Rational Women

by Randy Kraft

At the heart of these eleven stories is one are women the rational beings we mean to be? Some are ruled by reason, while others allow passion to suppress good sense. In the search for balance, they find their best selves. Or not. Meet the Rational Women On a business trip to Lucerne, a widow follows a stranger into the old town... A chemistry professor's marriage implodes when his wife compounds her discontent... A white novelist writing about racism confronts the disdain of a black critic... A teacher takes her elementary students' futures into her own hands ... An empty-nester confronts an unexpected obstacle to fulfilling her dream... A late-life PhD candidate discovers her ex-husband still has a hold on her heart... A businesswoman questions her values when she learns her dead mother was never buried... A newspaper editor comes face-to-face with her biases when she misses the heart of a story... A once aspiring sculptor struggles to mold her newborn... At court to argue a minor trespass, a model citizen considers her crimes... In Paris to satisfy her mother's last wish, a docile office manager's future takes an unexpected turn.

260 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2020

About the author

Randy Kraft writes fiction and book reviews, and occasionally coaches aspiring writers. She holds a Masters in Writing and an MBA. She is a retired freelance journalist for regional and national magazines, as well as an education, business, culture and city reporter for local newspapers. She has also served as a communications consultant and writer for non-profits on both coasts. She has published three novels and a collection of short stories, and several stories have appeared in literary magazines. Follow her book reviews and literary blog at randykraft.substack.com.
OFF SEASON [2023] examines the afterlife of a long marriage and what it means to be devoted.
RATIONAL WOMEN, her first collection of short stories [2020] reveals the challenge of modern women to balance reason and passion.
SIGNS OF LIFE [2016] deals with how we grieve and the right to die, as well as the power and pitfalls of a long friendship.
COLORS OF THE WHEEL [2014] explores the dynamics of race relations and blended families.

Learn more at www.randykraftwriter.com or www.maple57press.com.

Reviews

[Sara Winokur · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories of the women we come to know in Randy Kraft’s Rational Women resonate deeply with each of us. Each of the eleven narratives illuminates the inner life of a contemporary woman striving for balance between desire, duty, and emotional truth. From the devoted teacher listening to her heart rather than the dictates of school policy to the office manager who—irrationally—follows a stranger into a Parisian restaurant to the chemistry professor’s wife yearning for the spark that will reinvigorate her, some manage to find this balance while others teeter on the fine line between the rational and irrational. Each character is vividly portrayed and continues to inhabit long after the last page…perhaps because we all travel this journey of destiny and choice as women, both alone and together. Kraft’s prose is lyrical and poetic and touches the heart. Rational Women is absolute must-read for book clubs and discussion groups. Having just discovered this writer, I’m eager to delve into her earlier work. Next up…Signs of Life and Colors of the Wheel!

[Marrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the literal center of “Rational Women” lies the query: What is the question to which your life is the answer?

With gorgeous prose and an eye for intimate detail, Kraft spins 11 stories that dance across the full spectrum of human emotion. Each story and every character, in some way, seems to grapple with that central question.

My favorite moments are those when passion triumphs over rationality, which often happens with subtle internal shifts of the characters' psyches.

Kraft's women are smart, engaged, challenging, insightful, and introspective. They've stood on the shoulders of their mothers and grandmothers, arriving in the 21st century ready to reclaim their circumscribed territory. But they often find it's they themselves who stand in their own way. A smart and engaging read. Kraft's characters haven’t left me alone, even now, long after I'd finished hearing what they had to say.

[Deborah Gaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randy Kraft’s collection enriched my knowledge of short story form and the power provided by simply a glimpse into someone else’s dilemma. A surprise for me was that the collection taught me about myself. I’ve heard that every character a writer creates is a piece of themselves. In the case of Kraft’s stories, I felt that every character was me, complete with journeys I had taken and journey’s I had not. Kraft has the ability to paint people that are complex yet relatable. Whether or not they are rational, is a question each reader will want to ponder.