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Pilgrims and Other Stories
A collection of short stories in which the characters misjudge things, find themselves in the wrong place, and who doggedly follow the wrong path, such as the vegetable market stallholder who decides to stand for election against the local Mafia boss.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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3,803 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Gilbert
70 books34k followersElizabeth Gilbert is an award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Her short story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award, and her novel Stern Men was a New York Times notable book. Her 2002 book The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critic’s Circle Award.
Her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, spent 57 weeks in the #1 spot on the New York Times paperback bestseller list. It has shipped over 6 million copies in the US and has been published in over thirty languages. A film adaptation of the book was released by Columbia Pictures with an all star cast: Julia Roberts as Gilbert, Javier Bardem as Felipe, James Franco as David, Billy Crudup as her ex-husband and Richard Jenkins as Richard from Texas.
Her latest novel, The Signature of All Things, will be available on October 1, 2013. The credit for her profile picture belongs to Jennifer Schatten.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
February 3, 2009
Elizabeth Gilbert's Pilgrims (first published in 1997) has come in for a fair bit of criticism on Goodreads -- mainly, I think, because it is so different from her humongous bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. I get the impression many readers go into this collection of short stories expecting it to be a re-tread of themes discussed in Eat, Pray, Love, only to be fiercely disappointed and unforgiving when they find out it isn't. It's a pity many readers can't judge the book on its own merits, for Pilgrims is an accomplished collection of short stories. In my opinion, it showcases Elizabeth Gilbert's gifts as a writer better than does Eat, Pray, Love, but I guess it doesn't contain enough soul-searching and navel-gazing for the average fan of that book.
The twelve stories contained in Pilgrims are refreshingly diverse and unsentimental. They are set all over the USA, and feature a wide range of characters: directionless fifteen-year-old boys, brilliant and less brilliant magicians, brassy cowgirls, shy artists, incestuous bar owners, punch-happy protective older brothers, overambitious porters, pretentious students who like to pretend they're British aristocrats, and so on. The situations in which Gilbert puts these characters are equally diverse, but they do have a few things in common. For one thing, many stories revolve around characters learning important things about themselves, frequently finding things they did not even know they were looking for. For another thing, they all share a certain sympathy and compassion. No matter how silly or downright stupid some of Gilbert's characters are, the author never stoops to judge them, treating them instead with a tolerance that borders on respect. I like that, just like I like the fact that Gilbert never feels compelled to tell her characters' whole histories. The twelve stories in Pilgrims are not miniature novels; instead they are slices of life that start in medias res and end there. They capture a moment in time rather than a story, and as far as I'm concerned, they capture it well -- no need for more background or closure.
The best thing about Pilgrims is Elizabeth Gilbert's fabulous ear for dialogue. Readers familiar with Eat, Pray, Love will know that Gilbert excels at writing lively and witty dialogue. In Pilgrims she does an even better job of it, sketching complete (and again, very diverse) characters by means of short, frequently absurd exchanges. Many of her dialogues are quirky as hell, but they suit the characters and situations so well that they always feel genuine and right. As a beginning novelist, I quite envy Gilbert for the ease with which she gives all her characters a voice of their own, but I digress...
As I was saying, Pilgrims may not appeal to the millions of navel-gazing self-seekers who ate up Eat, Pray, Love , but those who like original and unsentimental slices of life with good characterisation and vivid dialogue should appreciate it a lot. I know I did!
The twelve stories contained in Pilgrims are refreshingly diverse and unsentimental. They are set all over the USA, and feature a wide range of characters: directionless fifteen-year-old boys, brilliant and less brilliant magicians, brassy cowgirls, shy artists, incestuous bar owners, punch-happy protective older brothers, overambitious porters, pretentious students who like to pretend they're British aristocrats, and so on. The situations in which Gilbert puts these characters are equally diverse, but they do have a few things in common. For one thing, many stories revolve around characters learning important things about themselves, frequently finding things they did not even know they were looking for. For another thing, they all share a certain sympathy and compassion. No matter how silly or downright stupid some of Gilbert's characters are, the author never stoops to judge them, treating them instead with a tolerance that borders on respect. I like that, just like I like the fact that Gilbert never feels compelled to tell her characters' whole histories. The twelve stories in Pilgrims are not miniature novels; instead they are slices of life that start in medias res and end there. They capture a moment in time rather than a story, and as far as I'm concerned, they capture it well -- no need for more background or closure.
The best thing about Pilgrims is Elizabeth Gilbert's fabulous ear for dialogue. Readers familiar with Eat, Pray, Love will know that Gilbert excels at writing lively and witty dialogue. In Pilgrims she does an even better job of it, sketching complete (and again, very diverse) characters by means of short, frequently absurd exchanges. Many of her dialogues are quirky as hell, but they suit the characters and situations so well that they always feel genuine and right. As a beginning novelist, I quite envy Gilbert for the ease with which she gives all her characters a voice of their own, but I digress...
As I was saying, Pilgrims may not appeal to the millions of navel-gazing self-seekers who ate up Eat, Pray, Love , but those who like original and unsentimental slices of life with good characterisation and vivid dialogue should appreciate it a lot. I know I did!
May 23, 2013
I suspect this book's wanting Goodreads rating has more to do with Gilbert's being shunned by literary types who assume Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) is her norm (and so haven't read her other stuff), and EPL-lovers who worship that book and had hoped for more of the same in this one, only to be very disappointed.
That's a shame, especially for the former category, because Gilbert is an outstanding writer. I was impressed by 'The Last American Man' and loved this collection. These are great, tiny short stories that really exhibit her talents. They're gritty and thoughtful, threaded with subtle compassion.
I'm especially impressed with the economy of these stories. Short stories are hard - you have to decide what's absolutely essential about your story and develop only that. No sentence can be wasted, but she does a remarkable job at not only keeping these stories truly short (and mostly dialogue), but also at keeping her author's touch on them very light - they don't feel at all overworked. The characters feel very real, even with just this glimpse, and I feel like she just let them be as they were. These stories felt like overhearing a bar conversation or observing a couple on a train - brief glimpses, but clearly part of a large, complicated story that leaves you curious. I admire her restraint, her clever language and her unconventional characters. More please.
That's a shame, especially for the former category, because Gilbert is an outstanding writer. I was impressed by 'The Last American Man' and loved this collection. These are great, tiny short stories that really exhibit her talents. They're gritty and thoughtful, threaded with subtle compassion.
I'm especially impressed with the economy of these stories. Short stories are hard - you have to decide what's absolutely essential about your story and develop only that. No sentence can be wasted, but she does a remarkable job at not only keeping these stories truly short (and mostly dialogue), but also at keeping her author's touch on them very light - they don't feel at all overworked. The characters feel very real, even with just this glimpse, and I feel like she just let them be as they were. These stories felt like overhearing a bar conversation or observing a couple on a train - brief glimpses, but clearly part of a large, complicated story that leaves you curious. I admire her restraint, her clever language and her unconventional characters. More please.
September 19, 2013
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Gilbert. I flat-out fell in love with her when I read Eat, Pray, Love and that love was solidified when I read Committed.
It’s a strange experience, and one I haven’t had before: to come to know an author, love them and then learn that there’s an entirely different side to them that you never knew existed. That’s what happened to me when I read Pilgrims, Gilbert’s collection of short stories and my first exposure to her fiction.
I know that memoir and fiction are two very different animals. The voice that comes through in the writing should be different, because it serves different purposes. In memoir writing, it’s deeply personal. So all of your traits, your quirks, the things that make you you should come through in your writing. (And Gilbert’s voice is as loud and clear as a bell.) But fiction is different. Your voice has to play stage crew so that your character’s voice can take center stage. In fact, if you do your job well, your voice will be very hard to hear because your characters are so real.
Perhaps that’s why I found myself frequently forgetting that I was reading one of my favorite authors when I read this book- I hardly heard her voice at all. There are qualities, certainly. A certain compassion for the human condition, no matter what state it’s in. A certain understanding of the deeply complex ways that lives intersect with each other. A certain appreciation for the many different forms that love can take. A lack of judgment when looking at all these things. All of these can be found in both her memoirs and this collection.
But the voice- that feeling of having a really great conversation with an old friend in a coffee shop that made me fall head over heels for her in her memoirs- that’s not in this book. These characters are entirely too different from Gilbert and vibrant in their own right. They are entirely too real for you to think about the author.
Which is why I feel as though I’ve fallen in love with Gilbert anew- because this is such a distinctly different experience for me as a reader. Few of the hallmarks that made me love her as a memoir author are there, so I got to start from scratch in falling in love with her as a fiction writer. It seems almost odd to delineate and critique the nuances given my strong emotion towards it. But then again, I am a writer, and this is how we learn.
Firstly, this may be the most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read in my life. Seriously. Not once- not one single time- while reading these stories did I feel like I was reading dialogue. I felt like I was reading actual transposed conversations. I have heard these voices before: the turn of phrase characteristic to a certain part of the country, the abrupt way that more aggressive types can cut you off which is jarring at first but you come to appreciate if you know them, the way that the more quiet individuals give you the bare amount of information and leave it to you to fill in the rest, the quirks of conversation that people fall into. Every single one of these voices sounds real- like you eavesdropped on the conversation going on in the next booth at the diner or walked by an open window where people were talking loudly. It’s staggering to realize that all these voices came from the same person and it reminds me of how very, very far I have to go in writing my own dialogue.
Secondly, the physical descriptions are striking. I have a distinct memory of Gilbert’s description of someone’s collar and neck from Eat, Pray, Love in which she described it as a giant flower pot containing a tiny stem supporting a large, heavy flower. Something about it stuck with me. Well, this book is absolutely full of those distinctions. Each image is composed of the other images that make it familiar- beards worn by prophets or the homeless, body parts that evoke the same response as baked goods in a bakery window, facial features that would appear on a sculpture before it was finished by the artist. They’re as distinct as the voices and they encompass all the senses- sight, sound, scent, touch. They serve as the undercoat of fur that makes the dialogue so luxurious to feel.
Thirdly, her ability to capture a distinct moment in time is truly amazing. The large majority of these stories are moments. A particular evening, one afternoon, a late night adventure- a pause. They don’t recount pivotal moments and very frequently nothing all that major occurs during them. But they give you a crystal clear view of a particular moment in the characters’ lives- their thoughts, feelings, desires, struggles, observations. They’re distinct capsules of time with some reference to the timeline before (and sometimes after)- but they’re rarely life-changing. It’s worth note, I think, because I don’t think I’ve read stories that display a distinct beginning, middle and end with tension and resolution so subtly. A lot of authors hit you in the face with those elements while these stories leave you feeling… wistful.
The closest style of writing I have to compare it to is Amy Bloom. I was often underwhelmed at the close of her stories but then found myself thinking about them in the spare moments of life, recalling the subtle details and phrases that I didn’t realize had stuck so thoroughly in my mind. Gilbert has the same effect- you come to the close of a story feeling like there wasn’t really an end and then find yourself going over the details in your mind and tripping over subtleties you didn’t notice when you read through it. The characters leave you ruminating, digesting for some time to come.
All-in-all, I am deeply impressed with this volume. More so because it’s her first published book. To come out of the gate with that much ability is hard to imagine and without falling into too much hero worship I will repeat that I have fallen in love with her all over again.
It’s a strange experience, and one I haven’t had before: to come to know an author, love them and then learn that there’s an entirely different side to them that you never knew existed. That’s what happened to me when I read Pilgrims, Gilbert’s collection of short stories and my first exposure to her fiction.
I know that memoir and fiction are two very different animals. The voice that comes through in the writing should be different, because it serves different purposes. In memoir writing, it’s deeply personal. So all of your traits, your quirks, the things that make you you should come through in your writing. (And Gilbert’s voice is as loud and clear as a bell.) But fiction is different. Your voice has to play stage crew so that your character’s voice can take center stage. In fact, if you do your job well, your voice will be very hard to hear because your characters are so real.
Perhaps that’s why I found myself frequently forgetting that I was reading one of my favorite authors when I read this book- I hardly heard her voice at all. There are qualities, certainly. A certain compassion for the human condition, no matter what state it’s in. A certain understanding of the deeply complex ways that lives intersect with each other. A certain appreciation for the many different forms that love can take. A lack of judgment when looking at all these things. All of these can be found in both her memoirs and this collection.
But the voice- that feeling of having a really great conversation with an old friend in a coffee shop that made me fall head over heels for her in her memoirs- that’s not in this book. These characters are entirely too different from Gilbert and vibrant in their own right. They are entirely too real for you to think about the author.
Which is why I feel as though I’ve fallen in love with Gilbert anew- because this is such a distinctly different experience for me as a reader. Few of the hallmarks that made me love her as a memoir author are there, so I got to start from scratch in falling in love with her as a fiction writer. It seems almost odd to delineate and critique the nuances given my strong emotion towards it. But then again, I am a writer, and this is how we learn.
Firstly, this may be the most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read in my life. Seriously. Not once- not one single time- while reading these stories did I feel like I was reading dialogue. I felt like I was reading actual transposed conversations. I have heard these voices before: the turn of phrase characteristic to a certain part of the country, the abrupt way that more aggressive types can cut you off which is jarring at first but you come to appreciate if you know them, the way that the more quiet individuals give you the bare amount of information and leave it to you to fill in the rest, the quirks of conversation that people fall into. Every single one of these voices sounds real- like you eavesdropped on the conversation going on in the next booth at the diner or walked by an open window where people were talking loudly. It’s staggering to realize that all these voices came from the same person and it reminds me of how very, very far I have to go in writing my own dialogue.
Secondly, the physical descriptions are striking. I have a distinct memory of Gilbert’s description of someone’s collar and neck from Eat, Pray, Love in which she described it as a giant flower pot containing a tiny stem supporting a large, heavy flower. Something about it stuck with me. Well, this book is absolutely full of those distinctions. Each image is composed of the other images that make it familiar- beards worn by prophets or the homeless, body parts that evoke the same response as baked goods in a bakery window, facial features that would appear on a sculpture before it was finished by the artist. They’re as distinct as the voices and they encompass all the senses- sight, sound, scent, touch. They serve as the undercoat of fur that makes the dialogue so luxurious to feel.
Thirdly, her ability to capture a distinct moment in time is truly amazing. The large majority of these stories are moments. A particular evening, one afternoon, a late night adventure- a pause. They don’t recount pivotal moments and very frequently nothing all that major occurs during them. But they give you a crystal clear view of a particular moment in the characters’ lives- their thoughts, feelings, desires, struggles, observations. They’re distinct capsules of time with some reference to the timeline before (and sometimes after)- but they’re rarely life-changing. It’s worth note, I think, because I don’t think I’ve read stories that display a distinct beginning, middle and end with tension and resolution so subtly. A lot of authors hit you in the face with those elements while these stories leave you feeling… wistful.
The closest style of writing I have to compare it to is Amy Bloom. I was often underwhelmed at the close of her stories but then found myself thinking about them in the spare moments of life, recalling the subtle details and phrases that I didn’t realize had stuck so thoroughly in my mind. Gilbert has the same effect- you come to the close of a story feeling like there wasn’t really an end and then find yourself going over the details in your mind and tripping over subtleties you didn’t notice when you read through it. The characters leave you ruminating, digesting for some time to come.
All-in-all, I am deeply impressed with this volume. More so because it’s her first published book. To come out of the gate with that much ability is hard to imagine and without falling into too much hero worship I will repeat that I have fallen in love with her all over again.
November 11, 2022
Kakva apsolutna šteta što je ova žena odlučila da jede, moli, voli i da batali ovakav talenat.
Edit: Opet sam pročitala priču "Landing"; i dalje mi je najdraža. ❤️
Edit: Opet sam pročitala priču "Landing"; i dalje mi je najdraža. ❤️
January 31, 2017
I HATED this book. If zeros stars was an option I'd have given that...
My first complaint is my own fault, I did not know this was a collection of short stories (I thought I had taken eat pray love but grabbed this by accident). So when the first storyboard over it was abrupt and I figured we'd go back. By the third story I had a hard time trying to figure how all these people linked to get and that's when I read the book jacket....
But for a collection of short stories, these were all unfinished. I feel like we were reading her idea diary. Things would start and then bam, new story. No ending for any of them.
And the stories were WEIRD. No joke, incest was a topic in more than one. The bar owner who went to a top less bar with her nephew and then came back and climbed up on the pool table with him... wtf!? Or the old lady bus driver recounting all her old love affairs (and there were many) and one was her cousin.
Or the old dude who beat a man to death, went to prison, came out and lived with his daughter and stalked the neighbors cause he thought they stole his pet rabbit.
Or the kid whose dad was in the hospital so his dad's friend takes him bird hunting and is expected to kill a wounded bird with his bare hands.
Or the neighbors who moved to the neighborhood on Halloween, show up dressed in make shift elk costumes and use an elk call to summon the elk out of nearby woods.
Or the girl who moved to CA to move up in the world, seduces a man in a bar and leaves him the next morning cause he's from where she's from and not high society enough for her.
Or the drunk college kids who decide to swim in the ocean at night, while a hurricane is offshore.
Or the guy who wants to run for the president of his local union and meets a guy whose job is to sit in the freezer all night long and protect expensive mushrooms.
And her language drove me bonkers. Dan Smith doesn't need to be called "dan smith" every time he's referenced. Dan is ok or even "he" but no, always full names. Places too! The blah blah blah market was always referred to (and often) buy it's 4 word title. And it's not like there were other markets to be confused with.
Nope, can't think of one redeeming quality of this book..
My first complaint is my own fault, I did not know this was a collection of short stories (I thought I had taken eat pray love but grabbed this by accident). So when the first storyboard over it was abrupt and I figured we'd go back. By the third story I had a hard time trying to figure how all these people linked to get and that's when I read the book jacket....
But for a collection of short stories, these were all unfinished. I feel like we were reading her idea diary. Things would start and then bam, new story. No ending for any of them.
And the stories were WEIRD. No joke, incest was a topic in more than one. The bar owner who went to a top less bar with her nephew and then came back and climbed up on the pool table with him... wtf!? Or the old lady bus driver recounting all her old love affairs (and there were many) and one was her cousin.
Or the old dude who beat a man to death, went to prison, came out and lived with his daughter and stalked the neighbors cause he thought they stole his pet rabbit.
Or the kid whose dad was in the hospital so his dad's friend takes him bird hunting and is expected to kill a wounded bird with his bare hands.
Or the neighbors who moved to the neighborhood on Halloween, show up dressed in make shift elk costumes and use an elk call to summon the elk out of nearby woods.
Or the girl who moved to CA to move up in the world, seduces a man in a bar and leaves him the next morning cause he's from where she's from and not high society enough for her.
Or the drunk college kids who decide to swim in the ocean at night, while a hurricane is offshore.
Or the guy who wants to run for the president of his local union and meets a guy whose job is to sit in the freezer all night long and protect expensive mushrooms.
And her language drove me bonkers. Dan Smith doesn't need to be called "dan smith" every time he's referenced. Dan is ok or even "he" but no, always full names. Places too! The blah blah blah market was always referred to (and often) buy it's 4 word title. And it's not like there were other markets to be confused with.
Nope, can't think of one redeeming quality of this book..
April 26, 2020
2,5🌟
Este livro é composto por várias histórias de cowboy, stripers e outras personagens que vivem situações um pouco diferentes.
Cheguei ao final de algumas histórias e não percebi a mensagem que a autora queria transmitir. A escrita na minha opinião não é muito acessível.
Este livro é composto por várias histórias de cowboy, stripers e outras personagens que vivem situações um pouco diferentes.
Cheguei ao final de algumas histórias e não percebi a mensagem que a autora queria transmitir. A escrita na minha opinião não é muito acessível.
April 27, 2011
Gilbert calls her collection of stories Pilgrims and opens with the Prologue from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
There's an important problem with that parallel.
The stories told by Chaucer's pilgrims are primarily plot-driven with simple archetypal characters and solid endings. (The tub falls through the roof! The murderers are murdered! The couple lives happily ever after!) In contrast, Gilbert's stories have unique and well-drawn characters... and NO ENDINGS. Almost all of them just drift along for a while and then stop arbitrarily. I don't mind an effective non-ending, but this collection just got ridiculous. Chaucer's full collection wasn't complete, but he had an excuse. Sometimes I wonder if Gilbert just got lazy or stuck.
Lack of endings and a few annoying characters aside, there are some real gems: the atmosphere of "Elk Talk," the cleverness of "The Many Things that Danny Brown Did Not Know (Age Fifteen)," the ending (an actual almost ending!) of "The Famous Torn and Restored Lit Cigarette Trick," and the character development and voice in general.
There's an important problem with that parallel.
The stories told by Chaucer's pilgrims are primarily plot-driven with simple archetypal characters and solid endings. (The tub falls through the roof! The murderers are murdered! The couple lives happily ever after!) In contrast, Gilbert's stories have unique and well-drawn characters... and NO ENDINGS. Almost all of them just drift along for a while and then stop arbitrarily. I don't mind an effective non-ending, but this collection just got ridiculous. Chaucer's full collection wasn't complete, but he had an excuse. Sometimes I wonder if Gilbert just got lazy or stuck.
Lack of endings and a few annoying characters aside, there are some real gems: the atmosphere of "Elk Talk," the cleverness of "The Many Things that Danny Brown Did Not Know (Age Fifteen)," the ending (an actual almost ending!) of "The Famous Torn and Restored Lit Cigarette Trick," and the character development and voice in general.
March 11, 2019
I adore Liz Gilbert, yet I do not list Eat Pray Love as one of my favorite books. Gilbert's fiction is much different than one might expect. She immerses herself in the subject, and in creating an authentic story. What we have here is a collection of such stories, which I like even better than her long fiction. Stories set on a Wyoming ranch have short bursts of dialogue you would expect in that real life situation, those about families are more complicated. All of these stories are honeyed to near perfect, none contain unnecessary scenes or even extra words. Each one was a unique, enjoyable reading experience.
December 30, 2007
Masterfully written short stories. How can I become so invested in the characters by the end of the first paragraph?
July 26, 2016
Pilgrims and Other Stories is very different from any other book I've read by Elizabeth and it is certainly very different from the first book that made me fall in love with her writing: Eat, Pray, Love . Maybe that's why this short book isn't cherished as much as her bestseller is. And it's completely unfair because one thing is for sure - this book just proves how wonderful a writer Gilbert really is. It shows every reader that she does write about other things and she does it just as wonderfully and wittily. Her writing is funny, serious, lively and witty all at the same time. I love her dialogues both in Eat, Pray, Love and The Last American Man. And now Pilgrims was the final nail in the coffin: it proved beyond doubt that this is one of the characteristics I most enjoy in Gilbert's writing and it's something that's totally hers; one of the things that define her writing.
This book gathers twelve short stories set throughout the USA and it offers its readers many different characters, all very different in their backgrounds, ages and personalities but captivating in their uniqueness all the same. For some, it may seem that these stories are unconnected but I clearly see what ties all these snippets of characters' lives together: they seem to be entries from every character's journal chosen at random and they're the entries that best characterize them: it's like having your photograph taken without you being aware of it. Those are the photographs that best show your smile, your character: they show how you really are when you're not aware of being observed by others.
This is what these shorts stories are to me: moments taken from strangers' lives and recorded here. They needn't be terribly important or terribly traumatic - they just need to show you that life is utterly fascinating and complex and that you can always learn from every moment.
This book gathers twelve short stories set throughout the USA and it offers its readers many different characters, all very different in their backgrounds, ages and personalities but captivating in their uniqueness all the same. For some, it may seem that these stories are unconnected but I clearly see what ties all these snippets of characters' lives together: they seem to be entries from every character's journal chosen at random and they're the entries that best characterize them: it's like having your photograph taken without you being aware of it. Those are the photographs that best show your smile, your character: they show how you really are when you're not aware of being observed by others.
This is what these shorts stories are to me: moments taken from strangers' lives and recorded here. They needn't be terribly important or terribly traumatic - they just need to show you that life is utterly fascinating and complex and that you can always learn from every moment.
September 18, 2007
I LOVE Eat pray love. I haven't finished it yet, but it's like that great dessert you have to savor..
But this was truly the worst collection of short stories I have ever read. The book had a morbid, dark, depressing pall, no point to the stories, and really, I don't know what in the world she was getting at when she wrote them.
Read it if you dare, but I almost didn't finish it. Felt like a huge waste of time (in my opinion, of course, which doesn't really match the other reviews on here for this book...)
But this was truly the worst collection of short stories I have ever read. The book had a morbid, dark, depressing pall, no point to the stories, and really, I don't know what in the world she was getting at when she wrote them.
Read it if you dare, but I almost didn't finish it. Felt like a huge waste of time (in my opinion, of course, which doesn't really match the other reviews on here for this book...)
May 28, 2008
I actually only read half of this, but because it's a book of short stories I feel I can comment on the quality of the book not having finished it. After all, I read 4 or 5 finished products and not 40-50% of a product. That makes sense, right?
Anyway, I only bought the book to give to my Mom because she loved Eat, Pray, Love so much. But then I didn't see her for like five days so I had it in my bag all that time and I just read it because it was there.
So the verdict is: She writes pretty good stories. They're sad like country songs.
Anyway, I only bought the book to give to my Mom because she loved Eat, Pray, Love so much. But then I didn't see her for like five days so I had it in my bag all that time and I just read it because it was there.
So the verdict is: She writes pretty good stories. They're sad like country songs.
September 7, 2008
Unique, tough and real characters populate this rather quirky book of stories that all seem to fairly vibrate and hum with a rich and powerful sense of place. She captures beautifully the innocence and tenderness possible from a clueless 15-year-old boy as deftly as the defensive irascibility of a Montana woman who receives a visit from unexpected neighbors while her husband is away. I was repeatedly struck by the economy of her prose, something I aspire to but rarely achieve in my own. Will probably have to re-read these several times to really absorb everything that is going on in them. Unusual, unpredictable and quite enjoyable.
July 15, 2008
This is a phenomenal book. Short stories can be a difficult sell, and knowing that this author became famous for "Eat, Love, Pray" I was admittedly a bit skeptical of her creative ability since that book was pegged as more of a "self-help."
(Note: my sister Michelle highly sings the praises of "Eat, Love, Pray." I am not putting it down, I just didn't have much confidence in a person to successfully tackle both styles of writing.)
However, the author did it. And she did it well. She has a deep darkness in her.
I like it.
(Note: my sister Michelle highly sings the praises of "Eat, Love, Pray." I am not putting it down, I just didn't have much confidence in a person to successfully tackle both styles of writing.)
However, the author did it. And she did it well. She has a deep darkness in her.
I like it.
November 18, 2018
DNF. I really didn't care for this collection of stories. The second one was kind of interesting for the way an undercurrent of tension and anxiety was so well done. But in general, I felt like the characters were people I didn't know and didn't care to. The conversations were terse and Hemingway-esque. Which is probably actually a good thing, but I just haven't figured out how to appreciate Hemmingway yet. Some stories felt like unsuccessful literary experiments. I hope I like her nonfiction better.
September 9, 2015
I absolutely love Gilbert's quirky, off beat characters and often felt left wanting for more in this collection of short stories. I don't read a lot of short fiction (something I should rectify) probably for exactly that reason - too much is left unsaid or resolved for me. However I am glad I picked this up. Her characters show just how complicated, multi layered and even duplicitous human beings can be and her tough yet vulnerable army of pilgrims leaves you contemplating your own.
January 13, 2016
I don't know if I've ever given a collection of short fiction 5/5 stars, and I don't think I ever will; it's too hit-or-miss for that (regardless of the author). My favorite stories here were 'Pilgrims' and 'The Famous Torn and Restored Cigarette Trick.' 'Elk Talk,' which was the story I was most excited for - and the reason I bought the book - turned out to be something other than what I'd expected.
December 29, 2007
i loved eat pray love and my mom recommended this earlier book of gilbert's short stories. it's fascinating to see her voice in a fictional setting, and the stories are very diverse and each one leaves you thinking.
August 8, 2008
One of best collections of short stories I've read in years. Reminds me of Sherwood Anderson and Hemingway.
May 18, 2009
A great collection of short stories. Perfect for someone with not much time since you can read each story in short spurts.
August 25, 2009
I'm not that into fiction, but I love her writing. She has a great way with dialogue. Each of these short stories are unique and captivating.
November 23, 2015
I'm such an Elizabeth Gilbert fan. Favorite stories were the last two: The Famous Torn and Restored Lit Cigarette Trick and The Finest Wife.
January 23, 2024
What a shame this doesn't have more 5 star reviews. Love you Liz Gilbert!!
July 12, 2018
I liked some stories more than others. The last one made me cry. All of them were very visual to me however and i could imagine the characters vividly. I tend not to like short stories as much as novels but had to read this as it was Liz.
February 24, 2019
DNF
Ik ben met moeite tot pagina 128 gekomen, maar het lukte me gewoon echt niet meer om verder te lezen. De personages spraken me niet aan en ik vond hun verhalen ook helemaal niet pakkend. De dialogen vond ik suf en stonden vol met onzinnige herhaling. Dit boek was gewoon echt niet mijn ding..
Ik ben met moeite tot pagina 128 gekomen, maar het lukte me gewoon echt niet meer om verder te lezen. De personages spraken me niet aan en ik vond hun verhalen ook helemaal niet pakkend. De dialogen vond ik suf en stonden vol met onzinnige herhaling. Dit boek was gewoon echt niet mijn ding..
June 29, 2019
I’ve only read Gilbert’s novels, memoir and non-fiction, and was curious to get to know her writing through her short stories. Her creative side bursts through, and the endings? Well, only a writer could come up with twisty conclusions like she did.
September 18, 2023
This was legit bad. The stories felt unpolished, unfinished and pointless. And there's incest or hints of it more than once which made sick to my stomach.
November 13, 2019
I picked this up because I'm a huge fan of Gilbert's work - I was first introduced to her through Eat Pray Love, then sought out Committed and The Signature of All Things. Big Magic blew on the flame of my creative life, and her Magic Lessons podcast makes me more hopeful about life than just about anything. I've followed her on social media for years, too, and have taken to heart much of her advice. And of course City of Girls was a marvel.
All that to say: I was predisposed to like this book. And I did, but it was very much in the way that you peruse a beloved author's earlier work and no matter the quality, enjoy spending more time with their words. Still, this is a solid collection with plenty of masterful scenes - I was especially impressed by her ear for conversation. Also, I loved the rural settings for most of her stories here: I recently heard her interview on Armchair Expert where she touches on her childhood, her parents, and their perspective on the world, and I could see that background bleeding into these stories.
Overall: recommended if you're 1) already a fan and 2) if you're looking for some quiet stories with unexpected punches.
All that to say: I was predisposed to like this book. And I did, but it was very much in the way that you peruse a beloved author's earlier work and no matter the quality, enjoy spending more time with their words. Still, this is a solid collection with plenty of masterful scenes - I was especially impressed by her ear for conversation. Also, I loved the rural settings for most of her stories here: I recently heard her interview on Armchair Expert where she touches on her childhood, her parents, and their perspective on the world, and I could see that background bleeding into these stories.
Overall: recommended if you're 1) already a fan and 2) if you're looking for some quiet stories with unexpected punches.
October 15, 2024
I don't know why people hate on this book so much, the stories (although sometimes a little weird) are very enjoyable and interesting, with unique characters and dialogue. I haven't read anything else from this author (and maybe that's why my opinion is different from other reviewers) but after this I kind of want to!
July 7, 2023
I don’t know if I read this exact version (cover is different) and I listened to an audiobook of these short stories (really good reader). I know I shouldn’t feel embarrassed to admit this (yet somehow I still do a little bit), but I love Elizabeth Gilbert. I think she’s an awesome writer. This was a great collection of short stories. I should have noticed earlier that’s what this was. I kept waiting for all the characters to get tied together somehow! But lots of great stories, complex characters, beautiful writing. This was a good book.
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