Men Giving Money, Women Yelling: Intersecting Stories

by Alice Mattison

Men Giving Money, Women Yelling is Alice Mattisons latest collection in which the characters lives are told in tales that overlap or echo one another. At the center of the stories is Denny Ring, a young man nobody quite knows. Other characters include John Corey, a contractor who renovates old houses in New Haven, Connecticut; his younger brother Eugene, a volunteer at a soup kitchen; and his older brother Cameron, who is a lawyer specializing in obnoxious law. Johns assistant, Tom, is in love with his former English teacher, Ida Feldman, and Charlotte LoPresti, a social worker who interviews the Corey brothers and their aged father, is friends with Pam Shepherd, a social worker whos in charge of the house for psychiatric patients that John and Tom are renovating.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Alice Mattison's new novel, WHEN WE ARGUED ALL NIGHT, will be published by Harper Perennial as a paperback original on June 12, 2012. She's the author of 5 other novels, most recently NOTHING IS QUITE FORGOTTEN IN BROOKLYN, 4 collections of stories, and a book of poems. Many of her stories have appeared in The New Yorker and other magazines. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and has lived for a long time in New Haven, Connecticut. She teaches fiction writing in the Bennington Writing Seminars, the low-residency MFA program at Bennington College in Vermont.

Reviews

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mattison calls these "intersecting stories," as several characters pop up again and again in the fifteen stories.

But the most fun was finding not the recurring characters, but the recurring handbag. THE HANDBAG! Ida's turquoise bag with clangy buckles appears in at least six of the stories. Very clever.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is deceiving. I'm not sure what you would expect this book to be but from the librarian's comment when I was checking it out, you would be surprised. I am a big fan of short stories but this book is just what the title says, they are intersecting stories. You read a story with a few characters and then in a couple more chapters, a character mentioned in the first story reappears. Some may find this confusing trying to figure out who they are but not to worry. Somewhere along the line you it is revealed. This was such an interesting read that I stayed up way past my usual lights out to keep reading.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't be completely objective about Alice Mattison because I've known her since I was little-- grew up with her kids, etc.-- and I am especially fond of the stories set in New Haven for that reason. But even when I put those connections aside, I am always really really impressed with her work. She's got that ability to capture idiosyncrasies and details while tapping into something larger.

[Becky Straub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book of short stories, these however are called "intersecting stories". There were characters and plot lines that kept appearing in each story. So it kind of read like a very disjointed novel...

[Marjorie Murstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 and 4.5 (the Ida part)
As I read this collection of connected stories, I wondered whether the book had two different authors.

Whenever the author writes about Ida, they, actually both the author and Ida, come alive and so does the story. I wonder whether anyone else experienced what i did

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

interwoven short stories always ending on an off note. I found it beautiful, like life. Also, a very quick read.

[Michele Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character's lives are told in tales that overlap or echo each another. At the center is Denny Ring, a young man nobody quite knows. Other characters include John Corey, a contractor; his younger brother Eugene, a volunteer at a soup kitchen; and his older brother Cameron, who is a lawyer.

[Leiki Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Mattison is a masterful storyteller. This deserves to be read twice in quick succession.

[Donna Dimassa]

Read it so long ago, I don't remember, but I remember that I liked it.
I just remembered the title for some reason and wanted to get it recorded.
It was quirky - takes place in New Haven, CT.

[Allison Nack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite genres: individual short stories that weave characters together from multiple points of view. The stories are good, but the way they intersect is confusing. The reader is not told who the subject of the story is until the middle of the story which necessitates turning back pages in case anything was missed. I think I would have preferred non-intersecting stories in this book as the author is a talented writer.

[Ben Rameaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories that my mother, my girlfriend and I all liked. That's enough for a recommendation, right?

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stuff. My fave Mattison book among the three I've read. Almost too much wisdom, generosity, and good humor for one book to contain.

[Jase · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped at 180 pages, I got bored

[Mls3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the title of this book and the review the "New York Times" gave it, so it wound up on my bookshelf. I remember the stories as amusing, if not profound...

[Carnoffp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and I loved the way it was told, not the usual way

[Chamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will read more of her books, enjoyed her style of writing.