle Butler's 'The New Me' (which is a thousand times better), an attempt which was frankly insulting.
January 10, 2021
In turns mundane, nostalgic, and heartbreaking, this collection of stories delivered on it's promises. These beautifully written, evocative stories are heartbreaking in the sheer humanity, and lack of humanity, they depict. From a young girl who finds her friend's Tamagotchi completely frivolous, to a lost twenty-something who has essentially quarantined herself after losing her job and makes an art form of arranging necessities around her bed so she never has to leave it (sound familiar??), many of these stories aimed straight for the heart, and met their marks.
Despite the beautiful prose, or perhaps because of it, this collection brought a lot of emotions to the forefront of my mind, and while not all of them were positive emotions for me, I think it only speaks to Adelmann's abilities that in only 12 pages they can forge a deep connection with a feeling, a situation, and a character.
3.5/5
*Advanced copy generously provided by NetGalley
Despite the beautiful prose, or perhaps because of it, this collection brought a lot of emotions to the forefront of my mind, and while not all of them were positive emotions for me, I think it only speaks to Adelmann's abilities that in only 12 pages they can forge a deep connection with a feeling, a situation, and a character.
3.5/5
*Advanced copy generously provided by NetGalley
August 2, 2021
Ha cimentado mi odio a los estadounidenses.
Empieza genial, hay en específico dos relatos chulísimos, 'pets are for rich kids' y 'elegy'. Pero luego de repente hay uno horroroso sobre una chica que acepta acostarse con su amiga (que está enamorada de ella y es bisexual) solo delante de chicos, y luego uno sobre cortarse, que merece tener un Trigger Warning escrito en neón porque es horroroso y la línea siempre es muy fina al hablar de este tema entre romantizarlo y simplemente hablar de ello como algo terapéutico. Además, está obsesionada con los soldados y lo guay que es el ejército, hay varias referencias y luego un relato entero sobre una señora que tiene a su novio en Afganistán.
Vaya, que empieza prometiendo pero hay algunos relatos tan horrorosos que ensucian un montón el recuerdo que tengo de los que me gustaron en su momento. Y qué rabia porque la portada me parece chulísima, casi me lo compro en físico al empezármelo pero menos mal que no.
Empieza genial, hay en específico dos relatos chulísimos, 'pets are for rich kids' y 'elegy'. Pero luego de repente hay uno horroroso sobre una chica que acepta acostarse con su amiga (que está enamorada de ella y es bisexual) solo delante de chicos, y luego uno sobre cortarse, que merece tener un Trigger Warning escrito en neón porque es horroroso y la línea siempre es muy fina al hablar de este tema entre romantizarlo y simplemente hablar de ello como algo terapéutico. Además, está obsesionada con los soldados y lo guay que es el ejército, hay varias referencias y luego un relato entero sobre una señora que tiene a su novio en Afganistán.
Vaya, que empieza prometiendo pero hay algunos relatos tan horrorosos que ensucian un montón el recuerdo que tengo de los que me gustaron en su momento. Y qué rabia porque la portada me parece chulísima, casi me lo compro en físico al empezármelo pero menos mal que no.
January 29, 2023
I enjoyed this short story collection. I appreciated the connecting themes of loneliness, the endless stages of growing up, and complex relationships with girl friends and parents. Adelmann has a lovely writing style and I appreciated how every story felt different but crafted from the same hand.
My favourite stories from the collection are:
Only the Good
Pets Are For Rich Kids
None of These Will Bring Disaster
The Lunatic Report
The Wayside
My favourite stories from the collection are:
Only the Good
Pets Are For Rich Kids
None of These Will Bring Disaster
The Lunatic Report
The Wayside
December 29, 2020
Girls of a Certain Age is a stunning collection of vast female experiences. Adelmann’s writing is both funny and heartbreaking. I saw myself in so many of these stories. The confusion of being a girl, both in childhood and adulthood, punctuated with meanness towards the self and others, along with the small kindnesses that sustain us. I especially loved the stories that used surrealism. Many of these will stick with me a long time.
March 28, 2022
Hauntingly beautiful, these stories shows women with their pain, their difficult choice.
Middlemen, a neurotic roommate named Grace seeks constant attention from men. Elegy, a young woman who’s just had a double mastectomy reflects on the death of her aunt from breast cancer, and the near death of her mother as well. How To Wait, a lonely 20-something, set adrift by trauma, looking for solace in too much alcohol and too many women. Every stories leave me hollow and ache at the same time.
Middlemen, a neurotic roommate named Grace seeks constant attention from men. Elegy, a young woman who’s just had a double mastectomy reflects on the death of her aunt from breast cancer, and the near death of her mother as well. How To Wait, a lonely 20-something, set adrift by trauma, looking for solace in too much alcohol and too many women. Every stories leave me hollow and ache at the same time.
March 17, 2021
What did I just read?
Pets Are for Rich Kids was the only story that I liked.
I actually think The Middlemen made me physically sick.
Overall, I should have DNF this one. The cover is pretty, the book is terrible.
Pets Are for Rich Kids was the only story that I liked.
I actually think The Middlemen made me physically sick.
Overall, I should have DNF this one. The cover is pretty, the book is terrible.
July 7, 2022
So many of the stories were centered around men. I was expecting stories about complex female relationships given the title. Mothers and daughters, sisters, estranged friends, so many options. Middlemen made me feel physically ill. I was fooled by the cover.
October 16, 2024
A really solid collection of short stories, especially for a debut!
I really liked how Adelmann explored topics that feel very trendy right now (girlhood, sex, body issues) without feeling cliche. I also really enjoyed her experimentations with form. Some of my favorite stories were:
- “Elegy” : an elegy for the narrator’s boobs, which have been removed in a preventative surgery
- “Pets Are for Rich Kids”: a humorous story that captures childhood envy so well
- “Middlemen”: an interesting exploration into desire and performance—focusing on two roommates who begin hosting men for threesomes
- “None of These Will Bring Disaster”: a perfect depiction of what it’s like to be young and lonely in NYC. It captures modern dating so well
- “Human Bonding”: the story of a reckless college student and her brief encounter with real intimacy
I really liked how Adelmann explored topics that feel very trendy right now (girlhood, sex, body issues) without feeling cliche. I also really enjoyed her experimentations with form. Some of my favorite stories were:
- “Elegy” : an elegy for the narrator’s boobs, which have been removed in a preventative surgery
- “Pets Are for Rich Kids”: a humorous story that captures childhood envy so well
- “Middlemen”: an interesting exploration into desire and performance—focusing on two roommates who begin hosting men for threesomes
- “None of These Will Bring Disaster”: a perfect depiction of what it’s like to be young and lonely in NYC. It captures modern dating so well
- “Human Bonding”: the story of a reckless college student and her brief encounter with real intimacy
April 2, 2024
these stories detail being a woman SO WELL. the cringey, the horrifying, the shameful, the hard things. it was hard to read but it was so good.
October 19, 2022
3.5. there were a couple of stories that made me a little emo, but other than that was pretty average. sux because the cover is so cute lol
September 19, 2022
Loved it. Every story was so different, but I was able to empathize with so many of the women within these pages. It was incredibly honest and raw (which was definitely hard to swallow at times), but that’s what made it so good and real. Adelmann did not sugarcoat so many things about being a woman that people often turn a blind eye to, and as a woman in her early 20’s, I appreciated it so much. I am really glad I read this book at this time of my life.
June 13, 2022
Collection of short stories each told from different characters. Some stories better than others.
⭐️⭐️⭐️for “Only the Good”, “Elegy”, and “Pets are for Rich Kids”.
⭐️⭐️for “None of These Will Bring Disaster” and “The Wayside”
⭐️ for “Middlemen” Felt like I was partaking in the objectification of the two women even though on of their intentions was to do the opposite? Felt artificial and really fetishizing? objectifying? of bi women specifically.
⭐️⭐️⭐️for “Only the Good”, “Elegy”, and “Pets are for Rich Kids”.
⭐️⭐️for “None of These Will Bring Disaster” and “The Wayside”
⭐️ for “Middlemen” Felt like I was partaking in the objectification of the two women even though on of their intentions was to do the opposite? Felt artificial and really fetishizing? objectifying? of bi women specifically.
April 6, 2022
this collection didn’t do much for me. none of the stories blazed across the page like a comet; exciting, fresh, beautiful. instead they were soft, meandering circles that led nowhere exciting or new. favourite story was middlemen, i really liked that one out of all the rest.
July 6, 2023
kabir azabı gibiydi.. kitabı ilk okumaya başladığımda yeni emeklemeye başlamıştım şimdi üni 2ye geçiyorum ve anca bitti
May 23, 2025
Collections of short stories are almost always three star reads for me, there’s just so much good and bad, but wow!! not this one. For a minute there I actually almost gave this little collection 5 stars!!! I think this is the perfect summation of life, at least in my experience. All the short stories are actually girls of very very different ages, but I think that adds to it: “a certain age” can be anytime, we all experience life differently. The stories were definitely exaggerated but the emotions were SO on par—those feelings of jealousy and resentment and love and lust. I don’t know. It captured it perfectly. 4 stars because it felt unnecessarily graphic at times.
May 13, 2021
I would give this 3.5 stars.
There is a lot to unpack in this collection of stories. The cover describes the book as "ranging in style from the magical to the terrifying to the calm tones of a self-help manual, Girls of a Certain Age captures the spectrum of strategies we apply to the pain of life, strategies that we persist in pretending might actually work," and I would agree.
Each offered something different, challenged me in a different way. A few are still sitting with me, others I found myself skimming because they just didn't grab me.
The three that stayed with me the longest: "Pets are for Rich Kids," "Middlemen," and "The Wayside."
There is a lot to unpack in this collection of stories. The cover describes the book as "ranging in style from the magical to the terrifying to the calm tones of a self-help manual, Girls of a Certain Age captures the spectrum of strategies we apply to the pain of life, strategies that we persist in pretending might actually work," and I would agree.
Each offered something different, challenged me in a different way. A few are still sitting with me, others I found myself skimming because they just didn't grab me.
The three that stayed with me the longest: "Pets are for Rich Kids," "Middlemen," and "The Wayside."
August 20, 2023
very sweet and honest tales and thoughts from girls who all remind me of me in some way or another. though all differing in ages throughout the book, each one had a sense of familiarity, something that is just common in girlhood. read this around the same time as seeing the Barbie movie, and the two fit nicely together.
June 10, 2022
the last short story “the wayside” was the best by far and I wish there was a full book about it!! brought the overall rating up from a 3.5/5 to 4/5
December 25, 2022
reminded me of conversations with friends
June 23, 2023
I received this book as a goodreads giveaway ...
A wide range of stories about different stages in a woman's life that were heartbreaking and honest at times. At times it felt like the female characters started to melt into one and the individual story lost its uniqueness. Good collection, not great.
A wide range of stories about different stages in a woman's life that were heartbreaking and honest at times. At times it felt like the female characters started to melt into one and the individual story lost its uniqueness. Good collection, not great.
September 24, 2023
This was actually a very good collection of stories
February 23, 2022
A collection of stories about girlhood and womanhood, I suppose. In the beginning, I really liked how each story had enough little details in it, that it felt larger than itself, part of a bigger story that you'd think about as soon as you finished the chapter. You could see yourself in these women, even if it's just a bit.
But, at some point, it lost me. Some chapters were better than others, and I honestly struggled to get through a few . There were three that I particularly liked, with intricate details but also a meaning to them that you picked up the clues to understand. Others felt like just, a string of random details that made up a story.
Also, I read the first story and there was a military bit to it. But like, keep hitting me with "the war" and "Afghanistan" and "Iraq" in more than one (1) story and I can prOMise you, idc if you don't have an agenda, I'm gone. No thank you. It's a no.
My favourite was "Pets are for the rich" and it's probably the only one I'll think about after this.
The cover, however, is a 100/10 and would have it on my wall (if I rated this book any higher so rip)
But, at some point, it lost me. Some chapters were better than others, and I honestly struggled to get through a few . There were three that I particularly liked, with intricate details but also a meaning to them that you picked up the clues to understand. Others felt like just, a string of random details that made up a story.
Also, I read the first story and there was a military bit to it. But like, keep hitting me with "the war" and "Afghanistan" and "Iraq" in more than one (1) story and I can prOMise you, idc if you don't have an agenda, I'm gone. No thank you. It's a no.
My favourite was "Pets are for the rich" and it's probably the only one I'll think about after this.
The cover, however, is a 100/10 and would have it on my wall (if I rated this book any higher so rip)
September 3, 2021
This book was FANTASTIC. It definitely felt like it was written just for my population- women in their 20s! Each story does not lack plot- each dives right in, not lacking in interesting facets, while still dedicating the appropriate amount of time to each protagonist’s psyche. The story that stayed with me the most was “Pets Are for Rich Kids.” There was symbolism in each story that was hidden enough that you were proud of yourself for catching it, but not so hidden that it couldn’t be caught. It was written in a way that was easy to understand while containing complex elements. Overall, I am very grateful for this book and this author. Reading this book I felt like I saw pieces of this author, and this person’s soul is beautiful. It made me want to be her friend. Hope to see another collection of stories of hers soon!
December 28, 2023
2.75/5
There were some really relatable aspects to a lot of these stories, and some very humorous prose weaved in. I personally really loved the story 'Pets are for Rich Kids'. It was such a poignant and nuanced story, while also being very funny.
However, quite a few of these stories fell flat for me. Several parts brought down my overall opinion because practically all the stories from the adult women felt like someone tried way too hard to be poetic, and ended up with some painfully corny single white female story.
There were some really relatable aspects to a lot of these stories, and some very humorous prose weaved in. I personally really loved the story 'Pets are for Rich Kids'. It was such a poignant and nuanced story, while also being very funny.
However, quite a few of these stories fell flat for me. Several parts brought down my overall opinion because practically all the stories from the adult women felt like someone tried way too hard to be poetic, and ended up with some painfully corny single white female story.
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