Flying Leap

by Judy Budnitz

The Brothers Grimm take lessons in fiction from Angela Carter to produce this uncanny and surreal work. Judy Budnitz might just be the most exciting and unusual literary figure to emerge from the US literary thicket in 2000. She marries great technical skill to quirky humour and dizzying metaphor. She has an uncanny knack for the destabilizing and indelible image, but does not abandon sense for sensibility. She is always readable, albeit strangely so. She might yet be an Americanized heir to the throne left vacant by Angela Carter. This collection of stories is strikingly surreal and hugely entertaining. It will appeal to fans of everyone from Tibor Fischer via Lorrie Moore to Nicholson Baker, or put another way, from Heathers to Edward Scissorhands via Annie Hall. Among the a young man is persuaded to donate his heart to his dying mother; a girl comes of age in strange suburbia, her only friend a man dressed in a dogsuit; a man and a woman conduct a passionate love affair on a park bench.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Short Story Collection, Humor, Read For School

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Judy Budnitz was born in 1973 and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Harvard in 1995, and recieved an MFA in creative writing from New York University in 1998.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard good things about Judy Budnitz, that she's original, wacky and all that. And I really appreciate it when a short-story writer tries to experiment and entertain rather than shock and depress. But too many of these stories just left me cold. They tried so damn hard to be clever that they felt forced; the characters were cliches. I did enjoy a few of them, though, mainly the ones that weren't so conceptual/allegorical and seemed a little more personal. I wish someone had told her to wait with publishing this - I think that given more time and a more ruthless editor she could have put together a nice collection. Maybe I'll give her more recent work a shot at some point.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, well... sad and strange are the adjectives I'd use to describe this collection of stories. I really didn't get the funny, adventurous, surprising, enchanted, magical or fantastic vibe that everyone else is feeling. But, I did finish the book, therefore saving it from my "unreadable" category, so I didn't hate it! I did always want to know what happened next, but I was mostly disappointed by the answer.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful women's author.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best story here is "Skin Care," which is the heartbreaking tale of a girl with leprosy looking for love. It's poetic and beautiful and so LONELY. Ugh. What a great bit of writing. My other two favorite are the first two in the collection: "Dog Days," which is a post-apocalyptic that doesn't focus so much on the "why" as it does on feelings, and "Guilt," which is about heart transplants and family and love.

It's overall a very strong collection, and I enjoyed how the stories are all rather short--there are about 250 pages in Flying Leap, but Budnitz packs in 23 shorts. Some of the stories are surreal and some of them aren't, and I liked the mixture. There are a few I found rather dull: "Directions," "Train," and "Burned" didn't do much for me. Had they been cut, I would eagerly award this book five stars.

4/5

[David Runge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and dramatic. Twists reality without asking you to suspend disbelief too far.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really diverse collection of stories, wildly varied in tone and texture - but full of unexpected treasures.

The stories are off kilter, mostly surrealistic or teetering on the edge of fantastical.

Although lots of the stories are based around a slightly on-the-nose premise - 'love affair on a bench' ; 'son persuaded to donate heart' ; 'man actually makes babies' - the author skilfully and satisfyingly grounds these concepts in the quotidien.

For such concept-driven, surrealist stories, the subtlety and richness of the human experience Budnitz evokes is powerful and rare - the stories shine despite the quirks, not because of them. She has a real gift for these characters inner lives and a number of the stories are genuinely moving.

While the number of stories means some are superfluous- 23 is a lot of stories for a relatively slight collection - some are genuinely outstanding.

Three - 'Directions', 'Train', 'Burnt' - are comfortably among my favorite short stories, ever. They marry the concepts, nuanced emotion, and some startlingly beautiful, dense language and imagery. It was worth the price of admission for these three stories alone.

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

De verhalen kunnen mij maar matig boeien. Er is weinig dialoog, veel verhalende, beschrijvende tekst; heel afstandelijk. Humor is ver te zoeken. Bijna alle mensen zien er onaantrekkelijk uit en zijn niet interessant. Vaak dacht ik: waarom zou ik dit moeten / willen lezen? Het is als televisie kijken uit verveling en verwachten dat het desalniettemin beter wordt. Maar dat wordt het niet. De verbeelding is al te vaak vrijblijvend, het had even goed anders kunnen lopen, het zou niets uitgemaakt hebben. Ik had hoge verwachtingen van deze schrijfster door wat ik eerder van haar gelezen had, en wat wel verrassend en grappig was.

[Jean Dupenloup · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky and at times truly bewildering collection of stories by Judy Budnitz.

The bizarre and the downright ludicrous mix pleasantly in these 23 tales, each one highly conceptual and original.

There is something elemental and profound behind the stories, which the oddness belies; Budnitz is a deep-thinking writer.

A very enjoyable read!

[Erin Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The most boring book cover art ever. This is a very quirky and dark collection of stories. Definitely would not describe them as funny, adventurous, or enchanted. Dark, unsettling, strange, or odd is what I would use to describe them. Some stories are great, really original and shocking. Some are just odd and dull. Also, too many stories in this collection.

[Erika]

I tried.
But it was not for me, who's not a huge fan of magical realism stories.
It was too depressing and surreal and weird.

(Learnt about this book when my childhood friend bought this book at the used bookstore (2022/8/4)
Japanese title: "空中スキップ")

[rachey · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this, the stories were so creative . some more interesting than others but loved the writing style throughout. i particularly enjoyed dog days, scenes from the fall fashion catalogue and yelville.

[Whitney Claypool · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is one of the few authors that can really sell her reality so effortlessly. This collection is one of my favorites ever written.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

most f'ed up thing ive ever read

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Got Spirit
By Judy Budnitz

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession: This is the most excited I've been about a short story collection in years.

As gorgeous as The Virgin Suicides was, I was left pretty cold after finishing it--extremely well written, but just didn't move me. I never truly engaged me beyond a mechanical sense. So this is the perfect antidote for that apathy.

Budnitz is hysterical. I mean, cheerleaders sacrificing themselves to the "School Spirit" kind of hysterical. While looking her up on The All Mighty Google, I saw a review describing her work as "experimental fairy tales with an angry political center." That might be fair, though I see more Kafka in her writing than anything else. I could compliment a lot of things about her writing: the wit, her experimenting with structure, the way the most absurd elements heighten how we experience the mundane in her world. That's all there. But really, I just want to gush about how I've discovered my new favorite writer.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this is the only collection of stories I've ever bought because of an opera, namely "Dog Days," which I saw earlier this year. It was amazing. So is the story Budnitz wrote that inspired it. There's plenty more here to be amazed by: a college virgin with a strange form of leprosy, a cheerleader born-again through team spirit, a baby that weighs 100 pounds. And Budnitz doesn't just create fascinating characters; she also twists the scenarios in a peculiar way that feels all her own. If her other writing is as good as this book, Budnitzesque needs to become an adjective.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some amazing stories in this. The tale of the boy whose mom needs a heart transplant had me laughing piteously, painfully, achingly guffawing. But most of the stories didn't touch me--there was a contrivance, a distance, a lack of heartfelt connection. For a book so enticingly, boldly titled, I expected more risks and more engagement. That said, her use of language is beautiful. The characters aren't as interesting.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needed some more editing. There were some wonderfully written stories, with a plot line that really reeled you in. There were other stories that were probably trashed in her writer's workshop or graduate school or both and she still insisted to include them in this collection. Someone should have put their foot down and kept them out. They made reading this book very clunky and at times boring and tiresome.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creative stories, I sometimes don't enjoy short stories, but these were so good and short enough to keep my interest. Very good writing. I especially liked the story "Average Joe" and the last story in the book but they were all so good, I gobbled it up. I've already ordered her other book of stories.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stellar collection. It was one where I found I could only handle reading a few stories each night, because after each one, I'd need a pause to think it over. Where so many collections and anthologies are like watered-down lemonade - easy to drink lots, not necessarily satisfying - this was the good stuff - potent, profound, unique, crafted.

Loved it.

[Shootsie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned about this author from NPR's "This American Life", and was optimistic about the book when it arrived. Unfortunately, I can see why Budnitz's stories lend well to radio, and not so much to text. The stories were fluffy, full of imagination, and lacking in literary intrigue.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another great gift for women who love to read. Budnitz has a unique style. I think that modern writers with style - and unique style at that - are rare. She is imaginative and it works.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman writes some of the most intriguing and sublime stories I've ever read. Magical realism that would make Borges proud.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection of stories. They are morbid, funny, short enough to hold my attention, and touching. This is a book I re-read almost every summer with a glass of chardonnay.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually learned about her from the New York Post and was blown away by her passion and imagination. I sat through a bunch of terrible clowns to hear her read and it was worth it.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite short story collections. I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.

[Julia]

I love short stories, and some of these are brilliant.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love this collection of stories, it's one of my all-times favorites. It's a shame I haven't liked any of Budnitz's other work.

[Rebecca]

I'm in the odd position of disliking these stories, but finding them vaguely interesting.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little stories that are clever and stunning.