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201st out of 1,186 books
—
879 voters
In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories
by
S.B. Lerner (Goodreads Author)
An engrossing collection of funny, poignant and bittersweet stories about busy young women who find men in all the wrong places (the garage attendant across the street, the stay-at-home dad in the playground, the younger man at the diner counter) and discover something about themselves in the process.
The stories speak to the curiosities and actual experiences of many city...more
The stories speak to the curiosities and actual experiences of many city...more
Kindle Edition
Published
September 24th 2011
by Samson Books
(first published September 13th 2011)
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Review: My thoughts:
This is a nice collection of short stories about women and their encounters with men. Some are fleeting encounters and some are potentially much more. Each story gives the reader an inside glance at the woman and where she is at in her life. They are touching, personal, and thought provoking. Each story is different, but all encourage the reader to look at the piece of their life that the story reminds them of. I both liked and disliked the unfinished aspect of the ending for...more
This is a nice collection of short stories about women and their encounters with men. Some are fleeting encounters and some are potentially much more. Each story gives the reader an inside glance at the woman and where she is at in her life. They are touching, personal, and thought provoking. Each story is different, but all encourage the reader to look at the piece of their life that the story reminds them of. I both liked and disliked the unfinished aspect of the ending for...more
From Lilac Wolf and Stuff
This is a VERY fast read. In fact, I would call it flash fiction rather than short stories.
I really enjoyed every story. They were romantic in nature, but not the happy ending kind. More the reality kind. Where that warm and fuzzy feeling either isn't there or it isn't enough. There was one story about a recently widowed mother. I recognized the lost feeling as she's sitting at the park she thinks:
"Watching my four-year-old son isn't exactly work, but neither is it rela...more
This is a VERY fast read. In fact, I would call it flash fiction rather than short stories.
I really enjoyed every story. They were romantic in nature, but not the happy ending kind. More the reality kind. Where that warm and fuzzy feeling either isn't there or it isn't enough. There was one story about a recently widowed mother. I recognized the lost feeling as she's sitting at the park she thinks:
"Watching my four-year-old son isn't exactly work, but neither is it rela...more
Review: My thoughts:
This is a nice collection of short stories about women and their encounters with men. Some are fleeting encounters and some are potentially much more. Each story gives the reader an inside glance at the woman and where she is at in her life. They are touching, personal, and thought provoking. Each story is different, but all encourage the reader to look at the piece of their life that the story reminds them of. I both liked and disliked the unfinished aspect of the ending for...more
This is a nice collection of short stories about women and their encounters with men. Some are fleeting encounters and some are potentially much more. Each story gives the reader an inside glance at the woman and where she is at in her life. They are touching, personal, and thought provoking. Each story is different, but all encourage the reader to look at the piece of their life that the story reminds them of. I both liked and disliked the unfinished aspect of the ending for...more
In the Middle of Almost is a wonderful collection. A collection deserving of a good read. The title story vividly describes the angst many women confront in an urban setting. The theme of fear of loneliness against the conflicting fear of intimacy filters through many of the pieces.
In 'French Fries' the theme emerges again and the author works it deftly. In other hands, it could have devolved into a Larry David episode, but Lerner is sure-footed and compels us to think who is the neurotic: the t...more
In 'French Fries' the theme emerges again and the author works it deftly. In other hands, it could have devolved into a Larry David episode, but Lerner is sure-footed and compels us to think who is the neurotic: the t...more
May 27, 2012
Melissa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
firstreads,
read-in-2012
I received this book from First Reads and it took me *maybe* an hour to finish it. It's 66 pages long.)
When I read the reviews on the back, particularly the one stating "for anyone who enjoys chick lit, but can live without the 'love conquers all' type themes", I was pretty excited to dig into this book.
I would say the assessment is fair. It is very much like chick lit. If you were to go through the any chick lit book, just yank out a chapter, stick it in this binding and bring it down to Eart...more
When I read the reviews on the back, particularly the one stating "for anyone who enjoys chick lit, but can live without the 'love conquers all' type themes", I was pretty excited to dig into this book.
I would say the assessment is fair. It is very much like chick lit. If you were to go through the any chick lit book, just yank out a chapter, stick it in this binding and bring it down to Eart...more
I think that the short stories in this book will resonate with all woman, even if they have not had the exact experience as some of the characters, they will know of someone who has been in at least one or more of the situations. I found that all of the stories engage the reader right away which made me ready to go right on to the next, then the next, and so on.
What really made an impression on me was how much story was in so few words. This is what I always find defines a so-so writer and a gr...more
What really made an impression on me was how much story was in so few words. This is what I always find defines a so-so writer and a gr...more
It's been a while since I've read a short story collection. What holds this one together nicely is that the women in it tend to have something in common. Many are professional single women trying to navigate the world of career politics and dating--sometimes with disastrous results. Some are dealing with cheating boyfriends. The memoirs deal mostly with family memories. The last one, "Memories in a Desk Drawer," being perhaps the most moving part of the whole collection.
Lerner does an excellent...more
Lerner does an excellent...more
What an impressive literary debut! Susan Lerner’s story collection, In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories, offer up deft, deeply insightful glimpses of women who live in urban landscapes, surrounded by millions of people, but are uniquely isolated amidst the throngs. Her characters are looking for connection but are never desperate in their quest. Strong women who are often disappointed but you never get the sense that the flawed men her characters meet will destroy their optimism and turn t...more
3.5 stars/Fiction; Short Stories
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this book and its novella length stories. They ended so abruptly that I was certain I had missed something or that somehow they would all be tied together. After reading the first four stories, I realized that they were not related so I started the book over and then finally understood what the author was trying to say in her writing.
Each story explores a character's life and the choices they make. Some decisions are instinc...more
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this book and its novella length stories. They ended so abruptly that I was certain I had missed something or that somehow they would all be tied together. After reading the first four stories, I realized that they were not related so I started the book over and then finally understood what the author was trying to say in her writing.
Each story explores a character's life and the choices they make. Some decisions are instinc...more
Nov 01, 2011
S.B. Lerner
added it
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author
As the author I'll just say that women relate to the stories and men find something sensual about them. Enjoy!
3 likes · like · see review
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories...I felt very connected to the women portrayed here even though we have many differences.
How Lerner connects the women throughout the book (even though this is a collection of short stories where the women all are dealing with different circumstances) is really key here. Usually short stories feel disjointed and disconnected which is something I shy away from generally, but that is not the case with this one.
I think another strength of this work...more
How Lerner connects the women throughout the book (even though this is a collection of short stories where the women all are dealing with different circumstances) is really key here. Usually short stories feel disjointed and disconnected which is something I shy away from generally, but that is not the case with this one.
I think another strength of this work...more
In the Middle of Almost is a collection of short stories about women and their experiences in meeting men, whether randomly or by design. Without giving too much away, there are stories of love that can never be, realization of the importance of freedom, not settling for Mr. Right Now and conflicts between safety and excitement. There is also an excerpt from the novel A Familiar Stranger and two short-story memoirs focused on family, and in particular, parent-child relationships.
All the stories...more
All the stories...more
I received this book from the author as a first read. For the most part, all of the stories were good, but I only wish they contained a little bit more detail. While I completely understand that it is a collection of short stories, more detail would have made the book at least four stars.
Very good suggestion by the readers of Goodreads. I did thoroughly enjoy the short short stories.
I loved this collection of stories. Really a delightful surprise. Each story was so well written and smooth. I was sad when I reached the last page, so I'll have to look into the author's other work, because I was very impressed.
May 14, 2013
Heather
marked it as to-read
Oct 29, 2012
Roro Galal
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Indie Exchang...: LAST TWO DAYS of Kindle Giveaway: IN THE MIDDLE OF ALMOST AND OTHER STORIES | 4 | 31 | Feb 25, 2012 07:31am | |
| The Indie Exchang...: Giveaway of In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories | 1 | 6 | Feb 23, 2012 07:17pm | |
| Ebook Giveaway on Facebook UNTIL February 27th | 1 | 2 | Feb 14, 2012 08:58am | |
| The Indie Exchang...: Last 2 Days-Giveaway | 1 | 20 | Feb 04, 2012 08:34am | |
| General Discussion | 2 | 5 | Jan 12, 2012 11:45am |
Sep 21, 2011 01:17am