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Mendocino and Other Stories
by
Ann Packer
With humor, wisdom and tenderness, Ann Packer offers ten short stories about women and men--wives and husbands, sisters and brothers, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, friends, and lovers--who discover that life's greatest surprises may be found in that which is most familiar.
In the title story, on the anniversary of their father's suicide a young woman discovers that her...more
In the title story, on the anniversary of their father's suicide a young woman discovers that her...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
November 26th 2008
by Vintage
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The first story, "Mendocino," was definitely the worst in the collection, and while things got a bit better thereafter, the book pretty much failed to hold my interest. Packer's observations herein don't really shed any new light on anything, which isn't necessarily what you look for in an author, but it doesn't hurt; it's also disconcerting when time after time those observations, which you know are trying to shed unique light on a situation, fall flat and come off as mundane. Several...more
Well- I've got to say that though the writing was good, I came away from most of the stories feeling empty and flat, as if I was missing the dinal chapter of a book or something. I'm quite disappointed, because I thought The Dive From Claussen's Pier well done. I couldn't relate to most of the characters.
Spare, beautiful, slightly melancholy stories. Not at all what I would have expected from the author of The Dive from Clausen's Pier (which is a great read--just a very different one).
Maria (Ri)
rated it
This was ok, but, I was looking for a little more. I enjoyed Dive from Clausen's Pier because I knew the characters so intimately. That felt a little missing in the short stories.
Anne Packer writes her characters so that you can relate to them. I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories from cover to cover. I would recommend them for anyone looking for quick reads .
Cheryl Mccormick
added it
The first couple of stories I feel were cut short, it left me hanging thinking what's wrong with his arm or that's it? I read this book in one day so it's a good quick read.
I LOVED this book! Each story pulled me in quickly and was fully engaging. I'm generally not a huge fan of short stories, but every story in this collection was a gem!
Lovely. Would read it again. As with most short stories there were some I liked better and some I could have done without. Quick read. Want to read more by her now.
a book of short stories..sometimes i was confused by the endings..like what??
This is a great book of short stories. I wish each one was a novel!
Sarah
added it
Mendocino and Other Stories by Ann Packer (2003)
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I'm liking this very much--generally I like short stories, but this time I'm with the masses--I want more!
She creates very endearing accounts of people, which I enjoyed.
I like short stories. It's nice bite size reading for bed time. Plus, if one story sucks, you just go to the next one. These stories have great characters. Sometimes the stories are so relatable that they're almost painful to read. I think Ms. Mary Cunningham gave me this book, but I can't remember.
Oh Ann Packer, will you marry me? This is everything I want in a short story collection. The stories sort of go together, but you can't explain or pinpoint why. They're lovely and feel sort of like they're full of people you might have known, doing things you never knew about.
Flawless collection of short stories about seemingly ordinary people. I began reading this during a road trip Labor Day weekend and COULD NOT put it down. My joy for this book is only surpassed by my finding that the author will be in my city for an appearance next week, yes ....
I was completely drawn in to each of these stories. And I loved the way they finished - not neatly tied up, but also not some big cliffhanger. I wanted more, but could also sort of imagine what else would have happened afterwards (because I felt like I understood the characters well).
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I read it after I really enjoyed The Dive From Clausen's Pier and found that I like Packer's short stories even more. Each story was like a little snapshot of real people.
After reading this book back to back with "Later, At the Bar" I found myself annoyed that none of the stories had anything to do with each other. Few of the charachters gripped me in the way that an Alice Munro can.
I think my problem is that I really just don't like short stories. They always leave me feeling emtpy and wanting more. I think that is the point but it doesn't satisfy me the way reading a novel usually does. :)
Packer has a way of grasping and worrying over the most subtle emotions and interactions. These stories were wholly human and satisfying. My favorites were the title story and "Tillman and I."
LOVE LOVE LOVE this author. Her short stories are amazing anf I love how they leave you feeling satisfied and wanting more at the same time. Quick but lasting stories.
Packer's characters and plots are very believable. She has a way of capturing the unspoken feelings between people. I enjoyed this short story collection a lot.
I longed for more Ann Packer after reading the Dive from Clausen's Pier. I enjoyed the short stories, but sometimes I wanted the short stories to be much longer.
The stories are demur; they end quietly. I popped in the stories one by one quickly and I like the picture of the author, she looks like a overgrown child.
I don't usually read short stories, but this one caught my eye and was borrowed from a friend. It's a good collection of stories, and I like Packer's writing style.
I thoroughly enjoyed these stories by Ann Packer, much more than I have enjoyed her novels. I hope she puts out another collection soon!
I loved Dive from Clausen's Pier and these stories were great, too...I just wished they were a little longer! Ann Packer is a great storyteller.
eh, i basically read this because it was by the same author as Dive from Clausen's Pier. Short stories...they were ok
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Ann Packer is an American novelist and short story writer, perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed first novel The Dive From Clausen's Pier. She is the recipient of a James Michener Award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Packer is the daughter of Stanford University law professor Herbert L. Packer and Nancy Packer, a writer and former professor of English and creative writ...more
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