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Selected Shorts: For Better and For Worse
Recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs on public radio nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear some of their favorite tales read aloud by distinguished actors.
From a couple's rocky, college love affair that lasts a lifetime and a mother who nervously chaperones her retarded daughter's honeymoon to a supernatural tale of marriage and transformation and a grieving man who buries his young wife and makes amends with her family—this anthology captures the powerful and complicated lives of married couples. Among the stories are Sherman Alexie's "Do You Know Where I Am?" read by Keir Dullea; Karen E. Bender's "Eternal Love," read by Joanne Woodward; Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Wife's Story," read by Joanna Gleason; Shahrnush Parsipur's "Mrs. Farrokhlaqa Sadraldivan Golchehreh," translated by Kamran Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet and read by Frances Sternhagen; and Luis Alberto Urrea's "Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses," read by Robert Sean Leonard.
From a couple's rocky, college love affair that lasts a lifetime and a mother who nervously chaperones her retarded daughter's honeymoon to a supernatural tale of marriage and transformation and a grieving man who buries his young wife and makes amends with her family—this anthology captures the powerful and complicated lives of married couples. Among the stories are Sherman Alexie's "Do You Know Where I Am?" read by Keir Dullea; Karen E. Bender's "Eternal Love," read by Joanne Woodward; Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Wife's Story," read by Joanna Gleason; Shahrnush Parsipur's "Mrs. Farrokhlaqa Sadraldivan Golchehreh," translated by Kamran Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet and read by Frances Sternhagen; and Luis Alberto Urrea's "Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses," read by Robert Sean Leonard.
3 pages, Audio CD
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 1, 2016
Sherman Alexie's "Do You Know Where I Am?" - A Native American couple's rocky college love affair lasts a lifetime. (4 stars)
Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Wife's Story" - A supernatural tale of marriage and transformation. (3 stars)
Karen E. Bender's "Eternal Love" - A mother nervously chaperones her retarded daughter's honeymoon. (3 stars)
Shahrnush Parsipur's "Mrs. Farrokhlaqa Sadraldivan Golchehreh" - The unexpected twists and turns in a longtime marriage. (This story was banned by the Iranian government in the mid-1990s.) (4 stars)
Luis Alberto Urrea's "Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses" - A grieving man visits the reservation to bury his young wife and makes amends with her family. He is white, she was Native American. (3 stars)
Ethan Canin's "We Are Nighttime Travelers" - The arrival of a mysterious visitor sets off new sparks in a longtime marriage. (4 stars)
Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Wife's Story" - A supernatural tale of marriage and transformation. (3 stars)
Karen E. Bender's "Eternal Love" - A mother nervously chaperones her retarded daughter's honeymoon. (3 stars)
Shahrnush Parsipur's "Mrs. Farrokhlaqa Sadraldivan Golchehreh" - The unexpected twists and turns in a longtime marriage. (This story was banned by the Iranian government in the mid-1990s.) (4 stars)
Luis Alberto Urrea's "Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses" - A grieving man visits the reservation to bury his young wife and makes amends with her family. He is white, she was Native American. (3 stars)
Ethan Canin's "We Are Nighttime Travelers" - The arrival of a mysterious visitor sets off new sparks in a longtime marriage. (4 stars)
September 24, 2020
Do you know where I am? 4 Stars
The Wife's story 4 Stars
Eternal love 3 Stars
Mrs. Farrokhlaga Sadraldivan Golchehreh 2 Stars
Bid farewell to her many horses 2 Stars
We are nightmares travelers 2 Stars
The Wife's story 4 Stars
Eternal love 3 Stars
Mrs. Farrokhlaga Sadraldivan Golchehreh 2 Stars
Bid farewell to her many horses 2 Stars
We are nightmares travelers 2 Stars
October 26, 2021
I listened two two of the stories, and it was only marginally enjoyable. Not worth finishing.
December 10, 2021
The Luis Alberto Urrea story was heart-stoppingly beautiful, and beautifully read. The others were excellent, but this was the story that I needed to hear again.
May 12, 2025
Wow. Just wow. I downloaded this audiobook without realizing the premise and I like that I went into it blind.
It made me fall in LOVE with how powerful short stories are again. I was moved to anger, laughter, and tears within each brief story. Some are better than others and some of the actors are better than others at bringing the words to life.
The reason this isn't 5 stars or on top of the best list is that they are read before a studio audience and the coughing fits and throat clearings ripped me out of the stories. I just wasn't good at tuning that out after listening to so many professionally polished audiobooks. Wearing my noise cancelling headphones around the house, I kept whipping around thinking my son was entering the room and needing my attention! Other than that, these are a must-read!!
It made me fall in LOVE with how powerful short stories are again. I was moved to anger, laughter, and tears within each brief story. Some are better than others and some of the actors are better than others at bringing the words to life.
The reason this isn't 5 stars or on top of the best list is that they are read before a studio audience and the coughing fits and throat clearings ripped me out of the stories. I just wasn't good at tuning that out after listening to so many professionally polished audiobooks. Wearing my noise cancelling headphones around the house, I kept whipping around thinking my son was entering the room and needing my attention! Other than that, these are a must-read!!
April 5, 2020
These were some good short stories to listen to while working in the garden. My favorites were Karen E. Bender's "Eternal Love," read by Joanne Woodward and Ursula K. LeGuin's "The Wife's Story," read by Joanna Gleason.
I almost ignored this collection as the lead story was by Sherman Alexie. I appreciate what he's done to popularize indigenous writing but have I've distanced myself from his work after learning about his treatment of women. His short story in this collection does little to mitigate those concerns.
I almost ignored this collection as the lead story was by Sherman Alexie. I appreciate what he's done to popularize indigenous writing but have I've distanced myself from his work after learning about his treatment of women. His short story in this collection does little to mitigate those concerns.
November 2, 2020
Bid Farewell to Her Many Horses by Luis Alberto Urrea brought tears to my eyes. Absolutely looking to read more from him, and am open to any / all recommendations for similar authors! Shorts or otherwise.
In this collection, each short tells a different story of love and loss. Beautifully written and read.
In this collection, each short tells a different story of love and loss. Beautifully written and read.
January 15, 2021
This anthology contains some really lively vignettes about marriage (a topic I’m not generally interested in reading about). However, I’ve enjoyed every Sherman Alexie story I’ve read, so i gave it a try. Lucky the other stories were just as engaging. There is no mawkish sentimentality or finger waggling—in them, marriage ranges from funny to frustrating, from endearing to alarming...and to even cold war. Plus it’s short! What’s not to love?
June 17, 2021
Short stories about marriage. As with most short story collections, this was uneven. Unlike most, this included marriages that were not only marriages of only white people.
I found this because Sherman Alexi worked on this.
I found this because Sherman Alexi worked on this.
August 19, 2018
I enjoy these stories so much (especially the second one in this book!)! I can't wait to read the rest of the Selected Shorts :)
January 3, 2019
Well done, good production value, great actors.
March 2, 2019
Very strong set of stories that deals with aging, marriage, love, and death. This is my favorite book in the Symphony Space collection so far.
January 17, 2020
Some decent stories, but nothing that lit me up. Maybe in a couple of years, they will hit the right spot.
December 14, 2022
Oh this is just fantastic.
September 2, 2025
Excellent stories. I enjoy feeling like I'm in the audience as the story is read. Wonderful performances. Moving glimpses into relationships and the intricacies of human connection.
September 12, 2025
I liked all the stories in this audio book.
April 29, 2016
Selected shorts are always a favorite of mine - both on the radio and their audiobook compilations. I don't really care for novels about marriage and love, but these were okay since they were vignettes that let you glimpse into a life without a long backstory and an abundance of detail. There's something special about short story authors who can jump right into a story and you immediately feel a connection and understanding about the characters. I also usually like the endings of short stories since there's not a big dramatic conclusion...it's usually just the characters making a slow development or realization.
There's also something romantic about selected shorts. Not love romance, but literary romance where you are immersed in a sort of literary alternate universe where writing and the perfect story are the only things you need to be content. The combination of a good story read by the right author can draw you in like no movie ever can. And when the story ends your in a dreamlike state where you want to think, explore, create and connect with the world. Almost like the feeling after you get a massage or meditate.
Anywho, enough of that. Definitely read this compilation if you like selected shorts or if you are interested in trying out audiobooks but want short doses at a time.
Spoiler alert:
One of he most interesting stories (and the shortest) was really unique - about a reverse werewolf. It was a wolf who turns into a human once a month. Very imaginative and also the most intense story of the bunch.
There's also something romantic about selected shorts. Not love romance, but literary romance where you are immersed in a sort of literary alternate universe where writing and the perfect story are the only things you need to be content. The combination of a good story read by the right author can draw you in like no movie ever can. And when the story ends your in a dreamlike state where you want to think, explore, create and connect with the world. Almost like the feeling after you get a massage or meditate.
Anywho, enough of that. Definitely read this compilation if you like selected shorts or if you are interested in trying out audiobooks but want short doses at a time.
Spoiler alert:
One of he most interesting stories (and the shortest) was really unique - about a reverse werewolf. It was a wolf who turns into a human once a month. Very imaginative and also the most intense story of the bunch.
June 29, 2013
This was a great collection of short stories, originally aired on NPR's program Selected Shorts. They were really well performed, although it took me a while to get used to the audience sounds and the feedback from the microphone on some of the (somewhat low quality) recordings. The collection contained two stories that I absolutely loved (5 stars): 'Eternal Love' by Karen Bender and 'The Wife's Story' by Ursula K. Le Guin.
'Eternal Love' follows a mother as she struggles to let go of her need to protect her mentally-challenged child, as her daughter gets married and begins a life of her own.
'The Wife's Story'...well, you'll just have to check it out. It's the shortest story in the collection, at just under twelve minutes long. Amazingly performed. I've already listened to it three times. This one's definitely going on my top ten list of all-time favorite short stories.
I also enjoyed several of the other stories (a mix of 3-4 stars). The final one just could not keep my attention, though it may have been my state of mind rather than the quality of the story that was at fault.
'Eternal Love' follows a mother as she struggles to let go of her need to protect her mentally-challenged child, as her daughter gets married and begins a life of her own.
'The Wife's Story'...well, you'll just have to check it out. It's the shortest story in the collection, at just under twelve minutes long. Amazingly performed. I've already listened to it three times. This one's definitely going on my top ten list of all-time favorite short stories.
I also enjoyed several of the other stories (a mix of 3-4 stars). The final one just could not keep my attention, though it may have been my state of mind rather than the quality of the story that was at fault.
September 15, 2009
I love this series. It is an audio series based on live readings at Symphony Space in NY. Each reading is around a theme - betrayal, travel, food, marriage, "wondrous women", etc. The selected works are funny, thought provoking, scarey, etc. The readers are all recognizable voices from theatre and film. I have run out of the choices from our library system and may need to start purchasing from this series!
I would so highly recommend you run to your local library next time you are traveling anywhere and want an audio book to listen to.
I would so highly recommend you run to your local library next time you are traveling anywhere and want an audio book to listen to.
April 11, 2013
For Better and For Worse was a surprise. The narration was excellent. My favorite short story within this collection was Eternal Love by Karen E. Bender, but I thought all the stories were pretty strong.
January 13, 2018
I am seriously obsessed with these wonderful audio stories. This one had a story read by Joanne Woodward, another by Robert Sean Leonard. Combine wonderful writing with amazing reading and it's like storytime for adults. Luckily my library system has a good dozen of them.
May 8, 2009
I think I needed this. I'm getting married soon...4th of July. These were uplifing and sad, but all very real. I appreciated them all.
May 24, 2015
Deeply touching and sad with wry storytelling. The kind of stories that follow you around.
November 9, 2015
Alexie's story is one I've listened to more than once, and I am still in awe of it, and still cry, though I know exactly what is going to happen. I look forward to reading more of his work.
April 8, 2016
These stories are fantastic! a wonderful collection!
February 27, 2018
amazing stories of love life and marriage
July 30, 2013
Listen to these being read - the readers are excellent!!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews