The New Yorker Stories

The New Yorker Stories #1-3

by Ann Beattie

When Ann Beattie began publishing short stories in The New Yorker in the mid-seventies, she emerged with a voice so original, and so uncannily precise and prescient in its assessment of her characters’ drift and narcissism, that she was instantly celebrated as a voice of her generation. Her name became an adjective: Beattiesque. Subtle, wry, and unnerving, she is a master observer of the unraveling of the American family, and also of the myriad small occurrences and affinities that unite us. Her characters, over nearly four decades, have moved from lives of fickle desire to the burdens and inhibitions of adulthood and on to failed aspirations, sloppy divorces, and sometimes enlightenment, even grace.

Each Beattie story, says Margaret Atwood, is "like a fresh bulletin from the front: we snatch it up, eager to know what’s happening out there on the edge of that shifting and dubious no-man’s-land known as interpersonal relations." With an unparalleled gift for dialogue and laser wit, she delivers flash reports on the cultural landscape of her time. Ann Beattie: The New Yorker Stories is the perfect initiation for readers new to this iconic American writer and a glorious return for those who have known and loved her work for decades.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, The United States Of America, Unfinished, Literary Fiction, Fantasy

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ann Beattie (born September 8, 1947) is an American short story writer and novelist. She has received an award for excellence from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and a PEN/Bernard Malamud Award for excellence in the short story form. Her work has been compared to that of Alice Adams, J.D. Salinger, John Cheever, and John Updike. She holds an undergraduate degree from American University and a masters degree from the University of Connecticut.

Reviews

[Kimber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am half-ashamed to have not previously have read Ann Beattie. Her writing has an amazing quality of being humorous but profound at the same time, of having pathos and lightness at once. The characters have such a light touch, and yet they astounded me in their realness. (Compare these short stories in their aliveness to some full length novels filled with half-dead people.)

A Beattie story is character driven, slice of life vignettes which are really modern-day commentaries on relationship dynamics and the changing American family and social structure. Those who prefer plot driven, beginning-middle-end stories would not appreciate these rather advanced pieces of art. Do not underestimate the austerity of her prose, the sparseness of her characters. Yet with few words she provides an artistic analysis of the characters who inhabit her spaces. There is wisdom here. Some of the stories feel flimsy, and unfinished--even these are thought provoking. Beattie will leave you scratching your head trying to figure it out--but perhaps the point is to think and to just consider the greater meaning.

The most poignant situations in modern relationships are presented in a way so raw--divorce, step-families, emotional abuse, affairs,narcissism and sociopathy--and yet she still has the ability to sprinkle in a little humor where you least expect it. Some of these had me laughing out loud--but they are always profound, and thought provoking and they made me want to go right back to the beginning and read them again.

Written chronologically as they were published in the New Yorker from 1977-2006, we are able to see the astonishing growth of her talent. The final story, The Confidence Decoy shows this remarkable culmination, where all her best talents fuse together, and yes it is even the funniest.

My personal favorites are :
Fancy Flights
Wolf Dreams
Dwarf House
Wanda's
Colorado
The Lawn Party
Weekend
Tuesday Night
Shifting
The Cinderella Waltz
Running Dreams
Afloat
Girl Talk
Zalla
Find and Replace
The Confidence Decoy

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elegantly written stories about rich, educated, depressed people who are mostly divorced or in unhappy relationships. I found most of the characters cynical, apathetic and shallow. They seemed to dabble in things b/c they wanted to fit in, rather than experience them.

Every female character seemed repressed, haughty and stuck between traditional values and romantic fantasies. I had a hard time liking or relating to them, although they are realistic.

I do think Beattie is an excellent writer, but I don't care for her style, or subjects. The long blocks of text make her stories seem long and hard to get through, and since the themes tend to be depressing, I doubt that I'll read her again.

Now, saying all that--I really liked "Wanda's," "Colorado," "Weekend, "Tuesday Night," "Girl Talk," "In the White Night," "Janus," and "Home to Marie." I had trouble reviewing this b/c I felt like those stories should be 5 stars while the others should be 2 or 3 stars.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to Ann Beattie, and I was blown away. The first stories in this collection are among the best that I've ever read. She captures the qualities of the 70's so profoundly, that I feel like I now know everything I need to about that era (which I'm sure is not true). The stories are simple and quiet, but packed with frank emotion and human flaw. They are truly beautiful.

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a late bloomer to Ann Beattie's austere and edgy short stories, and it proved favorable . Her minimalist style is for the veteran reader, and for those of us willing to ponder their poignancy like we would a numinous painting whose meaning is often beyond its containment and yet embedded there. Her photographic eye for surface details expose cracks and tensions that open to a scalding world of suffocation and denial. Her characters circumvent the truth by poking at it peripherally or trying to defy it, shielding covetously from the pain or cynically attempting to control it. Comprehension is lying in wait behind the ambiguity of the narratives. But Beattie isn't superior to her reader; she entices you to be the psychologist of these subterranean reveals. She isn't going to solve their problems.

There are forty-eight short stories chronologically advancing from 1974 to 2006. I feel an intimacy with her narratives that I don't always feel in this form. She isn't over-stylized. Her almost toneless, declarative sentences are wry and cinematic rather than stilted and dismal. Beattie is ingenious at blending the strident with the yielding, the clamorous with the quietly desperate. The indirect slap and the whispered howl threaten to topple each house of cards.They illuminate the weakness and dissolution of her characters. Additionally, she enhances their impotence by the presence of the animal word. The dogs (present in numerous stories) are more lively and resolute than the people, and inhabit their space more fully.

One of my favorite stories is "The Burning House," written in 1979. Amy is the only female in the story, surrounded by a boisterous number of family and friends and a husband, Frank, who doesn't love her. Her closest friend is her gay brother-in-law, Freddy, who is perpetually stoned and, although he loves Amy, remains more dedicated to Frank. This story reveals Amy's chronic alienation from her supposed "supportive" loved ones . The final sentence, uttered by Frank, in bed, is soul-ripping.

In the 2006 "The Confidence Decoy," Beattie's atmospherics include a pronounced sense of unease and self-doubt. A retired lawyer, Francis, is packing up his dead aunt's house. He is interacting with the hired movers while also attempting to puzzle out his ineffectual son's actions. One of the movers carves confidence decoys for duck hunters. These decoys serve as a metaphor for Francis' own listlessness of confidence and focus, and lead to a harrowing course of events.

Beattie's ability to inflict her characters with shame, fear, confusion, alienation, and incapacitation is chilling . These tales are dark but not bleakly executed; they are crisp and deadpan and astonishing. The author is brilliant at limning the time period of each piece in just a few short sentences, yet they are timeless in essence. The later stories are more lyrical but just as emotionally terrifying. And her opening sentences are unrivaled. I highly recommend this for lovers of erudite and commanding literature.

From "Zalla"--says Little Thomas to his mother, after being struck for mutilating some silhouettes of the family:

"Do you think I care if I didn't have a nose?...I wouldn't care if I didn't have a nose or a mouth or eyes. I wish the sperm hadn't gone into the egg. I wouldn't mind if there was no me, and you wouldn't, either."

Lethal writing.

[G. Munckel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se me hace difícil no comparar a Beattie con otros autores norteamericanos que tienen una propuesta similar: están Carver y Cheever y, quizás en algunos momentos, está Salinger. Porque estos trece cuentos se mueven siguiendo la estela que dejaron. Son historias en apariencia sencillas, de trama mínima, escritas con poco porque es todo lo que necesitan. Su materia prima son las relaciones humanas más próximas: las parejas y exparejas, los amigos íntimos y la familia más cercana. Todo eso que parece obvio por estar tan cerca, pero que sin embargo es donde mejor puede observarse la condición humana.

Gracias a su excelente oído para recrear diálogos vivaces, a su buen ojo para los pequeños detalles y a su capacidad para comprender las contradicciones que conforman cada personalidad, Beattie logra que sus personajes sean entrañables aunque sean irritantes, nobles incluso en sus tragedias, impredecibles dentro de su sencillez, reales. En ellos y sus historias, cosas que podrían pasarle a cualquiera, deja ver que incluso la gente que creemos conocer bien puede albergar una que otra sorpresa, puede convertirse en extraña.

Mis favoritos: “En la noche blanca”, “Un Thunderbird antiguo” y “Horario de Greenwich”.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it me? No. I like short stories.

Maybe it is the idea of compiling ALL stories into one volume. Annoyances get compounded, and things that don't work for me as a reader get magnified.

Ann Beattie has won award with her stories. But they drive me crazy. Her characters are so damn passive. They live unfulfilling, slightly puzzling lives but never DO anything about them. They aren't even that interesting. No. Interesting happens to the people around them, who are leaving them to live those lives. I would too!

These felt flat to me. I skimmed the last 100 pages, but by then I was pretty sure I wouldn't come to anything new or different. It had already taken an agonizingly long time just reading one each night. It was overdue at the library, and I didn't want to bother renewing it.

[Diego Lovegood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maravillado quedé con esta autora. Es como una Alice Munro del mundo estadounidense y urbano. Harta gente divorciada, con problemas existenciales y cotidianeidades que están a punto de explotar. Son cuentos largos en los que la autora se toma el tiempo que quiere para desplegar las atmósferas y las ambigüedades de los personajes y sus contextos. La seguiré leyendo.

[Pilar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ella tal y él cual, ella esto y él lo otro, ella por aquí y él por allá. Problemas de pareja de primer mundo y de personas supuestamente PAS. Todo ese pimpón emocional me aburre y me cansa. Por no hablar de la mala traducción, uff.

[Kathrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bailed on this collection around 20% in. I was drudging my way through it and said to myself this morning, that I will try one more story and if I didn't like it, I will let this book go. The stories revolve to much around the same topics and topics that I am not interested in reading. Pretty much every couple in these stories is divorced.... I know a lot of people are getting divorced, but is this all we need to talk about? I donated the book to the library in the hotel that I am staying in right now, maybe somebody else will enjoy this more.

[Cara Brackstone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anne Beattie is obviously a skilful writer and managed to capture a lot of realism in her short stories. But I was bored by the content and characters, who were mainly middle aged people unhappy with their relationships, doing dull and ordinary things. Persevered to finish, would not pick up again.

[Chip Huyen]

I really wanted to finish the book, but after 2 years of trying, I gave up.

[elpostureoderutinaentrelibros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desasosegantes relatos, flashes de la vida aparentemente normal de gente aparentemente normal y corriente. Una pena la traducción chapucera, sobre todo en algunos de los primeros cuentos del libro.

[Josh Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Beattie’s minimalist writing takes some getting used to. The sparsity of her prose makes it look deceptively simple and flat, because it does not draw attention to itself – it reads so naturally that you tend to take it for granted. But when you really pay attention, you will be rewarded. Whenever I read a Beattie story, at-first seemingly innocuous passages jump out at me that make me scurry for a highlighter or pen to note it down. A turn of phrase, a sharp witty description, lines of dialogue, all delivered in such precise and concise prose. What enriches the experience of reading her stories is when you realise that the spaces between, i.e. what is not said, can sometimes speak louder than the words on the page.

Nothing much happens in her stories, some readers would moan, but I feel that such reactions miss the point of her works. Beattie’s narratives capture slices in time, offering a window to the everyday lives of men and women, which are spectacularly normal yet identifiably lonely and unfulfilled. Beattie’s stories are about relationships, those between men and women, as well as the tenuous ways women relate to each other. For example, in “Afloat”, the main character tries to play the part of the older, wiser woman to the teenage daughter of the man she was dating, advising her that “there should be solidarity between women, but that when you look for a common bond you’re really looking for a common denominator, and you can’t do that with women”. It is ironic that she proves this point when she meets with hostility. Elsewhere, women walk into disastrous relationships with men who belittle them, even as warning signs pelt down on them. In “Wolf Dreams”, Cynthia, who had made a series of wrong decisions about men, is aware she isn't too bright. "Her second husband, Lincoln, felt that she was incapable of understanding anything". When he removed the Indian beads he wore under his shirt on their wedding night and waved them at her, it was to subjugate and humiliate her. “‘What's this?’ It was the inside of her head, Lincoln had told her. She understood she was being insulted. But why had he married her?" Instead of being infuriated, Cynthia accepts this abuse, and asks instead why he had thought her good enough to marry.

It is important to consider the publishing context of these stories when approaching this large collection and remember that all 48 stories were standalone pieces in the New Yorker, spanning a period of 30 years. It would not be fair to talk about these stories en masse as if they were part of an envisioned collection, and expect cohesive themes and tropes. It would be much more fulfilling to read the stories as landmarks in the timeline of Beattie’s own generation. I found myself, while reading sequentially, only confining each reading to no more than 4 or 5 stories, sometimes, only 2 or 3, at each seating over a period of several months while I read other books, so as to experience the stories the way they were written to be read, rather than to unfairly complain of a surfeit of cool, detached Beattiesque prose at the end of it all.

The earlier stories in the collection featured women in the 70s who were starting to self actualise and be independent, often opting for life choices that challenged convention, and these stories morphed seamlessly with those originally published in the shoulder-padded executive culture of the 80s. One of the oft-cited criticisms of Beattie’s stories is that they lacked cultural markers and that besides the identifiably predominantly white middle-class cast of characters based in the northeastern US states like Vermont and Maine, Beattie’s stories were essentially, for better or worse, timeless. That said, there was a noticeable gap between the last story of the 90s, “Zalla” in 1992, to “The Women of the World” in 2000. One finds more ‘contemporary’ references where the characters play CDs rather than LPs, and, even the tenor of Beattie’s writing seems to develop a sharper, more caustic tone in the stories published in the new millennium. This is perhaps most evident in the latter story, where in the midst of the violence of the situation (another new feature in Beattie’s writing, even if the violence is only suggested by its aftermath), the chaos that descended on the crime scene is described thus: “The sirens were shrill and constant: a sound you might say was annoyingly like a woman’s voice – if one could still say such things, but of course one could not.” The sardonic nature of this line centres it squarely in its timeframe, where there is a self-conscious recognition that one can take himself/herself too seriously, and reflecting a more comfortable age of the writer and her generation.

Beattie’s characters are usually in-between relationships, at the tail end of a floundering one, or starting an uncertain union – all in a state of flux and instability, where they connect and disconnect with virtual strangers who inexplicably become family and form interesting tableaux vivants that capture these unconventional (perhaps less so by today’s standards) domestic units. These characters are not always endearing, and I doubt she set them out to be so in the first place. They are often hopelessly self-absorbed, like the irresponsible and impetuous, yet emotionally needy Michael in one of Beattie’s earliest published pieces, “Fancy Flights”, who refuse to take on the traditional or expected roles of (ex-)husband and father. They are annoyingly prone to self-pity and afraid to make choices, and when they do, they often settle for the worst ones, falling into the vicious cycle of self-pity or worse, being nonchalantly blasé and stoically miserable. However, Beattie always treats them with compassion, and humour. It’s ok not to like these flawed characters, but you recognise their humanity, and for that alone, these stories inform, touch and inspire us to be a little more sensitive to others, less prone to judge, and more willing to listen and perceive.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Ann Beattie’s writing style. It’s right up my alley – direct, unadorned, raw, beautiful. The ability to write a poignant, complete short story is astounding to me and Ms. Beattie clearly has a gift. This is a collection of all her New Yorker pieces spanning thirty years. While I tend to love a solid book of short stories I’ve come to the conclusion that a 500+ page collection is a bit much for me, especially when the stories aren’t linked to one another. What is also evident is the author loves tomatoes, sitting on rocks, and having characters tuck hair behind ears. It did make me think about what kinds of things I might overuse in my own work. Overall, I don’t have any complaints, and much of the writing is evocative. The stories from the 1970s felt no more dated than the ones written more recently. In the end it was just a lot of short stories to read at once. I should’ve broken it up with other books. The writing itself is 4-5 stars but as a book it’s 3 stars. More enjoyable to read in pieces.

[Franco L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me hace acordar muchísimo a Carver, quiero leer mas de ella!

[Rocío Quiñones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leer a un buen autor supone, después, entrelazar un montón de buenos escritores.

En este caso comencé con Alice y seguí con Lorrie, Amy, Mary Robinson hasta llegar a Ann Beattie. Escribo esto justo después de leer el primer cuento El vals de Cenicienta. Ya sé que esta autora me gusta. Tiene lo que busco en los cuentos, tiene esos diálogos frescos, ese discurrir directo sin florituras, esa ironía de la vida que confronta con una facilidad que, tras terminar un cuento, te pide el siguiente. Tiene ese cierre que bordea los márgenes de algo más grande, que te deja buscando respuestas. Eso que tanto me gusta.

Madre mía, qué cantidad de mujeres maravillosas y qué suerte que una me lleve a la otra como en un juego en el que siempre hay otro tesoro por encontrar.

[Robin Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Some very nice person sent it as a gift I have savored every story.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so this isn’t what I read - BUT - I read 4x New Yorkers which is at least the equivalent of a book and I wanted to track it ! So sue me !!!

[Jazmín Bergel Varela · Rating 4 out of 5]

En literatura nada me interesa más que los vínculos, y este es un libro donde son absolutamente protagonistas.

Los 13 cuentos que lo componen giran en torno a lo doméstico, y tienen a las relaciones de pareja como el centro del conflicto. Y, en oposición a la pareja y su universo de problemas, aparece siempre la amistad como "un destino inevitable" como dice Federico Falco en la contratapa. La amistad como aquello que sostiene a los personajes cuando todo lo demás parece derrumbarse.

Me llamó mucho la atención cómo en los últimos cuentos, que son de principios de los 2000, la violencia irrumpe con mucha más fuerza. Evidentemente es una autora muy influída por el contexto social.

Es un tipo de escritura que me encanta, además, porque lo no dicho tiene un peso fundamental. Las sensaciones se transmiten en diálogos superfluos, en metáforas, todo se juega en escenas cotidianas. Los finales no importan porque son cuentos que reflejan un momento en la vida de esos personajes, una foto más que una película.

"Recuerdo que Henry me dijo, como una forma de empezar a hablar del divorcio, que una mañana, yendo a trabajar, había conducido por una colina y se había quedado asombrado cuando en la cima vio un árbol amarillo y se dio cuenta, por primera vez, que era otoño."

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5 book, but we don't have that option. A collection of 48 short stories, many of them very short, that were published in the New Yorker between 1974 and 2006. Most of the stories involve depressed people who are also rich, well-educated, and white. And most of them seem to be in an unfulfilling relationship, a bad marriage, or they are divorced. I know too many of these people in my real life so I was familiar with the type. These stories, in my view, are best read a few at a time and savored.

[Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I think these stories are best read one or two at a time with other readings in between, more like how they would have been read when originally published in the New Yorker magazine. The frequent infidelity, alcohol abuse, and decaying relationships throughout the stories when reading one story after the next became too depressing for me, overshadowing the unique qualities and perspective of Beattie's writing.

I read about half the book and then finished the second half a few months later (thank you COVID-19 for extending my library loan).

[Lulu Leguizamón Theodule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro fue un descubrimiento maravilloso.
Cada historia se presenta en una cotidianeidad intensa, fluyen emociones en las que cualquiera puede reconocerse con facilidad y tiende a generar rápidamente empatía.
Ann Beattie construye con delicadeza personajes profundos (con inquietudes existenciales y una sensibilidad exquisita) envueltos en relaciones conflictivas que revelan la complejidad de los vínculos humanos. La autora indaga en ello, en esa cotidianeidad conflictiva, de una manera cálida y emocionante que es capaz de conmocionar al lector.

[Fabricio Gallardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que es impresionante como en los dos cuentos finales la autora habla, en un fuera de campo casi cinematográfico, del tema mas importante de los cuentos (la desidia de un matrimonio sin amor, o con un amor atenuado), haciéndonos creer que esta narrando otra cosa (un problema doméstico de un jubilado, la mudanza de un abogado retirado). Lo mismo hace en el resto de los relatos, sumerge en capas lo principal, maquillándolo con lo secundario, jugando con nosotros los lectores.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are so elegantly and beautifully written but some are quite depressing. I am slowly reading each one. It will probably take me quite some time to finish this. I find it difficult to read some of these stories at this time of year and many hit home a little too closely for comfort.

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vine buscando cuentos y encontré oro 👏 👏 👏

[arami · Rating 5 out of 5]

O sea, wow. Es la primera vez que leo a Ann Beattie y realmente estoy maravillada con sus relatos. La sutileza de sus personajes, las ironías, la angustia... todo eso que una intenta esconder se despliega de forma muy linda a lo largo de sus cuentos. Algunos de mis preferidos fueron: El vals de cenicienta, Martes por la noche, A casa con Marie, El último día raro en Los Ángeles (BRILLANTE) y El señuelo de confianza (REALMENTE BRILLANTE).

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an amazing collection of Ann Beattie's essays earlier this year and I was curious to find out if I would like her fiction writing. I could have selected one of her novels, but I decided to read this collection of more than 45 stories published in The New Yorker between 1974 and 2006. Ann's fiction writing is as thoughtful and impressive as her nonfiction writing. The characters in the stories usually faced some kind of a crisis. Most of the them deal with heartbreak, loneliness, failure, disappointment, shame, or confusion. Each one of the stories made me look internally and try to figure out what is going on inside my head and heart.

The stories captured a moment in time with enough tension to keep me reading steadily to the end. Most times, nothing was resolved and more questions were asked than answered. But, what gets resolved, really? Time goes by and did the problem go away or did your view of what is happening change?

I recommend this collection of stories, but it may not for readers who want to fly through the stories without taking time to experience the moment.

[guao!a · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A lo largo de los años él había volcado incontables copas de vino estirando la mano sobre la mesa para tomar la de ella”

Relatos de cotidianeidad, con ekementos algo incómodos y momentos conflictivos. Me pareció bastante atrapante, teniendo en cuenta mi relación con los cuentos cortos.

[Mauro Mateluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble.

[Lautaro Vincon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un hombre perfeccionista que resquebraja a todos los que tiene alrededor; una mujer que busca libertad más allá de un matrimonio predeterminado; el tiempo que una joven se toma para ella sola los martes por la noche suscita dudas en sus familiares; los recuerdos de una mujer la llevan a entender la cantidad de excusas que construyó durante su vida; un coche que erige una amistad siempre al filo de desmoronarse; una casa que reúne los miedos y los logros de un grupo de amigos; los secretos y los anhelos que perduran tras el divorcio; el fracaso acarreado desde la infancia que se cuela en la vida en pareja; los modos de lidiar con la tristeza tras la pérdida de un hijo; la culpa que labra el camino hacia una broma inesperada; un racconto de episodios dispersos conducen a un hombre hacia su epifanía personal; cierto descubrimiento sobre alguien cercano le recuerda a un anciano que, al final, todos son desconocidos; una mudanza que acaba en una certeza.

Ann Beattie relata y, al hacerlo, se inmiscuye en el terreno que sus personajes transitan; atraviesa sus mentes y consigue que las decisiones de ellos modifiquen el paisaje -al menos, la mayoría de las veces en que se sobreponen y hacen acopio de su propia valentía-. Los cuentos reunidos en «La casa en llamas» reflexionan sobre la domesticidad, sus felicidades y sus decadencias, sobre el paso del tiempo, la vida y la muerte; y suelen repetir fórmulas argumentales que, al leerse de un tirón, se identifican con facilidad -detalle que no quita calidez ni genialidad narrativa pero que sí le generará un alerta al lector atento-. Beattie es una autora para seguir de cerca y disfrutar cada joya que su pluma pule.