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How to Breathe Underwater

by Julie Orringer (Goodreads Author)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 2,759 ratings · 413 reviews

Nine brave, wise, and spellbinding stories make up this award-winning debut. In "When She is Old and I Am Famous" a young woman confronts the inscrutable power of her cousin's beauty. In "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" a band of popular girls exert their social power over an awkward outcast. In "Isabel Fish" fourteen-year-old Maddy learns to scuba dive in order to mend her fami...more

Paperback, 226 pages

Published April 12th 2005 by Vintage (first published September 2nd 2003)

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A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor

Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Collections of Short Stories

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Dec 16, 2011 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kim by: Michelle

Shelves: contemporary, gr-friend-recommendations, mmxi, short-stories, holy-shit, it-was-density, hornby-reads

I can’t really express how much this book affected me. I was thinking I might just skip the review thingy and just leave it as ‘holy shit’ and be done with it. Of course, I can’t do that. It’s been 3 days since I finished it and I find myself going back and rereading lines and calling up scenes. Why? Because these characters are better than me and I live in retrospect. These stories pull at my gut and bring me back to times where ‘shoulda’ and ‘maybe if’ exist even though I know I can never go b...more I can’t really express how much this book affected me. I was thinking I might just skip the review thingy and just leave it as ‘holy shit’ and be done with it. Of course, I can’t do that. It’s been 3 days since I finished it and I find myself going back and rereading lines and calling up scenes. Why? Because these characters are better than me and I live in retrospect. These stories pull at my gut and bring me back to times where ‘shoulda’ and ‘maybe if’ exist even though I know I can never go back and undo what has happened. Those events and my actions are a part of me. They are noxious memories that cannot be candy coated. My bad.

Maybe I am a stereotype. One that writers can hone in on and know that I am where the $$$ is at. I seem to be drawn to a certain classification. Motherless-child-of-cancer-who-has-many-regrets (read: Catholic Guilt)-and-is-stunted-therefore-never-learning-how-to-be-a-real-grownup! Lorrie Moore, Susan Minot, Sonya Sones …they nail it. Now I can add Julie Orringer to the list. She captures the little girl who is strong when she has every reason not to be. She empowers these girls. Not all are part of the above classification. Some are just young girls thrown into situations that shape them.. Show how fierce they can be. I so admire this. This was so not me. I was invisible. My mom was dying and I ignored it. I fought with her, I didn’t listen to her medical updates, I turned up my radio when she was crying in the next room. I was angry that her illness took over my life. I was forced to babysit and cook dinner and clean up. I was 12 and hiding outside until after dark so I wouldn’t have to deal with the sighs of pain or the blank look in her face. I was 13 and staying over at a friend’s house, pretending that I was a normal girl with a normal life. I was 14 and wretching as I cleaned her hair out of the drain. What a bitch.

The girls in these stories are who I wish I had been. Helena in ‘What We Save’ who watches her mom shrink away and assumes the role of caregiver. Mira, the strong artist with the supermodel cousin in ‘When She is Old and I am Famous’ who doubts her talents yet still doesn’t pretend to be someone other than who she is. Ella in ‘Pilgrims’-- silent yet always seeing, always aware even when her parents are grabbing onto whatever fad might help them. (I was 15 and being dragged to church to pray when we had never really prayed before and what the hell would God do now?) Maddy in ‘The Isabel Fish’ -oh, Maddy, you might just be my favorite.. With your inner monologue--such perception!

I was 17, leaving home as soon as the diploma was in my sweaty hands. Running away seemed the best choice. I hid behind a thin wall of pretend adulthood. Set my own rules, see what I want to see, no silicone breasts or wigs or bottles upon bottles of medications set out with such reverence. Cancer dropped from my vocabulary.

I was 18 and my mother was nothing more than a skeleton. In the 5 months since I had moved she had withered. I couldn’t look her in the eye. I couldn’t say I was sorry. I couldn’t admit that I was so very wrong in the way I treated her.

These girls… they are incredible and I thank Julie for putting them to paper, fleshing them out, giving me a chance to know them and pretend I had chosen a different path.
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Jul 19, 2012 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I didn't like the first two stories, but plodded on regardless, and I am glad I did so. The other stories were excellent, or perhaps by then I'd got into the rhythm and and perspectives of Julie Orringer's way of seeing.

Pilgrims.

A sick mom. The family visits a hippie household seemingly hoping for theraputic intervention. The household has several children, one of whom appears to be a sociopath. A cruel and nasty child. He terrorizes some of the other children, whilst the adults are busy doing t...more

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Nov 25, 2008 julieta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-americans

I am not a big short story reader. Although I do read a lot of them, I can´t say it´s my favorite form of fiction. I have always thought that an author develops an idea or a character better in a novel. But this book makes me re think the short story more. All the stories here move and involve you, there is no way to stay indifferent to the things that go on, they seem to be familiar things she is speaking about, no matter what the situation is. They about the complexities of how we realte to ea...more

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May 29, 2007 Bill marked it as to-read

Shelves: short-stories

Julie Orringer lived down the hall from me my junior year at college. She had a big fuzzy white bathrobe and one of those Danish office chairs you kneel on that are a lot more comfortable than they look. We never got to know each other particularly well, but she seemed nice enough, and I remembered her name years later when I stumbled across How to Breathe Underwater on the new releases table at my local bookstore. I bought it for novelty's sake, because, as tenuous as it is, my personal connect...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Randy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is tight, skillful writing that feels extremely satisfying to read, because the content is highly relevant to my generation. I really enjoy short stories but have struggled to find contemporary authors who interest me much; goodreads is changing that, finally.

I really enjoyed most of the stories here once I got some momentum. Some were definitely better than others. Julie Orringer excels at exposing the little hypocrisies and social posturing we all unconsciously (or consciously) engage in....more

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Aug 22, 2008 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: short story fans; everyone, especially women although the subject matter is somewhat grim

I forgot how wonderful stories could be. If books are a meal, a nice juicy novel would be a perfect steak. But a good collection of stories is a series of small appetizers--all fresh and original. I enjoy the variety and the way that they are slices, samples of a larger dish.

These are not feel good stories. They are in a word...haunting. In each story, the subject is a young woman between the ages of around six and nineteen or twenty. Each one is grieving, either an old loss, a new one, or a pot...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Ann Douglas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, short-stories, reviewed, read-in-2011, favorites

The children and teenagers in these stories live in a world in which adults are often preoccupied, clueless, or just plain oblivious to their needs. The results range from troubling to terrible to tragic. While the stories deal with dark themes, like death, guilt, and betrayal, there are just enough sprinklings of hope to keep you reading. Short story enthusiasts won't want to miss this one.

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Apr 07, 2008 treehugger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of really good (but sometimes disturbing) short stories

Shelves: short-stories_and_essays

You know, the writing was really good, I must say that. But the subject matter and the characters were SO messed up! If you liked Six Feet Under (on tv) then this is for you. Just weirdness in real life, I guess.

For me the stories were haunting, though, and I had trouble sleeping well if I read it while in bed...

To be honest, I just don't think I'm a short story kinda gal - so much drama in so few pages, DRAMATIC endings that leave way too many doors open...nope, I prefer a novel, where you can...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Kate Z rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hard to rate. Book of short stories.

The writing is great but these aren't "happy" stories. The opening story about the mom dying of cancer and the child who is pushed out of the tree and dies ... oh my gosh, horrible. But at the same time you can see every single detail of that story as you are reading it - the writing is that good - and the feelings and tone of the story are completely perfect.

They are all sort of like that - like a traffic accident where you don't want to look but when you do...more

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May 10, 2012 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

My Take:
Orringer mentions one of the themes in her collection is “young women entering a point in their lives when they’re asked to make what seems like an impossible transition.” This collection has received RAVE reviews – I agree that the stories are very well written, with her eye for social detail and ability to capture every nuance of time, place and character. It isn’t the writing that I have a problem with, it is the story lines themselves – what’s the point? I finish the stories and wond...more My Take:
Orringer mentions one of the themes in her collection is “young women entering a point in their lives when they’re asked to make what seems like an impossible transition.” This collection has received RAVE reviews – I agree that the stories are very well written, with her eye for social detail and ability to capture every nuance of time, place and character. It isn’t the writing that I have a problem with, it is the story lines themselves – what’s the point? I finish the stories and wonder why I just read it – nothing was gained, learned, gleaned from the words on the page. I did not, for the most part, enjoy this collection.

PILGRIMS. This was a terrible story. Awful, horrific, disgusting. These poor families, riddled with cancer and death, come together for Thanksgiving to support each other in their grief and sickness. However, they are so consumed by their own grief, no one watches the children. The children, unable to process their feelings about death or grief without help or support, torment and torture each other, acting out in the only way they know how. Peter KILLS his own sister,
and all the children do is cover her body with leaves and leave her in the dark? Ella tried to get help, but her mother wouldn’t be interrupted from her meditation. They just left her there, her body hidden in the dark. Ella lost her tooth, but Claire lost her life. Awful. An awful, ugly story.

WHEN SHE IS OLD AND I AM FAMOUS. This story is about coping with jealousy, family dynamics and finding your own way. Mira struggles with Aida’s beauty, but Aida has scars of her own. Eventually her beauty will fade, while Mira’s talent will only continue to grow. I didn’t care about any of the characters in this story – after reading it, I was left with the feeling of wasting my time. What was the point here?

THE ISABEL FISH. This was one of the only stories that I liked. A touching, sad story about a brother and a sister trying to forgive each other and themselves after Isabel dies. The scuba diving lessons is what finally begins to heal the rift – Sage feels guilty because he felt he wasn’t good enough for her, and they fought right before the accident. Maddy feels guilty because she survived when Isabel didn’t. Both loved Isabel, and they are left trying to live without her. Sad, sharp, bittersweet, this story touched me. I like to think of Isabel and Maddy, driving under the dark starry night, the wind in their hair as they escape to Chicago ….

NOTE TO 6th GRADE SELF. A sweet, bitter tale about trying to fit in with your peers and the boy you love, even if he refuses to acknowledge you in front of other people. The dress, and riding bikes until dark are enough. I liked the convention of the writing – a note to self, a remembrance, to survive and thrive.

THE SMOOTHEST WAY IS FULL OF STONES. This tale is about the “failure of religious and moral codes, as seen through the eyes of Orthodox Jewish adolescents discovering the irresistible power of their burgeoning sexuality.” Again, I finished this story thinking, “So what?” The stories don’t lead anywhere – they seem to just be snapshots of daily life, without really having a point for the telling, or an end result in mind. I find it extremely difficult to care about the story, or why I am reading it.

CARE. A story of addiction – she knows that things are bad, but is unable to change. She knows that she is drowning in her addiction, but is unable to stop, to claw her way to the surface. “… to make things so terrible they’d have to change.”

WHAT WE SAVE. This was very sad, about the things that we save and what we leave behind when we die; what we become while we are dying. Brian’s rejection of her parting gift is painful – it was a rejection not only of the flowers, but of the remembrance of the love they once had.
“This is what dying meant, Helena thought – everything that had been you, leaving.”

STATIONS OF THE CROSS. This was another horrible story about children tormenting each other away from the watchful eyes of their parents. Carney, fresh from her First Communion, ties up a half-black child on a cross and nearly kills him. This story leaves a sick taste in my mouth, and along with most of the other stories, leaves me with little respect for the author. Sick.
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Apr 22, 2012 Ballpoint-arcade rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up ‘How to Breathe Underwater’ up on a whim. It was at the bottom of a book trade and swap box at a hostel, covered in a thick layer of bodice ripping romances and dust. To be honest I rarely read short story anthologies; it’ll be even rarer that I would consider laying out some moola for one. Yet I loved this book so much I continued to carry it, despite risking herniating a disc from hulling around a ridiculously heavy backpack. The characters are so vividly flawed and fragile I just...more I picked up ‘How to Breathe Underwater’ up on a whim. It was at the bottom of a book trade and swap box at a hostel, covered in a thick layer of bodice ripping romances and dust. To be honest I rarely read short story anthologies; it’ll be even rarer that I would consider laying out some moola for one. Yet I loved this book so much I continued to carry it, despite risking herniating a disc from hulling around a ridiculously heavy backpack. The characters are so vividly flawed and fragile I just couldn’t them sit idle, dusty and unloved. Greedy I suppose; I promise to lend* it out I swear.

There are nine short stories, ranging in setting from a vineyard in Italy to a local swimming pool to San Francisco. None of the stories are particularly uplifting. In fact the stories are so bleak they leave a thin film melancholy over you, that sits there even days after finishing the book. Despite the sober stories, I couldn’t help but jump from one to the next.

The writing in ‘Pilgrims’ is so pared back and exacting, you’re drawn into the confusion of Ella dealing with her mother dying of cancer, which is an emotionally raw topic but then the ending of the story is so violently shocking and dark, I probably almost popped a lung from holding my breath. Then there’s poor Isabel in ‘The Isabel Fish’ who is literally drowning under misplaced guilt over a car crash. Whereas Tessa in ‘Care’ had me so riled up I could have slapped her. But then I also want to make her tea and toast, lend her a pair of shoes and a coat. I would also invite over Mira (from ‘When She is old and I am Famous’) to help her forget her condescending cousin. See, Orringer has created characters that not only breathe underwater, but leap off the page.

I can’t recommend this short story collection highly enough that if you ask nicely enough I may even lean out my copy**.

* ‘lend’ being the operative word

** Actually no, I think I am still much too attached to the characters - perhaps if you offer them tea and toast too then I'll consider it.

For more frankly irrelevant book reviews check out http://ballpoint-arcade.blogspot.com.au (less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Robert Berrios rated it 4 of 5 stars

Usually I would not have picked up a book like this, but after reading it for my class, I would suggest this book to any reader.
As many have attested, it is quite a dark book about some of the worst events in a person's life, such as cancer, drugs, and death of loved ones. Overall however some of the stories do contain nuggets of a positive message about how to deal with these challenges. Many of the stories I could not stop reading and found myself engrossed in her stories, much like a person w...more

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Robert Berrios Usually I would not have picked up a book like this, but after reading it for my class, I would suggest this book to any reader.
As many have attested,...more
Sep 09, 2011 07:37am

Kirstin Northenscold Great thoughts on this, Robert! I'm glad to hear you found the book enjoyable, and that you would recommend it. I totally agree that even the most dep...more
Sep 11, 2011 06:22pm

Oct 19, 2010 Emily Green rated it 5 of 5 stars

How to Breathe Underwater is a lively first book. The short stories, while not connected by characters, hold together tonally. The book begins with a disturbing look into the topsy-turvy life of a family dealing with a mother’s fatal illness. In “Pilgrims” Ella and her brother are left to fend for themselves at a strange Thanksgiving celebration, complete with wheat gluten and a treacherous tree house experience.
The theme of parents being left to fend for themselves is a theme that runs through...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Melissa Railey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recently, I've heard a lot about Julie Orringer's latest book; so I decided to get it on interlibrary loan. Unfortunately, it wasn't available. But I did come across her first novel, How to Breathe Underwater. I saw it was a collection of short stories and decided to give it a shot because, as I've said in other posts, I love short stories. When a short story comes together and is written right, it is a true work of art. Julie Orringer's collection of stories in this book are a masterpiece. I wa...more

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Sep 09, 2011 George Rossman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Short stories are some of the hardest things to write. Not a lot of people read collections of short stories, and those who do are rather picky about what they just read. How to Breathe Underwater is a great first outing for Julie Orringer and is full of great stories. They capture the innocence of child hood and the harshness of the world almost perfectly. There is a great emphasis on almost as the short story "Motown Stars Shining Bright" was definitely rather weak compared to the other storie...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Parksy rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5

Amazing short stories about growing up. Note to Sixth-Grade Self was stellar.

Review
"A major new talent. . . . How to Breathe Underwater is a dark and beautiful book." –The New York Times Book Review

"These stories are without exception clear-eyed, compassionate and deeply moving. . . . Even her most bitter characters have a gift, the sharp wit of envy. This, Orringer's first book, is breathtakingly good, truly felt and beautifully delivered." –The Guardian

“Orringer’s engaging wit, her eye for...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Kathryn Voelker added it

Orringer makes this novel successful because she was able to catch and maintain the viewer's attention throughout each short story. There were times throughout each book that she vividly painted a picture of what was taking place. As a teenage girl, I was able to put myself in the character's shoes in most stories. All of the stories held conflict that allowed the character room to grow. The stories started off immature and naive but then progressed as the character began to grow up and face iss...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Jack Hughes added it

This was a very depressing book. It was supposed to take the perspectives of teenage children. I thought it was an awful representation of what teenagers feel. It was too exaggerated and out there for me to like. Most of the stories all seemed the same too. They were depressed teenage children that had a tragedy occur in their lives. None of the parents seem to care about their children. None of the stories make you feel good at the end either. It would be one thing for a story to be sad and end...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Sarah Ford rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm five stories in. I loooooooooooooooooove this book. I already gave it 5 stars. I'm that sure.

7/30/2011
Okay, I finished the book. I'm keeping my review at 5 stars. It is a PAGE-TURNER (or the nook equivalent-page-swiper?). Julie Orringer writes in a way that makes everything vivid and interesting. I could tell you what each world smells like, if it is hot, warm, or cold, what people look and smell like--it's that vivid. Warning: the book is depressing. Each story has at least one character wh...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Jonathan Grubaums rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book of shorts stories How to Breathe Underwater is very interesting to say the least. The stories all deal with a tragedy or hate against someone. The stories overall tend to be depressing while some get better towards the end. Some seem to be in the realm of possibility while others such as "Pilgrims" seems to go to the extreme, where the kids form their own society with no influence form the parents, as they don't notice that a child is missing after their death. However, some of the book...more

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Aug 12, 2009 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I usually don't like short story books (although why I continue to try to read them; I don't know). BUT, this one greatly surprised me!

The problem I think I have with short stories is that they just sort of end--either they leave you hanging or they don't give you enough and leave you with too many questions (and not enough answers). The author did a terrific job here of having stories that were fun to read but also when they were over made you feel like nothing was missing.

I felt like I was get...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Trixie Fontaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shorts, 2012-books-consumed

It's weird that I picked this up around Thanksgiving (setting of first story) last year, and am ending it near Easter (setting of last story that I wound up crying over this morning). And not on purpose, either. Those two stories beginning and ending the book were definitely memorable, hooky opening and closing choices.

I feel like I didn't love this book, but that must be a lie because I dragged out finishing it, wanted to keep having these stories to look forward to reading, feeling like I'd be...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: high school students

Recommended to Alexandra by: teacher

I thought that this book was very good. Orringer made it so that the reader connected with the stories. She used "you" in some stories like "Note To Sixth Grade Self," which helped the reader understand more and connect with the story more. I liked the "Note To Sixth Grade Self" and "The Isabel Fish" and "When She Is Old And I Am Famous." I think that she makes these stories easy to read and entertaining. The only negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that they were all very...more

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Aug 02, 2009 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an outstanding collection of short stories. I read every single story on the edge of my seat because the only predictable thing about each one is that it will be wildly unpredictable. The plot twists are risky and often shocking, and all the more terrifying because they are happening to very real people. These people could be your friends and neighbors. They could be you. I had the mischance to read "Note to Sixth Grade Self" in a coffee shop, and it was truly an effort not to weep in pu...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Orringer's collection of short stories is quite strong. The themes prevalent through out this collection all deal with adolescent teens who are faced with difficult, and sometimes life changing, experiences. Although most of the stories in this collection were quite strong, other seemed to lack the ingenuity of the others. One of the best stories of this collection was "Note to Sixth-Grade Self." This story focuses on a young girl who is just trying to make it through middle school and all the t...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Anne Nikoline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-ilterature, short-stories-and-novellas, read-in-2011, book-club, fiction

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer is the first time I ever read a collection of short stories which is not related to any of my school work, and I must say I'm very pleased that my first time had to be with this collection. It's witty and dark on some of the worst events in a person's life, such as cancer, drugs, and death of loved ones, but most of all: the hate against someone else. Something we can all relate to. The stories do also tell how to deal with these thing and not in the o...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Cameron Meehan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book was amazing. It was full of interesting characters who fought through some of the hardest difficulties the human race has to offer. Among these difficulties are social outcasting, which can be seen in "Notes to My Sixth Grade Self". The book also presents death as one of the main challenges in many of its stories whether it be from, "The Isabel Fish", "Pilgrims", or even "Care". Although this book takes a very blunt and frank tone to some considerably taboo subjects for teena...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not hugely into the short story genre, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying each story in this book. Each is dark in its own way, yet has richly developed characters for stories that are only 15 to 20 pages in length on average. Each story is written to talk about the darker side of human nature, and how each one of us is capable of cruel acts, whether we know it or not. I think the genius in telling these stories was by telling it through the eyes of either a child or young adult for most...more

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May 06, 2013 Emilie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Julie Orringer's How To Breathe Underwater is a collection of beautifully written short works of fiction. Each of these 9 stories is unique in it's own right although it must be said that almost all of them have extremely confusing and unsatisfactory endings. The stories themselves vary in how confusing they are which makes summarizing them rather difficult. You'll just have to read them for yourself. The stories ( in the same order that they are in the book) are; Pilgrims (which is about a fami...more Julie Orringer's How To Breathe Underwater is a collection of beautifully written short works of fiction. Each of these 9 stories is unique in it's own right although it must be said that almost all of them have extremely confusing and unsatisfactory endings. The stories themselves vary in how confusing they are which makes summarizing them rather difficult. You'll just have to read them for yourself. The stories ( in the same order that they are in the book) are; Pilgrims (which is about a family struggling to cope with the mother's cancer), When She Is Old And I Am Famous ( in which two cousins must overcome their resentment of each other), The Isabel Fish ( a beautiful story about two siblings letting go of their guilt and anger from the past), Note To Sixth-Grade Self ( a young girl's journal depicting her struggles in middle school), The Smoothest Way Is Full Of Stones ( in which two orthodox Jewish girls discover a book that goes against everything that they were taught and eventually forces them to confront their inner desires), Care ( a cautionary tale about drugs), Stars Of Motown Shining Bright ( a story of love, betrayal, rebellion, and most importantly, one girl doing what is right in a rather drastic way), What We Save ( again a story of a family coping with the mother's cancer), and finally, Stations Of The Cross (a story of playtime gone wrong).
The author excels in the kind of fiction that almost seems to be personal narrative. Overall, this book should be among the ranks of those extremely famous and treasured fables such as Jane Eyre or Agatha Christie. This book is a must read because it provides insight into many different cultures, personalities and time periods. Although it is not very well known now, hopefully in the future it will be. It should be noted, however, that this book is not intended for children younger than high school age owing to the fact that roughly two thirds of the stories have rather graphic sexual situations. Though this might be off putting to some, rest assured that although these scenes are not sugarcoated, they are far from vulgar.(less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read many short stories before, and this book opened my eyes to this genre. My favorite story was Pilgrims, although I also thought it was the strangest. It was very suspenseful and shocking when the entire direction of the story shifted near the end. I read it twice just to make sure what I was reading was really happening, because it changed to quickly that I thought I had missed something. The story I disliked the most was What We Save. I just thought it...more

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About Julie Orringer

Julie Orringer is an American author born in Miami, Florida. Her first book, How to Breathe Underwater, was published in September 2003 by Knopf Publishing Group. She is a graduate of Cornell University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her stories have appeared in The Paris Review, McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Zoetrope: All-Story, The Pushcart Prize Ant...more

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Quotes from How to Breathe Underwater

“I wondered how it could be that people could love God and hate one another.” — 22 people liked it

“I'm not named after the character,' she said. 'I'm named after the entire opera.” — 6 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47975.How_to_Breathe_Underwater?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320546498l/47975.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47975.How_to_Breathe_Underwater?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer[/url]

How to Breathe Underwater

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