Catch a falling star

by Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo

In this collection, Hidalgo returns to the writing of the realistic short story while remaining true to the style of the travel essays, which some critics believe to be her most inspired work.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

148 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

Cristina has been writing for Philippine newspapers at the young age of fifteen and is now an award-winning author.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say that childhood memories are really meant to guide us during our adulthood. That they can help predict our behaviors as adult. If these are true, then I am not surprised that the author of this book is one of the most respected writers and literature professors in the country. She is Dr. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo.

I first met Dr. Hidalgo during the interview of Miguel Syjuco, author of "Ilustrado" in the University of Santo Tomas a couple of years ago. She is currently the Director of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies and the Professor Emeritus of English & Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Her works have been translated in many other languages particularly in Asia and the pioneering writers in English creative non-fiction in the country.

Upon finishing the book, a question that would linger in one's mind as a reader: how much of the main character's life is the author's? How much of Patriciang Payatot is Dr. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo? When you know that Dr. Hidalgo is still skinny up to now? When you know that like the pupil Patricia, the 72-year old professor is also brainy and smart yet gentle and even frail-looking?

This book is a collection of 12 unforgettable short stories in English. The stories revolve around a young girl, Patriciang Payatot. Childhood memoirs that got etched in the girl's mind as the narrator is supposed to be an adult now. The memoirs are life changing ones: from the time that she is trying to fit in school, witnessing her first car accident, being exposed to the household fights of a classmate's parents, domestic and drug-related violence or the horses copulating that signaled her sexual awakening. The narration is simple. light yet poignant and sweet. The book reminded me of Melissa Bobis's "Banana Heart Summer" although the stories in this book will last longer in your mind before you finally forget them.

I liked all the 12 short stories but the one that stood out was "Patriciang Payatot" especially these lines: "When we want something badly enough, do we not convince ourselves that it is meant for us? When we fall in love, do we not think it inevitable that the other person must return the feeling?" Yes, we do right? It's just that many of young people convince themselves more than enough that when the object of their affection does not return the favor, they become depressed as if it is the end of the world.

That's crazy but we all went through that phase. However, we overcome them and as soon as we learn the realities of dating as adults, we look back and say to ourselves how foolish we were when we were at that age.
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Our book club "Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books" will be interviewing Dr. Hidalgo for this book on August 12, 2017 at 2:00-5:00 pm at the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies office. Everyone is invited to join us.

[Neil Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effective ang pagkukuwento at pagsasalin.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original post at One More Page

I used to believe that writing short stories was easier than writing a novel, mainly because of its length. I mean, short stories are just short. You don't need to put in so many characters, you don't need to have complex plot lines, or chapters. But as I wrote, I realized that a short story is equally hard. In a novel, I can afford to ramble, I can afford to insert as many characters as I want, put in all kinds of random devices just to make something happen in the story. In a short story, I am limited because it's supposed to be short, and a short story has to pack as much punch as a novel. Somehow, the characters have to be more memorable, the plot tighter and the ending more memorable, despite its length.

It's been a while since I indulged myself in a good short story, so it was just timely that I saw Catch a Falling Star by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo in National Bookstore for only P150. I know my friend Sam likes her writing (loves?), and I trust her taste, so I figure this one seemed to be a good choice. Plus I like falling stars. ;)

Catch a Falling Star is a collection of short stories about Patricia Soler. Yes, you read that right: all twelve stories in the collection are about a girl named Patricia, or Trissy, her childhood, her school life, and other stories about her family and the places around her. It's not a novel, and it's not a series of stories that you have to read in order. According to the author, she wrote these stories after writing her novel, in memoir mode, as if an older woman was recalling stories of her childhood. So Trissy was born, and her stories first appeared in magazines such as the Philippine Free Press and Philippine Graphic before they were published into this book.

Just like the title, I thought the entire book was positively charming. Despite the length of the stories and how I was only offered glimpses of Trissy's life, I thought she was a real person. The stories were written as if I was with Trissy in a coffee shop and she was telling me of all these stories of her childhood and laughing as she recalled them. The stories here are diverse enough to each pack its own punch -- there was a story of the glasses she received for Christmas that she attempted to trade for a hopscotch stone, a story of her afternoons with their laundry woman who other maids thought was witch. There were stories from her conservative Catholic school and her classmates, stories of her befriending the most unpopular girl in school, a story of her being called "Patriciang Payatot" because of her stature, and stories of class reunions discussing one of their old classmates and her sad fate. There were stories about her family, of one summer vacation she spent with an aunt, of a boy that must have been her half-brother, and even a story of a woman who arrived at a wedding but no one knew who she was. And of course, there were stories of crushes, having loved and lost. It all seems very different, but there is a continuity in the stories that helped me keep track on where I am and who was who.

Trissy never lost her charm all through out the book, and the descriptions of her life were clear and imaginative, despite the seemingly simple text. I love how the author just seemed to have the right words to describe whatever Trissy was feeling perfectly, without sounding pretentious or too flowery. Case in point, from the story "Sweets for my Sweet":

I expected my heart to break. Indeed, I was convinced that it had. I thought I could actually see the bleeding fragments lying about on the floor, waiting to be trampled on and crushed...

...And then I realized that it simply wasn't true. Since Buddy had never been mine, I could not very well feel that I had lost him. (p. 79)

Even if most of the stories only showed Trissy from her childhood up to sometime during her college years, I didn't feel cheated at the end of the book. I felt like a friend just simply ended her story, and is waiting for me to tell mine.

Catch a Falling Star is one of those anthologies (that is the correct term, right?) that hits the "I need to read something new but nothing too serious" spot just right. If you're in need of a palate cleanser in between books, or you just want to indulge yourself in good local literature, pick this up and get ready to be charmed by Patriciang Payatot. :)

[Krizia Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not really a novel but sort of a collection of short stories revolving a central character. It has no sequence and does not have a complete set of story elements. There's no resolution at the end that makes it quite BITIN. But I did like the stories of Patricia. I really loved "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" story. Overall, the all the stories felt very real as if it really did happen. I can FEEL each story as if all of them happened to me. Patricia is just so "relatable" and lovable.

[cha-mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

the last three chapters of the book shows trissy maturity and inclination to curiosity, i love beautiful beth among all tales because i love how careful and beautiful one's recollection of someone despite having that someone experience the horrors of life.

Purita's part really tugged a heart at me, the contrast her house and trissy's and then revealed how toxic her household really is tugged at my heart. Children really do act a certain way because of their family background.

Little Miss Sunshine, oh god, it captured the horror of what one can experience in the face of an accident— how it stops time, slows it down and even reveals that those who seem to have the toughest heart becomes a mess afterward.

OHH The Notebook is so special to me, family secrets are insane but then Francisco and Trissy's connection, albeit short, was amazing. The revelation also shook me 😭

The Afternoon of the Horses is FREAQIE but then it showed how children really are curious abt bodies and that being faced with animals having sex really opens a lot of curiosity for her.

Overall, walang patapon na kwento!!

The whole collection really is a mix of both fun, serious, and the magical. It was an easy read but that doesn't limit the magic it does to you especially since the reality of trissy is so similar to mine that i felt like her memory and mine are one and same.

[Sherah Servilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[lukar dane ☁️✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

reminded me so much of Filipino upbringing— the superstitious beliefs, childhood life-forming experiences, and some conservative tones of parenting.

overall, enjoyable collection of stories.

[Deanne Dumo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is unique about this anthology is that the short stories are cohesive and blends well with each other (like a novel) to form a complete character of Patriciang Payatot, the kid heroine narrating her anecdotes from Grade 2 to senior high school. I instantly liked Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo's simple writing style, thru the quiet voice of a mature girl narrating with an honest childlike recollection.

It is easy for me to identify myself with the introverted Patriciang Payatot. Her anecdotes were mostly about growing up (in the early '60s in Manila) in a middle-class family and attending a Catholic school run by nuns. The first stories were about the awkward stage of being a wallflower in elementary, of wanting to be accepted by the cool kids, the feeling of disappointment on your first infatuations, and the forming of friendships/stratification among the girls in high school. But some stories, particularly the latter ones, I think were more developed with depth.

My favorite is How I Spent My Summer Vacation, as I think the author rather enjoyed writing the quaint elements of this story: the small exotic house of Tita Alicia, the odd mixture of her gang, and the unique experiences Patricia had there. This story is different from the others, as this is where the writer toyed with imagination and gave "Trissy" a break from the monotony of school-home pattern.

I also like The Notebook, as it has established Trissy's maturity early on in the stories. I also like how Trissy's feeling of anger, guilt and contrition toward a friend is written well in Moondoggie, and the hanging thought by the end of The Woman in the Apple-green Dress.

This is a kindred book to spend the first three days of the new year with. I hope I can read more stories from contemporary Filipino writers this year. :)

[Jasmine Shewakramani · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the summer before my first year of high school, I spent long, hot afternoons in my room, reading and re-reading all the books in my tiny collection. As I often did at the time, I even started reading the required novel for my Literature class. That year, it was "Catch a Falling Star."

The author dedicates the book to her daughters, saying, "[for those] who may want to know what it was like in an earlier time." She may as well have written that dedication to me. I can still remember the feeling of being so enthralled by the stories of this book, spending that entire summer imagining Patricia Payatot's life in the '50s, so different from my own as a teenage girl living through the early millennium.

I haven’t picked up that book in ten or fifteen years. When a typhoon flooded our basement last year, my copy of "Catch a Falling Star" didn’t make it—waterlogged, musty, and on the verge of molding, I had to let it go.

But I knew those stories by heart, and I wanted to dive in again, so I found a refurbished copy. Now, re-reading it, 22 years after I first cracked open the cover, I’m struck by how much Patricia’s life and mine overlap—experiencing all the highs and lows of growing up: friends, bullies, first love, heartbreak, and everything in between. These stories spark memories of my own childhood.

Five stars, even after all these years. In my mind, Patricia Payatot grew up to become exactly who she wanted to be—a nerdy writer, more secure in herself and the love of those around her, with an unquenchable curiosity for the world. I like to think she let go of the discomfort of those awkward years and eventually found her happily ever after.

[Bomdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to relate to because was made by a Filipino author about Patriciang Payatot growing up through a woman's perspective. Some stories may be pure fictional but it was close to reality that made me think that the stories were true. I like how I can relate to the paper dolls and wanting to have friends and others. It was a good read, I was not bored and this was the first book I finished reading inside a store which was Powerbooks:)

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel a strong sense of melancholy partly because it makes me think of how easy it was back when I was still a kid and also because I see myself in Patricia in so many ways.
I read this in fourth grade, I loved it..especially the story about the magic glasses and piko. Reading it again makes me remember my grade school days.

[Billy Ibarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binubuo ng magkakaugnay na maikling kuwento ng tauhang si Patriciang Payatot. Ito ay nagsilbing talaan ng kanyang mga alaala mula sa kanyang pagkabata hanggang sa kanyang pagdadalaga, mula sa pagkainosente hanggang sa kanyang pagkamulat. At sa katunayan, mabigat para sa isang YA ang ibang laman ng aklat, haha.

Personal na paborito ko rito ang "Ang Magandang si Beth."

[Crishell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this during my college years while waiting for my next class. This book was my escape from Plato, Thucydides, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche and so on. I vaguely remember any of my class lectures, but I do remember how good this book was. It relieved me off my stress.

[odelia (odeng) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wont make a lengthy and detailed review for this, btw.

i liked it. it's more of a collection of stories instead of an actual novel. patricia was realistic as all the characters were.

good. it was good.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww, this book is so good, I am happy I turned out to love it. I was terribly afraid that I might not like this because the previous book I read and finished (Kids These Days), I didn't like at all, and the other book I started but not yet finished (Salingkit), I also didn't like (which was why I put it down for a while). So, thank God I liked this one.

I think the primary thing that I loved about this is the use of nostalgic tone. Usually, when a book employs a nostalgic tone, it becomes too melodramatic, and it kind of spoils the enjoyment. But this book uses just a considerable amount of nostalgia without being too overwhelming. It's also interesting that even though this follows the same main character all throughout — and it follows her life starting when she was a second grade student up until she was about to graduate high school — this book is not a novel. This is a short story collection. But somehow, it actually made sense. (This also actually reminded me of a running joke that in Philippine literature, books have an identity crisis because they're not sure if they're a collection of interrelated stories or a novel, and this book is no exception).

Also, did I mention that this book has the same subtlety that I found and loved from The House on Mango Street? I live for subtle books! (Mainly because as a writer, subtlety is something that I struggle with, so yeah, reading books that execute subtlety really well is a good time.)

Clearly, I liked all stories, but I gotta say "Beautiful Beth" is the saddest of them all. I was really scarred after reading that one.

[irenii]

In this short story collection, I see the influences of mystery novels (the likes of Nancy Drew) seep through—she’s quite successful at enrapturing attention and questions before spooling up outcomes. I would’ve loved and related to this v much as a teen. Plus, the references to icons like Audrey Hepburn—I would’ve eaten this uppp teehhee.

How grateful I am that despite the romantic narrator, cruel realities are not neglected. She delves into witchcraft (The Mangkukulam), sex (The Afternoon of the Horses), negligence, loneliness (Purita), bullying (Moondoggie), critical and comparative beauty standards, marriage conflicts, rape (Beautiful Beth), and romance between individuals of drastic age differences (How I Spent my Summer Vacation). Yet, the writing style and view still remains its elegance and class—which I find to be an admirable feature of the author’s writing style that even extends her non fiction pieces.

[Dina Angeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read "The Woman in the Apple-green Dress" when I was in college, which was years ago, but I still can't forget how that story made me feel. It's like I was there in the reception with the characters in the story, and I was haunted by what I read. Now, reading it after "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," the story becomes even more haunting. I know that the only connection between the two stories is Patricia, but the progression from one story to another is so natural. It's as if Tristan's feelings in "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" took a human form and became the eponymous woman in the apple-green dress. Reading these two stories back-to-back is such a good way to end the many months that I spent reading this collection (I had to read this book slowly because of work-related issues.).

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5

Disclaimer: The author was my Fiction professor in grad school.

Probably one of my favorite short story collections to date. It follows the childhood and teenage years of Patricia, who is the recurring narrator in all of the stories. It transports the reader back to the idyllic days of the early 1960s and elicits a warm feeling of nostalgia even for readers who had not lives through those years. While some are beautiful by their recollections alone, some are truly heartbreaking but not to the point of being angsty or morose.

My favorite stories here are "Beautiful Beth", "Purita", and "Little Miss Sunshine".

HIGHLY recommended. This collection proves that Jing Hidalgo truly is one of the greats of her generation.

[Abbygail Bobos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought its translated version (Filipino language). It's the first book I bought in the National Bookstore, it's for me to start into the habit of reading books. It took me a lot of time to finish it, I think more than 5 months. Because I don't read constantly, I have school at that time. I just realized from the author's note that it was a collection of one shot stories. And I love how the stories have been written, because it's not in order like in the table of contents. The author wrote it on different dates and times, but still ended up arranging it in a perfect way, to show the MC's timeline. This book made me curious, confused, laugh, envy, and cry. My favorite was the 'Miss Little Sunshine'

[Marigold Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of this book is in the way I was able to relate to the childhood of "Patriciang Payatot" regardless of the differences between our upbringing and socio-economic backgrounds. The novel evoked childhood memories and long-forgotten emotions; it was like a pleasant, albeit at times melancholic, trip down memory lane.

[Marlo Mangilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have always wanted to read more of Pantoja-Hidalgo's stories ever since I read Tales from a Rainy Night when I was in college years ago. This story collection revolves around the education of Patricia/Trissy and how memories evoke certain reflections with time. Good read on quiet nights and slow afternoons

[Delie Dell Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a collection of short stories that revolves around one “Patricia”. Patricia is a lovable character. The stories gives you a glimpse of Patricia’s life, from childhood until she reached womanhood.

Simple, yet somehow relatable even though the setting is in the 60-70s. I highly recommend this book to pre-teeners.

[ursula g · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was part of our Grade 7 literature class. I didn’t expect that it would still be my favorite book until now. I’ve re-read it multiple times, not out of familiarity, but because I've grown to appreciate it more and more as the years go by. I enjoyed this book even outside the classroom, and not all books are like that. It didn't just contain stories, it carried something deeper.

[em · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the type of book that you'll end up thinking about till the day that you die. i LOVED this book so much.

[Shamie Jhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[ŵłńtėr · Rating 5 out of 5]

madaling basahin lalo na at galing pa ako sa reading slump. para lamang nasa tabi ko si patricia at kwinikwentuhan niya ako ng kabataan niya. ang pinakatumatak sa akin ay "ang magandang si beth".

[Rys Zacura]

It's really a relatable story

[Stephanylaborte]

i want to read it

[Nini DC · Rating 5 out of 5]

It tells us how life was like for a middle class Filipina back in the days, and in ways as someone who is young can relate to the childhood stories she had told.

[jules. · Rating 4 out of 5]

how lovely