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Fabulous Lives
Fabulous Lives is a collection of short stories spanning Australia and other continents. It embraces people with all their frailties and strengths, failures and hopes, as they reach critical junctures in their lives.
Both funny and heart-rending, these 16 stories follow the struggles of life’s outsiders — the sick, the lonely, the poor and the ugly — as they try to find hope and belonging in a hostile world.
'The stories are both generous and devastating. Somehow I feel both emptied and sated by them at the same time, like a fish that's been gutted then stuffed.' — Evan Fallenberg, award-winning Israeli writer
Both funny and heart-rending, these 16 stories follow the struggles of life’s outsiders — the sick, the lonely, the poor and the ugly — as they try to find hope and belonging in a hostile world.
'The stories are both generous and devastating. Somehow I feel both emptied and sated by them at the same time, like a fish that's been gutted then stuffed.' — Evan Fallenberg, award-winning Israeli writer
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2019
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 27, 2019
A wonderful debut collection that injects magic into the every day. Bindy Pritchard has a way of seeing the world that is full of humour and empathy. Notable stories include Bees of Paris, In Memoriam and the titular Fabulous Lives.
January 31, 2020
What an incredible debut! These stories were beautiful and had such a wonderful flow to them, and they carried you into their worlds perfectly. I particularly enjoyed ‘Dying’, a snapshot of the way that we handle the inevitability of death in the face of cancer. Each character connected to the reader well, and while there were some stories a little more lacklustre than others, all of them had their amazing points. The one issue I took was endings- I dislike abruptness, but perhaps that’s a personal fault of my own. This would’ve been a five star read if not for the sudden endings. This book is also a lovely snippet of Australiana that gives the reader the same romantic glimpse of the country that the ever-glamorous US gets consistently. For a debut novel, this is incredible.
June 27, 2019
Fabulous Lives is a collection of stories written with pluck and nuance. Set on, or close to, a domestic stage, Pritchard teases out slightly odd scenarios that draw the reader in.
Pritchard’s candid voice delivers startling humour. Quirky characters become real when they have to deal with something surprising or amiss that alters the mundane landscapes of their lives.
These are stories that examine aspects of forced survival in an insightful and deeply touching way. In one word, this collection is delightful.
Pritchard’s candid voice delivers startling humour. Quirky characters become real when they have to deal with something surprising or amiss that alters the mundane landscapes of their lives.
These are stories that examine aspects of forced survival in an insightful and deeply touching way. In one word, this collection is delightful.
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November 8, 2019This review was first published in issue 28 of the Underground Writers zine, available on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/review...
From Margaret River Press comes the short story anthology Fabulous Lives by debut author Bindy Pritchard. Each pocket of story speaks to the marginalised sorts that exist on the periphery—almost out of sight—if not for the surreal and whimsical characters they are or situations that they find themselves in. There is Leonie, who stumbles upon an unconscious fallen angel from the Mardi Gras Parade; Bryant, waking up to the chatter of his boys in the lounge room who have rolled an enormous egg home from the dunes; and, in Bees of Paris, Louise assists an injured beekeeper for a reduction in rent. Think of this anthology as an allspice mix.
Fabulous Lives is an exploration of ideas and writing technique that I think will bear remarkable fruit as Pritchard continues to deliver as an author. There is a constant trickle of irony and facetiousness that swells behind the often wild and ridiculous moments of ordinary day-to-day life. It’s a wry smile. It’s a laugh through your nose. It’s easily missed but taunting, nonetheless.
There are, however, moments where pacing and rhythm fall flat. Few stories don’t deliver as I think they could or should but that’s not to take away from the anthology as a whole. But in fairness, there are stories that exceed expectation and deliver something beautifully unexpected, whether that is a character revelation, a situational crisis, or recognising new shapes of yourself as the reader.
Many of these stories have roots in Perth, which—having moved to Melbourne this year—carved a small sadness and longing for my home. I can retrace my steps around Northbridge and drives down south and time well-spent with loved ones. The collection upturned those menial day-to-day activities into something new and special. It hones in on the individual, but it has a fascinating capacity to thread the individual into the collective human experience: not always glamorous, often persevering, but always worthwhile.
Be patient with Fabulous Lives. Don’t expect to rush through it. There are subtleties and indications that you will need to collect as you pilfer through the stories. It will reflect something foreign back at you that you will come to recognise as a portion of yourself you didn’t realise existed—as is the way for promising literature and its authors.
From Margaret River Press comes the short story anthology Fabulous Lives by debut author Bindy Pritchard. Each pocket of story speaks to the marginalised sorts that exist on the periphery—almost out of sight—if not for the surreal and whimsical characters they are or situations that they find themselves in. There is Leonie, who stumbles upon an unconscious fallen angel from the Mardi Gras Parade; Bryant, waking up to the chatter of his boys in the lounge room who have rolled an enormous egg home from the dunes; and, in Bees of Paris, Louise assists an injured beekeeper for a reduction in rent. Think of this anthology as an allspice mix.
Fabulous Lives is an exploration of ideas and writing technique that I think will bear remarkable fruit as Pritchard continues to deliver as an author. There is a constant trickle of irony and facetiousness that swells behind the often wild and ridiculous moments of ordinary day-to-day life. It’s a wry smile. It’s a laugh through your nose. It’s easily missed but taunting, nonetheless.
There are, however, moments where pacing and rhythm fall flat. Few stories don’t deliver as I think they could or should but that’s not to take away from the anthology as a whole. But in fairness, there are stories that exceed expectation and deliver something beautifully unexpected, whether that is a character revelation, a situational crisis, or recognising new shapes of yourself as the reader.
Many of these stories have roots in Perth, which—having moved to Melbourne this year—carved a small sadness and longing for my home. I can retrace my steps around Northbridge and drives down south and time well-spent with loved ones. The collection upturned those menial day-to-day activities into something new and special. It hones in on the individual, but it has a fascinating capacity to thread the individual into the collective human experience: not always glamorous, often persevering, but always worthwhile.
Be patient with Fabulous Lives. Don’t expect to rush through it. There are subtleties and indications that you will need to collect as you pilfer through the stories. It will reflect something foreign back at you that you will come to recognise as a portion of yourself you didn’t realise existed—as is the way for promising literature and its authors.
October 28, 2019
This short story collection has five star characters beautifully fleshed out and heartbreakingly real, five star situations ranging from the domestic to the international, and five star writing which reaches the sublime in places. So why did I give it only four stars overall? The endings drove me crazy. They seemed at times as if the author made a decision to stick a pin in a story and finish where it landed, pausing only to write a closing paragraph which frequently contained some quirky little irrelevancy. This is, of course, just my own personal taste but I found that I'd be engrossed in a story then I'd realise that it would all come to an unsatisfying end shortly thereafter. Despite that, it's still a great collection and a fabulous debut.
August 6, 2019
This is a delightful collection of wry, funny and tender stories. Pritchard has a way of making you root for her characters as they struggle with loss, disappointment and thwarted dreams. The stories celebrate and embrace what it is to be human, in all its extraordinary and ordinary forms.
An uplifting and rewarding collection. A "must read" for 2019 and a voice to watch for the future. Fabulous indeed.
An uplifting and rewarding collection. A "must read" for 2019 and a voice to watch for the future. Fabulous indeed.
October 31, 2020
Read this collection one story at a time on my train commute. Each took me to another world, complete and deep, with white space and inference giving the feeling of stepping into every character's fabulous life, so often tragic and misunderstood. Bindy's writing is superb - some lines made me pause and reread just to take them in again. Thoroughly recommend.
November 11, 2019
The characters in these stories are just so interesting, despite their very ordinary appearance. I wanted more of each one. Olive Kitteridge in suburban Perth. Intelligent prose, never dull. I can't wait for the next collection.
August 15, 2019
I found this short story collection really had to get through. Maybe it was the way it didn't flow? It really just didn't work for me.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews