book data
34 ratings,
4.94
average rating, 12 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
July 2nd 2007
by Rose Metal Press
binding
chapbook
url
isbn
0978984811
(isbn13: 9780978984816)
description
...Each of Claudia Smith's short shorts is a tilted memory of love and loss [...] There is a natural accuracy in these brief narratives; the stories a...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 47)
All ratings
|
5 stars (32)
|
4 stars (2)
|
3 stars (0)
|
2 stars (0)
|
1 star (0)
|
avg 4.94
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in September, 2007
Claudia and my sister have been best friends since they were in 9th grade. I have been reading her work since I was eleven years old and have always loved her style--haunting, beautiful, sad, and funny in that way you're not supposed to think is funny (like when you see a girl completely unaware of the big menstrual stain on the back of her skirt).
I love this chapbook of short, short stories almost as much as i love its author. Also, it was beautifully letter pressed by Rose Metal Pres...more
I love this chapbook of short, short stories almost as much as i love its author. Also, it was beautifully letter pressed by Rose Metal Pres...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comment
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
The narrators in the heartbreaking chapbook, The Sky Is a Well & Other Shorts, are all in search of something--comfort, nuturing, and, perhaps most of all, mother love. These are small girls, young women, adults with children of their own, who yearn for that moment of connection felt so keenly between parent and child. It is a feeling so hard to describe and yet Smith does so evocatively in her explorations of pinning down that moment of connection, or more often, that moment of loss in which th...more
Like this review?
yes
3 comments
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
lovers of the short-short form
The Sky is a Well and Other Shorts is a gorgeous hand-stitched chapbook recently published by Rose Metal Press. Claudia Smith won their competition, judged by Ron Carlson. I had no chance to see the other entrants, but I have to believe that this is a well-deserved win.
Smith's work is spare and elegant in its simplicity. Each short-short, by saying as little as possible, expresses volumes more. The first three sentences of the short "Mermaid" is an example of Smith's terse...more
Smith's work is spare and elegant in its simplicity. Each short-short, by saying as little as possible, expresses volumes more. The first three sentences of the short "Mermaid" is an example of Smith's terse...more
A great collection of stories, told with lyrical voice, that happen to be short. Claudia writes for a good reader, not just for a writer. Many times, flash, short shorts, feel gimmicky, lacking of feeling, written for a writer. Not true here. Every story has such detail, such careful character development, you feel dropped into a world for only a few moments. I think Claudia may prove that flash or short shorts can indeed be collected and sold to the mass markets.
Look for the...more
Read in June, 2007
I'd read Claudia Smith's work in various journals and even had the pleasure of interviewing her for the flash journal Smokelong Quarterly. What a pleasure to get a chance to read her collected flash fiction. The poetic loveliness of her prose combined with the sincere emotion of her pieces make this a truly remarkable collection. There's a truth here: "Cold and hard, a deep, sweet ache." Terrific.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
I read this beautifully prepared collection a while ago, and now wrote a review for The Short Review: http://www.theshortreview.com/reviews/Cl...
An intriguing, haunting book that should be read more than once.
"The Sky Is A Well" won the first annual Rose Metal Press Chapbook Contest.
An intriguing, haunting book that should be read more than once.
"The Sky Is A Well" won the first annual Rose Metal Press Chapbook Contest.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I read The Sky is a Well in my trip to the Brazilian Pantanal, and it added a bit of melancholy and hope to the night. The combination of the stories makes for a complete emotional picture. One story hit me harder, and the last line "Stick with this one" suggests itself in different moment.
07/22/07
Beneth
marked it as to-read
I clicked into the author's page, and then saw a couple reviews of the book that make me super interested. I don't have a lot of time to read and have been choosing nonfiction lately. I think this will be a great book to take me back into fiction.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I got this book today and read it all the way through. What a stunning collection! And I have an extra copy I can send to the first person to respond to this...
Like this review?
yes
5 comments
It's my book, so I of course gave it five stars. I give just about everything on my shelves five stars.
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in January, 2006
This book hit my personal trifecta: beautifully designed, great prose poems, and good aji!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
None found
groups with this book
