Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories

by Hilma Wolitzer

The uncannily relevant, deliciously clear-eyed collected stories of a critically acclaimed, award-winning author who is ripe for rediscovery--with a foreword by Elizabeth Strout.From her many well-loved novels, Hilma Wolitzer--now 90 years old and at the top of her game--has gained a reputation as one of our best fiction writers. These collected short stories--most of them originally published in magazines including Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post in the 1960s and 1970s, along with a new story that brings her early characters into the present--are evocative of an era that still resonates deeply today.In the title story, a bystander tries to soothe a woman who seems to have cracked under the pressures of motherhood. And in several linked stories throughout, the relationship between the narrator and her husband unfolds in telling and often hilarious vignettes. Of their time and yet timeless, Wolitzer's stories zero in on the domestic sphere and ordinary life with wit, candor, grace, and an acutely observant eye. Brilliantly capturing the tensions and contradictions of daily life, Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is full of heart and insight, providing a lens into a world that was often unseen at the time, and often overlooked now--reintroducing a beloved writer to be embraced by a whole new generation of readers.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Book Club, Contemporary

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2021

About the author

Hilma Wolitzer (b. 1930) is a critically hailed author of literary fiction. She is a recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and a Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. Her first short story appeared in print when she was thirty-six. Eight years later she published her first novel. Her novels and stories have drawn praise for illuminating the dark interiors of the American home. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I I was reading this, I was very much reminded of what I love about the work of Alice McDermott, Anne Tyler, or Elizabeth Strout who has written an eloquent foreward full of praise for Hilma Wolitzer. It’s the quiet ordinary lives we can relate to and empathize with even if the circumstances are not exactly like our own. It’s about coping with the imperfections of our daily lives and in each other, in marriages and families and it’s filled with heart and humor. I must have been living under a rock for never having read anything by Hilma Wolitzer until now. She’s 91 years old and while most of the stories in this collection were written several decades ago, they are so relatable even now. She’s obviously still writing as the final story reflects recent events. I’m glad to have discovered her writing now.

In all honesty, I was drawn to this book because of the title, thinking in a light hearted way that any day now I could go mad in the supermarket. This title story, the first in the book, though, is hardly light hearted. It’s sad and so realistic about how overwhelming life can be for women at times caring for small children, tending to a house with a less than understanding husband and how it can break a woman. I wished I could help her. That’s how real it felt. Another that really touched me was “Waiting for Daddy”, a sad story of a young girl wanting a connection with a father she never knew. In spite of some sadness and tough times, the stories are infused with such humor.

“Photographs”, “Mrs. X”, “Sundays”, “Nights”, “Overtime”, “The Sex Maniac”, “Trophies”, and “The Great Escape”, all center on a married couple, Paulette and Howard at various times in their lives, over the years raising their children, living in an apartment building in New York City. What terrific characters, facing things that we could easily relate to or certainly understand - depression, boredom, sleeplessness, infidelity, forgiveness, love, and yes, the simple joys in life. One of my favorites was the last story, “The Great Escape”. This one brings Paulette and Howard to present day. They have aged and the Covid virus is here. Funny thinking back to last year and my own “stocking up” when their daughter tells them : “ Stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer, “ “Fill up your freezer.” Funny when her first Zoom meeting was a book club meeting when everyone had to be prompted to turn off the mute button. My first zoom meeting was a telemedicine visit and my Doctor had to prompt me to unmute . But then Covid is not so funny, but so very realistically portrayed. Paulette in this story talks about her favorite book “Mrs. Bridge “ and it’s sequel, “Mr. Bridge” - “ …I saw both novels as candid observation, leavened by the charity of humor and the imagination.” I could say the same thing about the writing I found here. I’ll have to read Mrs. Bridge one day as well as more by Hilma Wolitzer.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Macmillan through Edelweiss.

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly, I have never come across the writer Hilma Wolitzer, this is a stunning collection of mostly previously published stories, with an introduction by the wonderful Elizabeth Strout. Wolitzer turns the ordinary into the extraordinary, relating the eternally timeless experiences of what it is to be human, skilfully making the reader feel as if her storytelling is personal to them. The stories here are full of warmth, humour, wit, insight, pathos, curiosity, empathy, heart and wisdom. The title story is the first one, it sets the standard high, as it tells of Mrs Shirley Lewis, with her young children holding onto to her for dear life in the supermarket, being pushed towards the edges of insanity with the unbearable burdens of being a mother and a wife to a husband who understands little, and is of no help whatsoever. It is told through the eyes of a bystander who tries to help, an empathetic woman.

Many of the stories are of Paulette and Howard, their relationship and marriage over the years, from the very beginnings and the ending with the last tale, The Great Escape, which resonates with our contemporary global ills of Covid-19 and the death and grief it brings. The couple having eased into their 90s, with forgiveness, with all the issues that arise with getting older in terms of health and disintegrating bodies, having endured the ups and downs of their marriage, including infidelity, the raising of their children, and the joys of grandchildren. In the early years they had Howard's first wife, Reenie, a hypochondriac, unable to let go of him, sleeping on their couch. There is Howard's depression, Paulie giving birth, and her insomnia. There are the difficulties of having to adjust to a life without a father, wide ranging reflections of our bodies, and the desperate desire to encounter the sex maniac on the loose at a time when love is in short supply.

Wolitzer has a keen and observant eye for the little things, the everyday, the apparently normal, and have us see it anew, with compassion and with a far greater appreciation. She covers traumatic childhoods, relationships, pregnancy, being a parent, a mother, marriage, the joys, pain, and heartbreak of living, love, loss, grief, the understandable restless wonderings of what else life could have been, and forgiveness. This superb short collection is a remarkable read, and showcases the talents of a gifted author that I am delighted to have discovered. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not what anyone would refer to as "the sharpest tool in the shed."

I haven't so much as done mental math in the last four and a half years. If an article is filled with jargon or technical terms, I leave the tab open on my computer for at least a day (and then usually give up on even pretending I don't want to read it). I judge books by their covers.

And if a book has a great ending, or if the final story in a collection is the best one, it melts my brain and suddenly I can't remember anything except loving the whole thing.

Case in point: This book.

I fell in love with that title / cover combo, and was very rapidly disillusioned and out of love when confronted with some kind of outdated and repetitive stories with a simple writing style that didn't work for me.

But then, boom. The last story. A new story, about an elderly woman living with her husband of many years, navigating a pandemic, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and ultimately the loss of her husband to COVID-19. Written by an author who did and does the same.

2021 was, in my personal records, the year of Lucia Berlin (as I read everything she ever wrote in the last few months), and seeing the decades-later success of her 20th century semi-autobiographical short stories must have inspired this collection, at least in small part.

For me, Hilma Wolitzer is no Lucia Berlin. But I would have given a lot to read Berlin's take on the last few years, and this is the closest I'll get.

Bottom line: Read the first story. If it doesn't work for you, skip to the last one and pretend you read the whole thing.

------------------
pre-review

read two books that made me sad in one day. my version of a superhero origin story

review to come / 3.5 stars

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currently-reading updates

i hope i, too, can one day be so lucky as to be the woman going mad in the supermarket

clear ur shit prompt 12: free space
follow my progress here

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tbr review

clear my plans for the day. i'm going to be staring lovingly at this cover

(thanks to the publisher for the copy)

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't have kids, but I felt the mother's utter weariness as her mind left her there in the middle of the aisle at the supermarket, trapped with two toddlers hanging onto her skirts for dear life.  I won't say more about this title story, other than it hasn't left my mind since reading it, it is exceptional.

Consider the possibility that we were all dreaming before we were ever born.  Learn that love is neither reasonable nor fair.  Note the shifting balance of power between aging parents and their children.  Growing old together, which one's aches and pains are worse, which one will die first?  The final story in the collection, The Great Escape, focuses on the time when Covid was just gaining a foothold in our country.  The author misses nothing in this relevant story. 

Short stories, most of them written in the 1960's and 1970's, and all of them superb, in a slice of life sort of way.  Brilliant, in that there are bits and snippets in each story with which most of us will be able to identify.  Insightful, with an occasional bit of humor, just enough so you don't go mad. 

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pogo-stick time!

Woo-eee!! Yep, I’m up here on my dear old pogo-stick, bouncing happily on the way to my all-time favorites list, where I’m going to throw this baby on top! This collection of short stories is brilliant. It’s a book where every sentence tickles my head, heart, and soul with a ding, buzz, bang. The moments are funny or poignant or both. Relationships rule in these tales, and although the characters lead ordinary lives, they are extraordinarily interesting. That’s the sign of a writer supreme, one whom I want to follow around like a crazed groupie. The stories remind me of those by Elizabeth Strout, one of my favorite writers. Oh, and how about this? Strout wrote the gushing Foreword!

What made me pick this book up, of course, was the title. Who doesn’t want to find out about the woman who went mad in the supermarket? Because face it, a lot of women have come close to a public meltdown, or have fantasized having one, or have even gone cuckoo like the character in this story (ha, Xanax was not yet available). What better place for this to happen than in a supermarket, where drama can run high in small, crowded aisles? “Oh, I lost it in the pasta-sauce aisle,” one frazzled Frannie with kids in tow might confess.

Many of us are drawn to stories that we can relate to. Strout in the Foreword helps us understand how a good writer, like Wolitzer, accomplishes the tricky task of making stories work, specifically this madness-in-a-supermarket story. The writer doesn’t tell us a lot about the woman who goes mad, but we add our own experiences and thus make it ours. That’s the deal with all the stories—emotions ooze out of the cracks; they’re subtle, but powerful, and then they’re inserted into our own psychology. Voila. A story we’ll remember.

Anyway, this title story delivers, bigtime. Turns out it was Wolitzer’s first published work—and we’re talking the 1960s! In fact, all but the last story in the collection were written way earlier, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. A true test of time, these stories aren’t dated in the least. I usually gravitate toward contemporary authors. There was no way I could tell these stories were written long ago, and I loved them to death.

Are you sitting down? Hilma Wolitzer is 91 years old! She recently wrote the collection’s last story, “The Great Escape.” It’s about living in New York City during COVID times. It’s somewhat autobiographical, making it even more poignant. And man, is it ever relatable. Will we ever forget the fear of not finding TP? Or nervously trying to get this new-fangled Zoom to work? You’ll be nodding your head and feeling a ton.

I’m having trouble picking favorites. I liked all the stories (no small feat), though the endings were a little too anti-climactic (or confusing) sometimes—not enough to lower my rating one iota, thank you very much. Many of the stories are linked—we see the same couple in different phases of their lives, like happens in Strout’s work. The stories are all poignant, and there’s a lot of wit and wisdom. There are tales about infidelity, longing, sex, loneliness, jealousy, secret lives, childbirth, insomnia. In fact, the insomnia story, called “Night,” should be required reading for all insomniacs. Talk about cathartic! Only one story is terribly sad, and that’s about a woman who has just given birth. It’s excellent. Another standout is a bizarre story about a couple and an ex. But what am I saying? If I think about any of them, I go directly to my pogo stick!

I just love the opening to one of her stories (called “The Sex Maniac,” naturally):

“Everybody said there was a sex maniac loose in the complex and I thought—it’s about time.”

And a few other goodies (oh, a million to choose from!):

“We’d both become relief maps of keratosis, skin tags, and suspicious-looking moles.”

“I left the pocketbook on his counter, sneakily, as one leaves a litter of kittens in a vacant lot.”

“And I listened to the sounds of their voices with the happiness of a dog that has no use for words but is desperately alert to tone and pitch and timbre.”

“So I didn’t share my conviction that there was only one mystery left after a lengthy marriage: which partner would die first?”

I had never heard of this writer, but, oh, now, you better believe it, I’m going to hunt down her work. My brain was spinning; I knew her last name sounded familiar. Ping! Come to find out that her daughter is Meg Wolitzer, author of The Interestings, already on my To-Read pile.

Speaking of which, Meg recently interviewed her mother, and the fact that mother and daughter are both writers made the interview doubly intriguing. Here’s a link to the excellent interview, in case you’re interested:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

Grab this book if you like brilliant short stories. You won’t be sorry.

Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the stories in this book were published in the 60’s and 70’s.
The title/first story was published in 1966 in The Saturday Evening Post.. but is so relatable even now, and the last story was written in 2020 and it involved a couple named Harold and Paulette just as the coronavirus hits New York.
That’s amazing since Wolitzer is 91 yrs old!!
Loved these stories especially several of the that were about Harold and Paulette through the years!
I’ll be checking out her other writings.

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, supermarkets are among the most horrible, dreadful and depressing places on earth. The sight of all those white lights eternally shining brightly over never ending corridors packed with stuff (I believe) we don’t actually need is enough to throw me into a spiral of fear of apocalyptic proportions.

That said, I’m forced to see the fact that I have been working in these soul killing places for more than ten years now is, in itself, a proof of my own resilience. Obviously, I’m not young or naive enough now to believe that working in something I don’t believe in for so many years didn’t or won’t affect my mental health in the future.

I think a lot of people assume that going mad, having a nervous breakdown or burning oneself out is something generally caused by a particular event like losing a job, a loved one, an accident or a betrayal, for example. I don’t think that’s actually the case, and the reason people make those assumptions is actually related to, not only a lack of empathy but also, a lot of times, to the fact that they’re observing the world from a pedestal of privilege (and luck).

Let’s not forget that everybody’s life is a sequence of events.

Now, don’t get me wrong, because I’m not writing about all this looking for sympathy.
I think it’s actually very life affirming to think about the place where my parents started and the place where my brother, sister and I are at the moment. If that’s not called resilience then I guess I know nothing about life.

You see, in 1966 when the story that gives title to this wonderful collection of short stories was written, my dad, for example, while this woman was going mad in the supermarket, still didn’t know how it would feel to wear a pair of shoes or even that supermarkets existed, by the way. Oh, and only five years had passed since my grandmother gave birth to my mum in an isolated little house without any modern commodities such as electricity, a tap with running water or a midwife.

Once again, don’t get me wrong, please, because I do think this is an excellent well written short story collection. Ms. Wolitzer’s writing is outstanding and ALL the stories in this collection are some pretty amazing examples of understated storytelling. Also, despite the fact that almost all of these stories were written before I was even born, none of them felt even slightly outdated to me. The problems these characters went through are exactly the same ones people keep having to deal with over and over again and probably will have to until the end of times.

All in all, this was a great, great read.
I guess I just like to give things some perspective once in a while.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

3/10/22 Update: Wonderful podcast on this book and the Covid story: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

I cannot explain it, but even though most of these stories were originally published in the 1960s and 1970s, nothing about this writing feels dated. The complete humanity of the characters and the expansive point of view to write them may have something to do with that. Assume nothing before and while reading this collection. Just be surprised.

How did I not know about Hilma Wolitzer, now 91 years old and still going strong? In fact the very last story was written in 2020 (story years are in parentheses at the end of each piece), and it was absolutely thrilling to read something current by someone 21 years older than I am. It was funny, gut-wrenching, and inspiring.

Thank you to my Goodreads friends who have been reviewing this wonderful book. I hope we can make it a bestseller for the amazing Ms. Wolitzer. She’s earned it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Everybody said that there was a sex maniac loose in the [apartment] complex and I thought - it's about time. It had been a long asexual winter . . . " - the impish opening of 'Sex Maniac,' page 75

This thirteen short stories in this collection are mostly culled from the author's 60's and 70's output (with the notable exception of the concluding segment, which is from and set squarely in 2020), harkening back to when periodicals like Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post would routinely present new short fiction pieces amongst their various articles. And this book also has quite the attention-grabbing title, although it is only from the standalone opening story and does not necessarily reflect on the other separate chapters. But what did I ultimately think about this book? It was really sort of divisive - although it was well-written, the modest and mostly humorless stories were often steeped in (too much) melancholy with women protagonists being unhappy in marriage, parenthood, or just life in general. (There has to be relatively happy or content girlfriends, wives and/or mothers in this world . . . they're just not the subjects of this book.) So some readers make shake their head in recognition or agreement, others may do so in loathing or dismay. What I did appreciate were several chapters interspersed throughout featuring Pauline and Howard, starting from when they were a somewhat young married couple and new parents in the late 1960's and leading to the aforementioned finale, which is set in the present day when they are octogenarians. Any guesses as to what world-wide health event irreversibly alters their relationship?

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Strout makes these points in her introduction to these short pieces. “Wolitzer always leaves enough spaces between the lines for us to embrace her work... This is part of her marvelousness as a writer….As are so many of the endings; there is a little bump, and we realize we have landed safely. This sense of safety—of being in safe hands—as we read is never to be underestimated. The reader does not have to know of this need, but the writer does. And in these stories, no matter what happens, we have the sense of safety that a great storyteller provides."
As a short story writer, Wolitzer excels at quickly drawing the reader into the protagonist’s predicament. It isn’t a sure thing but I believe that you will find yourself surprised by something in at least half of the stories.

You get full value in these stories:
Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket
Waiting for Daddy
Photographs
Mrs. X
Sundays
Nights
Overtime
The Sex Maniac
Trophies
Bodies
Mother
Love
The Great Escape

There is not a “bad” story in this collection. I don’t want to spoil your exploration so I will only give you a small sample of her approach from “Sundays.” The narrator is a married woman who describes herself as “sunny” and “radiant” and so in love with her “depressed” husband. She tells us that the one thing that will get her husband out of bed is to read the Sunday real estate section and then, with their young children, look at suburban developments as an alternative to their city apartment. The wife and husband have a relationship that is fraught.
Does she understand herself? “Why am I so happy? It must be the triumph of the human spirit over genetics and environment.”
Does she understand her spouse? “What’s the matter, Howie? If something is bothering you, talk about it.” He smiles, that calculated half-smile, and I think that we hardly talk about anything that matters.”
Wolitzer plays with perspective and reality.

Again according to Strout: "Wolitzer is largehearted in her work, judging no one. And she is also an exquisite craftswoman. She understands how to render the details so well that we are immediately placed inside the story.... This is another part of Wolitzer’s wonder as a writer: she will start off in one place and end up in a situation one never would have imagined, and yet it ultimately makes a kind of perfect sense." 5*

My thanks to GR friend, Julie G, for introducing this author to me.

[JimZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought all of the stories were well-written. However, I guess I was coming to the conclusion that the stories were just not right for me. That maybe some were dated. But then I read probably one of the best short stories I have read in a long time, ‘Mother’. And then I very much liked her last story written in 2020 that was in the time of Covid-19, ‘The Great Escape’. So kudos to her. I’m impressed, and would recommend this to others to read. 😊

A number of the stories are interconnected with the married couple of Howard and Paulette (Paulie). Wolitzer wrote a number of these stories 40-60 years ago, and she wrote the final story in this collection last year when she was 90.
• Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket (1966) — 4 stars
• Waiting for Daddy (1971) — 3 stars
• Photographs (1976) — 4 stars
• Mrs. X (1969) — 3 stars
• Sundays (1974) — 3.5 stars
• Nights (1974) — 3.5 stars
• Overtime (1974) — 2.5 stars
• The Sex Maniac (1970) — 2 stars; seemed dated to me...
• Trophies (1975) — 4 stars; funny
• Bodies (1979) — 3 stars
• Mother (1987) — 5 stars; originally published in Prairie Schooner
• Love (1971) — 4 stars; not sure I get it. But good writing...
• The Great Escape (2020) — 5 stars; involves a very funny vignette of a bunch of old people inexperienced with Zoom meeting there for their book club meeting on ‘Mrs. Bridge’...that’s just one part of a very nicely written story.

The Foreword is by another writer who writes interconnected short stories, Elizabeth Strout.

Reviews:
• https://www.npr.org/2021/09/04/103188...
• https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...
• https://bluewolf-reviews.com/books/no...

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

| | blog | tumblr | ko-fi | |

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is a fairly amusing collection of short stories. While many of the stories were written and initially published during the 1960s and 1970s, Hilma Wolitzer’s style and humour struck me as modern. The issues she touches up also felt surprisingly relevant. The stories read like vignettes and have an almost sitcomesque quality that makes for some diverting reading material.

The scenarios these stories present us with are domestic, and many hone in on the dynamic between husband and wife, highlighting the societal pressures mothers are subjected to. In the title story, a woman witnesses a mother’s breakdown in the supermarket. Later on, we have a story highlighting how traumatic giving birth is that is both humorous and clever.
While I appreciated the author’s wit and her savvy social commentary, I did find that many of these stories, especially the linked ones following the same married couple, to be samey. And, even if I did find them to be relatively entertaining they were not particularly memorable (hence the short review).
Still, if you are in the mood for some funny stories depicting suburban American married life in the 60s and 70s, well, this might be the collection for you.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these stories as I usually do short stories, one at a time over the course of days. I was a fan from the beginning, no matter that most of these were written in the 60's or 70's of the last decade. Any woman with kids who tells you they can't relate to a woman losing it in the supermarket, be it a catatonic state or a screaming meltdown, or something in between, is lying. I totally related, even with the bystanders and the pregnant woman trying to help. "There is no end", the woman says, "there's just no end" as one child pees on the floor and the other cries in her arms. It goes from there to other stories written over the decades, mostly about Howard and Paulie, a married couple at different stages of their lives. Others as well, one about a girl who never knew her father, or even his name. " There is something terrific about not knowing your father because it opens up possibilities that just aren't there with a real mass in your mother's bed, with a father who hangs his coat in the closet at night. " That was a new take, certainly.

I was a little confused by the ending of 3 of the stories, but the last one, "The Great Escape", written in 2020, was a masterpiece about the early days of Covid in New York City, again starring Howard and Paulie in their old age.

" I felt an irrational surge of happiness. Another day! And then another and another and another. Breakfast, vitamins, bills, argument, blood pressure pills, lunch, doctor, cholesterol medicine, the telephone, supper, TV, sleeping pills, sleep, waking. It seemed as if it would all go on forever in that exquisitely boring and beautiful way. But of course it wouldn't; everyone knows that. "
I'm not quite as old as Paulie, but I'm here to tell you it doesn't get more real than that.

These stories are about real people living real lives and only the 3 stories that left me wanting are the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. Those could very well have been me, not the author, but I'm definitely a fan of Hilma Wolitzer.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook,synced with ebook.....
.....audio read by Hilary Huber
audio is 4 hours and 54 minutes ---book is 194 pages

My short review:..........*YES*..............
......................................................just YES..........(and agree with every 4 and 5 star reviews)

Wonderful collection of short stories!!! (as great as Robin Black's short stories)

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I gotten through life without having heard of Hilma Wolitzer? The stories in Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket are so delicious! I laughed even when I guiltily recognized the truthful honesty behind these stories which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and literary magazines in the 1960s and 1970s.

When I found the title story online, shared by The Saturday Evening Post on their website and first published in the magazine in 1966, I knew I had to read more. A woman has a nervous breakdown in the grocery store, her son clinging to her skirts, her purse empty, while the pregnant narrator tries to help her. “You can’t mother the whole world,” her husband consoles his sorrowing wife. Oh, how many times have we seen a crisis and felt powerless? But where better to lose it than food shopping? Woman carry so much, especially in 1966, the family needing to be feed and the house cleaned and the dog walked and so on and so on. It’s enough to crush any woman’s spirit. The relentless need and the never ending futility of it all.

The story of Paulette and Howard is told through the stories: their shotgun wedding, the struggles of marriage, depression and anxiety, in-laws and kids, and finally, old age in the pandemic and the losses it inflicts.

I found myself glancing over to see if Howard was still alive, holding my breath while I watched for the shallow rise and fall of his, the way I had once watched for a promising rise in the bedclothes.

The last story, The Great Escape, opens with Paulie watching Howard sleeping, reminiscing of the days when she would wake him up for a quickie before the kids woke up. Now, she checks to see if he is still breathing. It is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once.

She captures the routine of old age, their days reduced to the same endless routine, “as if it would all go one forever in that exquisitely boring and beautiful way.”

The kids order them to stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer and to fill the freezer, the book club switched to Zoom meetings (as did the bar mitzvah), hair cuts are skipped, and masks and gloves became a part of their wardrobe.

It is like the story of my 2020 life, down to the Zoomed bar mitzvah attendance!

In the Foreword by Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton), she writes that Wolitzer “is largehearted in her work, judging no none.” And I loved that about these stories. Like Strout’s characters, Wolitzer writes about ordinary people, with great honesty and sympathy and insight. I loved these women and I loved these stories. Wolitzer’s brilliant writing is not to be missed.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Hilma Wolitzer interviewed on the “Lost Ladies of Lit” podcast, so was very motivated to read this short story collection. I thought this was overall an outstanding collection.
The first story “Today a Woman went Mad in the Supermarket” was originally published in 1966. It was a brilliant depiction of a woman being so overwhelmed by her children and life that she simply loses her mental stability.

In many of the stories, she looks at couples, primarily Howard and Paulie, and dissects the changes that occur with time. There is the initial passion, the settling in, the changes in emotional and sexual intensity, the insecurities and the getting old together.

The story “ Mother”, I challenge anyone to read and not feel a total sick feeling in their stomach.

The last story is one we can all relate to as it takes place at the start of COVID. The initial disbelief to realizing this is for real. I think it is the only story I want to read that relates to Covid- it just says it all.

I would love to know where the inspiration for these stories came from. It is a wonderful short story collection that I highly recommend!

A couple of quotes I’d like to share:

“ I began to understand about the injustices in a world where loyal and willing girls were abandoned and others, faithless and disagreeable, were not. Nothing was fair- certainly not the burden of dreams.”
“ It wasn’t that grief had become less, but that it had become different, moving up into the intellect, away from the body, from those aching places, the shoulders and the fingertips.”

Published as a collection: 2021- most stories originally published in the 1960’s and 1970’s, except for the last- 2020.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thirteen short stories by the much lauded award winning author Hilma Wolitzer, now 91 years old. Stories written and published in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

I was led to expect “hilarious vignettes”; wit, candor and grace. None of which I found.

The first story offered is “Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket” (1966) approximately 9 pages long, left me puzzled.

The other stories offered no wit or humor and they did not come together as promised.

Because the book is only 179 pages I was able to finish it so I didn’t have to add one more DNF to my growing list of DNF’s.

The last story dated 2020 deals with Covid-19 and there was nothing funny about it.

Who am I not to like stories written by an author who has been lauded and won all kinds of awards you may ask? Well, me, a reader, that’s who.

The best thing about this book was the title “Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket”.

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A witty and fresh collection of mounting tensions and desires. Through stories that use the mundane, the everyday, there is a mounting dissatisfaction, approaching a boiling point through every paragraph. With dry humor and biting honesty, Wolitzer examines the tensions of marriage, eroticism, self restraint, and compassion- domestic life can bring out both the best and worst in people, sometimes simultaneously. A surprisingly deep look at all of the things that lurk beneath the surface of routine and pleasantry.

[JaymeO · Rating 4 out of 5]

That woman’s not mad, she’s married!

I was not familiar with Hilma Wolitzer’s writing until I listened to this audiobook. I found it in my search for a short read (every little bit helps the tbr!) It is a collection of her short stories that appeared throughout many decades in magazines such as Esquire and the Saturday Evening Post. The reoccurring women characters humorously detail their unhappiness in marriage, motherhood and domesticity.

While it is short, at just over five hours long, the narration by Hilary Huber is monotonous. I had a difficult time maintaining my interest the entire way through each story. However, I feel like one might have a better experience reading the hard copy. I enjoyed the reoccurring characters, but also wish those stories would have been presented in order instead of interspersed throughout.

I particularly loved Howard and his wife’s stories (I don’t believe her name is mentioned, but that might be the point!) I was also glad to see a recent story from 2020 included in this collection, as it gave an important update on these beloved characters. Alas, I was finally forced to read about COVID, and it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would!

3.5/5 stars rounded up

[♡ Martina ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non sapevo cosa aspettarmi e tutt'ora alla fine del libro sono rimasta perplessa ma in positivo. Dei racconti molto originali e che mi hanno catturato fin da subito con il suo humour provocante e tagliente.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could ANYONE resist a short story collection titled; “Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket”? I couldn’t!

These thirteen stories by Hilma Wolitzer are entertaining, poignant, nostalgic, current, thought-provoking, humorous, and heartbreaking.

Wolitzer tackles he human condition in general, and specifically women’s lives and the expectations associated with mother and wifehood, and how they have changed in modern history. Most of the stories were written in the 1970s and I enjoyed the nostalgic quality to those, while also being amazed by what has changed and what has not.

Several of the stories concern Paulette and Howard and their family over the years of their “courtship”, marriage, and raising a family. I don’t want to spoil how Wolitzer brilliantly brings their story into the present for an apt conclusion.

Read the Forward by Elizabeth Stout (and read her wonderful new novel “Oh William!”, too!) but read it AFTER you’ve read these stories.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god these stories! I haven’t read anything so deliciously clear-eyed and funny in ages. These stories are gently dark and revealing and while they’re seemingly about ordinary and small lives Wolitzer reveals them to be anything but. All of my favourites feature Howard and Paulie and the titular opening story had me from the moment Shirley Lewis murmurs, ‘There is no end to it.’ These stories were originally published in the 1960s and 70s and their publication as a collection is a cause for celebration. Wolitzer, now in her 90s, has even written a new story for the collection. And of course she is Meg Wolitzer’s mother (you simply have to read Meg’s The Washington Post interview)! Those writing genes. Wolitzer’s eye for detail and the clarity of her voice are simply superb. Strout writes the foreword and if you’re a Strout fan, you’re a guaranteed Hilma Wolitzer fan. Rejoice!

[Holly R W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilma Wolitzer's collection of short stories spans her earlier years of writing and includes one story written recently. The author is 91 years old. The stories I liked best were about a couple, named Howard and Paulette, told from Paulette's (Paulie's) point of view. They looked at aspects of married life, both moments of contentment and life's bumpy times.

Personally, a stand-out story for me was Photographs. In it, a young Paulie meets Howard and while dating, discovers herself to be pregnant. It is written realistically and with a bit of humor.

3.5 stars

Here is an NPR interview with the author. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/07/103492...

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨.

Old stories don’t really exist, not when it comes to human relationships, responsibilities, the load we carry simply by being alive. The space we inhabit whether we’ve abandoned someone or are a fixture in the landscape of their lives has a heartbeat, a life of its very own. Some things never change, some aches are timeless, universal. We can go mad in a supermarket or feel empathy for someone who does, so many of us have been there, or will be. What makes Hilma Wolitzer a ‘masterful writer’ is her eye for all our little lives, pulsing into the universe with banal thoughts- we all have them. No one escapes the stress of not being good enough, of having to keep your head up and keep on moving despite the burdens of our responsibilities. We all have longings we cast out into the world, even a child who has grown up fatherless and envies all those other selfish girls who get to sit next to real fathers at the movies. Life is unfair, we all know it! Yet, there is strength and heart in the home with her mother and grandmother’s support, holding up her universe. There are variations of family, then as now.


Like the witness to the supermarket madness, sometimes we just can’t do anything but fill our role as spectator. “Of course, I’m too sophisticated in things psychological (isn’t everyone today?) to think that one goes mad at a moment’s notice. There are insipid beginnings to a nervous breakdown.” It’s the collection of failures, pressures, disappointments, wounds, that make one lose heart or mind. Written in the past (60’s-70’s and currently as well), how often were women and their little ‘episodes’ minimized, leaving them to feel ridiculous? I’m fine, everything is swell, don’t mind the tears! If there are great mysteries to solve, in being a human, no one has done it yet. Each life is large to the person living it out.

Here the theme is domestic life, plans that stretch into a million tomorrows, pregnancy, partnership, and like giving birth how we have to learn to ‘just breathe’ through it all. Where do our dreams go, some so small we can keep them in our pocket? How do we protect our marriage from threats, interlopers? How do we measure happiness, what does it look like when you have children and not a moment of solitude to ponder it? Isn’t it good to know we are all restless, how else would we find the energy to show up every single day? Too, we drag our childhoods behind us, people growing up and learning to ‘get used to the ironies of life’. Learning not just how to love, but to accept love and likely screwing things up.

We all are tormented by the ‘minds mutterings’, hearts will be broken and mend, no one we love is a blank slate anymore than we ourselves are. Through insomnia, outside threats (even sex maniacs on the loose), ex-wives, an evil virus, death, grief, rotten childhoods and the bodies we occupy- these are stories most anyone can relate to. Maybe our lives aren’t all great fodder for Hollywood movies, but it’s ours with all its mess and glory. Nothing spectacular has to happen, the reward is in connecting. It truly is, in the end, all the little things that make up a life. How we betray our hearts and each other, what we do with our pain, how we can still be happy despite knowing the worst. Time allows for so much forgiveness, and maybe time itself is the nourishment so many marriages require. The final story is a last breath, and tender. Yes, read it- this an intelligent collection.

Publication Date: August 31, 2021

Bloomsbury USA

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so upset - why haven't I read Hilma Wolitzer before now?? She's 91, people. 91!

But I digress. It worked out - being a newcomer, that is - that Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories is primarily a collection of Wolitzer's past works, which all center around the themes of womanhood, mothering, and family life. There is a new piece at the end that literally brought tears to my eyes - it was my first taste of "pandemic fiction" and boy, did it do it's job.

This is a masterclass in (short) storytelling. Period. Each work is clear and focused in its goal, evocative in its execution. Woltizer's female narrators could be our grandmothers and mothers and aunts and sisters and girlfriends and us, regardless of the decade. The restraint and desperation felt by woman in the '60's and '70's are not so far removed from the limitations woman experience in 2021. It all echoes.

My favorite stories: "Photographs," "The Sex Maniac," "The Great Escape"
My least favorite stories: "Bodies," "Nights," "Trophies"

I struggled with stories that weren't about Howard and Paulie (though the husband in the title story was Howard, too, which confused me for awhile). Also, "Mother" was completely engaging, but one step away from Stephen King territory, so...

In all, I was impressed and inspired and just totally taken with this collection. It won't be my last from Wolitzer.

[Theresa Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book. She was kind of ahead of her time. The things she wrote about, marriage, sex, her husband's depression, her endless optimism and insomnia, really not very common things to write about in the sixties and seventies. But she is so good. She's funny, insightful, and full of warmth. These stories were great. The one about her ex-husband's loopy ex-wife and how they put her up is just PURE Americana and something we Americans would do. No hanky panky but just two people who felt sorry for a dingbat - the ex-wife. Also, her unabashed love for her husband and lust for his body were great. I just ended up loving this woman. Wolitzer has such a unique way of writing. Highly recommended.

[Come Musica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questa raccolta di racconti, scritti tra gli anni Sessanta e gli anni Settanta, è impreziosita dalla prefazione di Elizabeth Strout.
A questi racconti, pubblicati su varie riviste, l’autrice ne ha aggiunto uno, l’ultimo, scritto durante la pandemia, che è autobiografico.
Hilma Wolitzer, infatti, durante la pandemia ha perso il marito per il Covid-19.
Con ironia e arguzia, l’autrice cuce i vari racconti incentrati sul matrimonio, mettendo in rilievo tutte le contraddizioni che caratterizzano i rapporti di coppia.

Una bella scoperta.

[Cynthia Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depressing as hell. I'm sorry that I read it.

[Anomaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an impulse hold at the library, back when I thought this was some kind of humorous collection. Unfortunately, it is not anything near what I expected.

This book is a series of melancholy vignettes about how much life, marriage, having children, etc. sucks. Or, at least, that's the message I gleaned from the relentlessly depressing stories about women - usually one woman in particular - being shat on by the universe and struggling with what seems like a resignation toward how much human existence sucks.

The writing flows well, but the stories are mostly just sad character studies which quickly become an exhausting ball of boring, melancholy, disheartening meh-ness. Reading this collection just made me feel extremely grateful I never ruined my already disappointing existence with marriage, romance, or children - all of which sound horrifying in this book.

Maybe at a different point in my life, I'd have liked this, and for that and the writing quality I'm being generous with my rating. But as is, this book dragged me down emotionally on an already shitty day. I wish I'd done a little closer reading of the blurb and hadn't mistaken this for a lighthearted, comedic book. I'd have postponed my library hold once it became available today, if only I realized what I was getting into.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In August in the Washington Post I read Meg Wolitzer's interview with her mother Hilma. The interview piqued my interest and I put this collection on my TBR. When our local library received it, I was lucky enough to be the first patron to check it out.

This collection is bookended with Wolitzer's first published short story from 1966 and her most recent work written last year. Wolitzer's sharp, funny, poignant, and insightful writing looks at love, marriage, sex, and families.

My mood altered from story to story. Sometimes I laughed: "Everybody said that there was a sex maniac loose in the complex and I thought--it's about time. It had been a long asexual winter." I chuckled through the story of a wife trying to fix her husband's ex up with anyone so she'll stay out of their lives.

Then there's the heartbreaking story of a traumatic birth and a wonderful rendition of a woman with insomnia. And so much more.

Wolitzer fills her stories with carefully selected details that put you right there in the story while leaving enough space that you can slip yourself into her tales.

Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this collection of a dozen wonderful stories.

I have not read any of Hilma Wolitzer's work prior to this collection, and rest assured that I will soon be checking to see which of her books our library system has available.