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Forty-Two
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 19, 2023
Forty-Two is a short story from Lisa Taddeo's collection, Ghost Lover, available at LitHub at no charge: https://lithub.com/forty-two/
Joan, 42 years old, hence the title, and Molly, 26, are its protagonists, connected by Jake, a self-involved, uninteresting character, whose appeal to either woman but especially Molly is not explained and which fact the reader must simply accept without challenge, particularly since the plot drives toward Jake's and Molly's wedding day.
The structure of Forty-Two is worth 5 stars. The character of Joan, however, to whom Taddeo devotes the first 1/3 of the story, is so entirely shallow, off-putting and meant as a certain type of New Yorker of a certain age, that I finished the story with gritted teeth only because I preferred finishing it to the work project I'm avoiding. Not really a selling point, friends.
Characters don't have to be likeable. Harsh and unpleasant realities, and women whose lives revolve around men - and little else - exist, in the millions. But there's nothing redeeming about the worldview on display in Forty-Two. I'll give Taddeo a pass in future.
Joan, 42 years old, hence the title, and Molly, 26, are its protagonists, connected by Jake, a self-involved, uninteresting character, whose appeal to either woman but especially Molly is not explained and which fact the reader must simply accept without challenge, particularly since the plot drives toward Jake's and Molly's wedding day.
The structure of Forty-Two is worth 5 stars. The character of Joan, however, to whom Taddeo devotes the first 1/3 of the story, is so entirely shallow, off-putting and meant as a certain type of New Yorker of a certain age, that I finished the story with gritted teeth only because I preferred finishing it to the work project I'm avoiding. Not really a selling point, friends.
Characters don't have to be likeable. Harsh and unpleasant realities, and women whose lives revolve around men - and little else - exist, in the millions. But there's nothing redeeming about the worldview on display in Forty-Two. I'll give Taddeo a pass in future.
October 16, 2022
A short story I couldn't put down, would have loved to spend more time with these characters.
April 28, 2022
I could’ve sailed through a full length novel about Joan and Molly and their lives in respect to one another. Two women in two different stages of their lives, looking for love like everyone else. It could be called Two Women.
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May 28, 2024Loved the repetition and mitigation of the first line, "Joan had to look beautiful."
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews