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Nothing Right
Set in the American southwest, this collection of stories feature characters transitioning from adolescence, to young adulthood, to middle age. Their personal conflicts parallel those of contemporary Americans, post-911, as these artfully rendered characters try to keep themselves intact individually-- and as part of a family-- in the new millennium. Moving and evocative, Nothing Right explores the tenuous relationship between the individual self and the communal self.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2009
13 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
About the author
Antonya Nelson
44 books100 followersAntonya Nelson is the author of nine books of fiction, including Nothing Right and the novels Talking in Bed, Nobody’s Girl, and Living to Tell. Nelson’s work has appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, Redbook, and many other magazines, as well as in anthologies such as Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards and The Best American Short Stories. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Grant, the Rea Award for the Short Story, and, recently, the United States Artists Simon Fellowship. She is married to the writer Robert Boswell and lives in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas, where she holds the Cullen Chair in Creative Writing at the University of Houston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
January 22, 2010
so i entered to win this book on goodreads.com because connor loves her like crazy, but other than that, i had no knowledge of her. and when i won this book, out of all the books i tried to win, i felt a little resentful towards it, honestly. entering for this one had been an afterthought. i tend not to read too many short stories, the author wasn't already a favorite (damn you, winners of the new jon mcgregor), and i knew i wanted to be reading the kjaerstad trilogy this month. so i felt... obligated to read/review it. that whole, "you asked for it" feeling. but holy hell, this book is really awesome, and if i hadn't won it, i never would have bought it for myself, so the goodreads.com angels are on my side. this is true women's fiction - powerful, recognizable, steady. it is neither chicklit nor a woman trying to write "like a man", with false bravado, just true embracing womanhood.it's weird - i connected to a number of these stories in a bone-deep way, even though every character is older than me and are mostly mothers, which is not something i am planning. but i just felt... in tune with it, like my menstrual cycle lined up with each and every story. there are plenty of superb women writers out there, but this particular brand of realistic women's fiction is not my usual fare, and i was so pleased to enlarge my reading habits that much more...
bless you, goodreads.com!
bless you, goodreads.com!
August 18, 2010
There was a time when I was totally wild over Antonya Nelson's commitment to the short story form and what she could do with it, and then came a time when I burned out on the stories she was actually writing in that form. More recently year at an AWP panel on plot, Nelson wowed and I thought I was ready to go back read her again.
The results are mixed-- I still think she's formally a really interesting writer, which is much of what she talked about at the panel-- these stories tackle interesting binaries, mostly, and resolve them in surprising but sometimes wonderful ways. There's a plethora of twinning, for example, so the wrong character is having the baby, the second wife mothers the children of the first, passions are generated by one character and then received by another. As much as my description seemed diagrammatic, it can really work, especially in the fizzy and well-populated world of these stories, where every family is not only extended but attenuated, reticulated, and just plain stuffed full.
But the situations are rarely that interesting. Infidelity is the theme of many too many of these stories, as if Nelson is trying to write a book of traditional "New Yorker stories," or else mock the limitations of the same. Too many children are thrown into harms way to give some danger and spice to the proceedings-- the fact that the latter interests me more than the former is more a result of my psychological makeup than it is a marker of Nelson's skill, which is often evident here but rarely all that compelling to watch.
The writing, too, feels competent but rarely surprises. There are efforts at standing at attention, especially on a paragraph level, where anaphora and similar rhetorical tropes are deployed, but it's ultimately just not enough. In the end, after 15 years away, this one book by Nelson is more than enough to hold me for another 15 years.
The results are mixed-- I still think she's formally a really interesting writer, which is much of what she talked about at the panel-- these stories tackle interesting binaries, mostly, and resolve them in surprising but sometimes wonderful ways. There's a plethora of twinning, for example, so the wrong character is having the baby, the second wife mothers the children of the first, passions are generated by one character and then received by another. As much as my description seemed diagrammatic, it can really work, especially in the fizzy and well-populated world of these stories, where every family is not only extended but attenuated, reticulated, and just plain stuffed full.
But the situations are rarely that interesting. Infidelity is the theme of many too many of these stories, as if Nelson is trying to write a book of traditional "New Yorker stories," or else mock the limitations of the same. Too many children are thrown into harms way to give some danger and spice to the proceedings-- the fact that the latter interests me more than the former is more a result of my psychological makeup than it is a marker of Nelson's skill, which is often evident here but rarely all that compelling to watch.
The writing, too, feels competent but rarely surprises. There are efforts at standing at attention, especially on a paragraph level, where anaphora and similar rhetorical tropes are deployed, but it's ultimately just not enough. In the end, after 15 years away, this one book by Nelson is more than enough to hold me for another 15 years.
October 10, 2009
On p. 252 in "We and They," the character Angel is described as follows: "she flipped burgers at the Arby's across from East High." Ahem, Professor Nelson! Everyone knows that you get roast beef at Arby's. The whole principle of Arby's is the eschewal of the burger; they are trying to save the world from ordinary fast food. Their current menu (I checked) has nothing meaty that would be flipped. Are you trying to degrade this character by giving her a pretend job? Is the elitist ignorance of the narrator (the only first-person one in the collection) revealed by this gratuitous crack? Or is this simply a glaring and glaringly inappropriate cliche?
But yeah, otherwise her writing is enviable. I'll keep reading her stuff, but more and more it's for her prose and not for her characters, who are too many vacant women, caricatures of teenagers, academics. I usually root against everyone in her stories except her and her sentence structure.
But yeah, otherwise her writing is enviable. I'll keep reading her stuff, but more and more it's for her prose and not for her characters, who are too many vacant women, caricatures of teenagers, academics. I usually root against everyone in her stories except her and her sentence structure.
November 5, 2012
Antonya Nelson’s collection, Nothing Right, does three things very, very well: theme, image and smash-bash beauty.
Focusing chiefly on the relationships in families the collection explores what constitutes “family” and how family might differently be understood as either biology or care. As each story explores these familial relationships they also tease out what responsibilities we hold to our family - individual relations and the institution as a whole. It reminds the reader that perfection - once glimpsed or imagined - in person or relationship is an ideal best abandoned, though rarely done away with. That despite the logical recognition that we cannot be perfect mothers, or siblings, or friends - that we will make mistakes and that we are inevitably flawed - that we all (is all an overstatement? the collection suggests “all,” so I’ll say “all,” and definitely me) continue to castigate ourselves for these failures, these most mundane disappointments.
There are breath-taking images in the collection that function to complicate theme or to enrich character, but occasionally appear to serve the exclusive purpose of proving This is a Literary Collection. It’s not a complaint, really, because these are images that I marveled at and felt buoyed by, and yet still felt a tinge of doubt: were these images adding something or simply there to demonstrate the (really quite accomplished) skill of the author?
And then I settled on “beauty” as the answer. In several instances I stopped bothering about whether Nelson was showing off, or whether the image or metaphor added anything exceptionally rich to the story itself, and just allowed myself to indulge in these kernels of beauty. Tucked away phrases that remind me that while there may be ‘nothing (absolutely) right’ there are these exquisite instances - here in text, but perhaps in all of our lives, in all of our persons - that (attempt to) hold at bay the potential for crushing nihilism or self-loathing that might accompany the recognition and admission that we are only ever degrees of failure. That abandoning the ideal or the hope of perfection doesn’t allow a concomitant abandonment of effort, because occasionally we may deliver, or be delivered, stunning beauty.
Focusing chiefly on the relationships in families the collection explores what constitutes “family” and how family might differently be understood as either biology or care. As each story explores these familial relationships they also tease out what responsibilities we hold to our family - individual relations and the institution as a whole. It reminds the reader that perfection - once glimpsed or imagined - in person or relationship is an ideal best abandoned, though rarely done away with. That despite the logical recognition that we cannot be perfect mothers, or siblings, or friends - that we will make mistakes and that we are inevitably flawed - that we all (is all an overstatement? the collection suggests “all,” so I’ll say “all,” and definitely me) continue to castigate ourselves for these failures, these most mundane disappointments.
There are breath-taking images in the collection that function to complicate theme or to enrich character, but occasionally appear to serve the exclusive purpose of proving This is a Literary Collection. It’s not a complaint, really, because these are images that I marveled at and felt buoyed by, and yet still felt a tinge of doubt: were these images adding something or simply there to demonstrate the (really quite accomplished) skill of the author?
And then I settled on “beauty” as the answer. In several instances I stopped bothering about whether Nelson was showing off, or whether the image or metaphor added anything exceptionally rich to the story itself, and just allowed myself to indulge in these kernels of beauty. Tucked away phrases that remind me that while there may be ‘nothing (absolutely) right’ there are these exquisite instances - here in text, but perhaps in all of our lives, in all of our persons - that (attempt to) hold at bay the potential for crushing nihilism or self-loathing that might accompany the recognition and admission that we are only ever degrees of failure. That abandoning the ideal or the hope of perfection doesn’t allow a concomitant abandonment of effort, because occasionally we may deliver, or be delivered, stunning beauty.
April 2, 2015
This book seemed to take a really long time to read (for me anyway) since my schedule has become a bit more hectic recently, but I always enjoyed returning to it when I could grab a minute. It didn't evoke in me that rabid urge to rush through it, to devour it as soon as I could. It felt to me like an old friend. In fact, that's what the stories became for me--like listening to a close friend spill their guts. There was something very gratifying about this collection. None of the characters or situations were extraordinary. These were not wacky situations or wild instances where BAM! the character is forever changed. Instead, they all faced (mostly) everyday challenges and ordinary tragedies with varying degrees of success (or lack thereof), and their own revelations were perhaps just a subtle quarter-turn in a new direction...the way life usually happens. They all had their endearing aspects as well as those traits that made me cringe, also reminding me of when you start to see faults in a beaming new friendship or relationship...those moments that make you face up to the decision whether or not you wish to forge ahead. This was the "realest" writing I've read in a while and makes me feel at ease with the fact that life keeps on keepin' on. I was unaware of Nelson as a writer before now, but as I now see she's had a full career so far, I will absolutely be seeking out more of her work.
October 17, 2013
I should have guessed from the title that this was going to be a depressing bunch of stories. It's not that they aren't well written, because they are, and they were fairly quick and easy to read. As a matter of fact, I'd probably rate them 2.5 stars if I could. But the key word here seems to be "regret." In many of these stories, the main character is full of regret for mistakes made, either an unfortunately affair or a poor life choice. There's an underlying sense of discouragement throughout. For example, it's interesting that the word "nihilism" was included in 2 of the stories. How often do you hear/use that word, and it was mentioned twice! Of this collection, one of my favorites was "Or Else" which told about a young man who tried to recapture his youth by revisiting a childhood vacation spot. I also liked "Kansas" which watched the reactions of family members when a teenager disappeared for several days with her 3-year-old cousin in tow. Another one that caught my attention was "We and They" about 2 extremely different families living and growing old on the same street and the unlikely bond that connects them. I will probably read more by this author to see how she handles other subjects.
March 2, 2009
Nothing Right by Antonya Nelson is another hardcover short story collection by an author whose work is familiar, yet it was a reading experience altogether different from In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. The order of the stories is as significant as the content. In Nothing Right the title story is also the lead story, and the two previously published stories I had read fell nearly at the end of the collection. I found reading the stories in this order to be more settled, although the stories themselves jarred nerves that are generally not exposed. These stories introduce one damaged couple after another; affairs abound in Nelson’s work, but not all of the couples are intimately involved. It is precisely the lack of intimate involvement that is more telling in these stories about lacking, longing, and loving. The characters’ thwarted attempts at love, be it romantic, platonic, or parental, all demonstrate the basic human desire to connect. As the cover art suggests, it is human nature to reach out to the barbs that become inextricably lodged in our flesh.
December 29, 2011
I love Antonya Nelson's writing. I think it's just that short stories don't grab me in quite the way novels do. I remember loving these stories, but don't remember favorites. It's been a while, six months, so I can't remember individual stories, all I remember is the feeling of loving them.
Some of these stories felt familiar, some didn't. So I am rereading, and this time around am totally taken with the families that Nelson creates. The first story, "Nothing Right" is amazing. I'm reading on vacation. A story in one sitting. That makes a huge difference.
And yes, this time, I loved the stories and think I will remember them. They work the way Margaret, my fifth grade student, says that good fiction works, "It makes your own life more interesting to you." This did that. And I love the houses in this book, so many of them crowded with people, all interacting, revealing their personalities and character in their conversations and action. Just such a wonderful book for me to read right now.
Some of these stories felt familiar, some didn't. So I am rereading, and this time around am totally taken with the families that Nelson creates. The first story, "Nothing Right" is amazing. I'm reading on vacation. A story in one sitting. That makes a huge difference.
And yes, this time, I loved the stories and think I will remember them. They work the way Margaret, my fifth grade student, says that good fiction works, "It makes your own life more interesting to you." This did that. And I love the houses in this book, so many of them crowded with people, all interacting, revealing their personalities and character in their conversations and action. Just such a wonderful book for me to read right now.
February 19, 2012
The title is apt: Not only do Nelson’s characters do nothing right, they continue to do more and more wrong as a story progresses. She takes an annoying or uncomfortable situation that is familiar, like a teenage boy being made to do community service after vanidalizing school property, and keeps pushing it to its furthest possible, but inevitable-seeming conclusion. In the middle of her stories, I think they can’t possibly get into any more trouble, and then they do. The stories are not bleak, though, because they are so witty and clever. The banter is delicious, as in this mother-teenage son banter, which also serves as a capsule of the whole story:
“And you know what else? The [video] game doesn’t always turn out the same every fricking time, unlike literature. We could play, if you want. There’s a multiplayer option. Let me defrost you, Mom.”
“A better mother might take you up on that.”
He lay on the floor, sighing. “Well, a better son might do his own Macbeth paper.”
“And you know what else? The [video] game doesn’t always turn out the same every fricking time, unlike literature. We could play, if you want. There’s a multiplayer option. Let me defrost you, Mom.”
“A better mother might take you up on that.”
He lay on the floor, sighing. “Well, a better son might do his own Macbeth paper.”
March 22, 2009
Darn it! She really has earned her accolades. It was weird reading these stories of the misbegotten set in some of the places I have most vividly experienced my own misbegots: Houston and Kansas. Nelson seems to romanticize the places, but has no romance for people. These stories read like variations on the same theme. Much deception, drugs, drinking and betrayal; dust, crust, food stains, chin hairs and sticky kitchen tables. A literary dazzler about many, many people for whom nothing is right.
April 8, 2010
This is the kind of in your face, ugly reality kind of book. A mother scared of her adolescent son, tales of loneliness, complicated relationships, and broken hearts. It definitely wasn’t the most cheerful read, but because of that it was enjoyable! The title says it all, so if you like drama and angst with a heavy does of reality, you’ll want to pick this book up!
April 12, 2011
plodding "realism" -- why do people love this stuff so much? safe.
October 17, 2022
A pretty solid collection, especially if you eschew "A shocking family secret!" type fiction for "everybody's got some seemingly small shit they'd care not to admit" tales. There is an admirable homey lived-in feel to these pieces. You know these people. Or probably know someone just like them, if only the veil were lifted. As individual story, almost every single one is worth reading. As a collection, there is a bit of samey-samey ennui that creeps in (how many references to a sticky kitchen table does one book need?). But that's a (mildly jerky) quibble. Nelson's a pretty deft writer.
August 4, 2021
For being a book of short stories, it seemed to take a long time to get through this book. This is the second book of short stories I've recently read, and I'm beginning to think they're really not my cup of tea, no matter who writes them.
February 4, 2018
Loved most of these stories, just a couple weren't 5 star so I'll give it a 4.
May 29, 2021
Complex characters, unusual voices. Very enjoyable stories.
October 28, 2025
Some really great stuff in here. Some of it does run together, at least thematically, but on a paragraph level it’s really fantastic. Or Else was the standout for me.
October 20, 2022
"'Party of one' seemed the saddest phrase she could imagine, so oxymoronic" (37).
"And she thought what she always thought when she shook a man's hand: the last thing that hand had gripped , and in just this way, was his own dick at a urinal" (38).
"Would it be interesting to tend bar? Would it make you wise? Or just jaded? Were the two the same?" (48).
"...the moon beyond getting fat and thin as the world spun itself between it and the sun" (109).
"Ought was something you had to leave in the waiting room, at the shrink's, like a wet umbrella" (175).
"They played golf. Now he would pallbear. Bear pall" (176).
"It wasn't just a husband one divorced, but a life" (185).
"Those beings had been her intimates, and now every one of them had found sudden, utter, devastating fault. Wouldn't that send anybody to the third person?" (188).
"His intention had been to educate her, but Constance thought it only made the girl feel depressed and superior, which was perhaps the same thing as being educated" (195).
"This isn't a fresh insight, but death has brought it visiting her once again" (211).
"At night the stars devastated the clear, clear sky" (220).
"Our mother had faith in literature the way others had faith in God or America; she put herself in its hands the way patients did their physicians; she prescribed it, she preached it" (260).
"Once, Elaine had thought that her son would provide some sort of binding force. Love of him. But Martha wasn't interested in children. She hadn't liked them when she was one herself. To her, children were as tedious as other humans, minus manners. She had always been solitary. 'People are boring,' she would say. 'Why be bored?' " (277).
"Elaine imagined the woman in the wheelchair, a supple mind at the mercy of a clumsy machine" (282).
"And she thought what she always thought when she shook a man's hand: the last thing that hand had gripped , and in just this way, was his own dick at a urinal" (38).
"Would it be interesting to tend bar? Would it make you wise? Or just jaded? Were the two the same?" (48).
"...the moon beyond getting fat and thin as the world spun itself between it and the sun" (109).
"Ought was something you had to leave in the waiting room, at the shrink's, like a wet umbrella" (175).
"They played golf. Now he would pallbear. Bear pall" (176).
"It wasn't just a husband one divorced, but a life" (185).
"Those beings had been her intimates, and now every one of them had found sudden, utter, devastating fault. Wouldn't that send anybody to the third person?" (188).
"His intention had been to educate her, but Constance thought it only made the girl feel depressed and superior, which was perhaps the same thing as being educated" (195).
"This isn't a fresh insight, but death has brought it visiting her once again" (211).
"At night the stars devastated the clear, clear sky" (220).
"Our mother had faith in literature the way others had faith in God or America; she put herself in its hands the way patients did their physicians; she prescribed it, she preached it" (260).
"Once, Elaine had thought that her son would provide some sort of binding force. Love of him. But Martha wasn't interested in children. She hadn't liked them when she was one herself. To her, children were as tedious as other humans, minus manners. She had always been solitary. 'People are boring,' she would say. 'Why be bored?' " (277).
"Elaine imagined the woman in the wheelchair, a supple mind at the mercy of a clumsy machine" (282).
February 18, 2010
I've put off reviewing this for awhile as I wanted to really consider my thoughts on these stories. First off I will admit that the short story is not my favorite form of writing. I am a devoted novel reader and usually prefer the more fully fleshed out characters a good author can provide in that format.
That said, these stories were quite powerful, despite some of the characters not being particularly likable. There were a few that I was more than ready to have end, just because I really, really didn't like the main character. However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean, one does not like everyone they meet in life, and at the end of the day, that is what these stories are. A collection of tales regarding the all too human foibles of daily life.
They will make you laugh, shake your head and wince in recognition, if not of yourself, then of someone you are related to or know.
In a few short pages, the author manages to tell you most of what you need to know about a character for the story to come to life. That takes quite a talent.
I will be reading more by Ms Nelson and am glad I won the copy of this book, otherwise I might not have read it and that would have been my loss.
That said, these stories were quite powerful, despite some of the characters not being particularly likable. There were a few that I was more than ready to have end, just because I really, really didn't like the main character. However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean, one does not like everyone they meet in life, and at the end of the day, that is what these stories are. A collection of tales regarding the all too human foibles of daily life.
They will make you laugh, shake your head and wince in recognition, if not of yourself, then of someone you are related to or know.
In a few short pages, the author manages to tell you most of what you need to know about a character for the story to come to life. That takes quite a talent.
I will be reading more by Ms Nelson and am glad I won the copy of this book, otherwise I might not have read it and that would have been my loss.
January 25, 2010
Antonya Nelson presents a collection of short stories, whose heavily introspective narration seeks to give us a glimpse into the motives for their decisions, actions, even their lives. Here is a sampling, listed by story title:
“Nothing Right” – A free-spirited woman who has done “nothing right” in her marriage or in the raising of her (now) fifteen-year-old son, now faces the repercussions of her life.
“Party of One” – A woman meets with her suicidal sister’s lover to convince him to break up with her gently.
“OBO” – A woman is distraught when her advances toward her professor’s wife are rebuffed.
“Kansas” – Two sisters who live together (with their husbands) are shocked when the teenage daughter of one disappears with the toddler daughter of the other.
“Biodegradable” – A happily married woman begins a series of serial affairs.
“DWI” – a married woman who, as an eight-year-old, accidentally killed her younger brother, must deal with the possibility that her lover killed himself because of her.
Ms. Nelson keeps us engaged with the story, providing characters with enough mystery about them that we continue to want to know, as the story progresses, “What happens next?”
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Goodreads.com’s “First Reads” program.
“Nothing Right” – A free-spirited woman who has done “nothing right” in her marriage or in the raising of her (now) fifteen-year-old son, now faces the repercussions of her life.
“Party of One” – A woman meets with her suicidal sister’s lover to convince him to break up with her gently.
“OBO” – A woman is distraught when her advances toward her professor’s wife are rebuffed.
“Kansas” – Two sisters who live together (with their husbands) are shocked when the teenage daughter of one disappears with the toddler daughter of the other.
“Biodegradable” – A happily married woman begins a series of serial affairs.
“DWI” – a married woman who, as an eight-year-old, accidentally killed her younger brother, must deal with the possibility that her lover killed himself because of her.
Ms. Nelson keeps us engaged with the story, providing characters with enough mystery about them that we continue to want to know, as the story progresses, “What happens next?”
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Goodreads.com’s “First Reads” program.
April 17, 2016
I just read that Antonya's writing career coincided with her motherhood. That may explain a few things for me. In most of her work, she has such a talent for fitting together bits and pieces of disjointed families. For me that means that each paragraph is loaded with multiple perspective. Sure, Antonya paints a picture of one person, but they don't seem to be independent of another.
"Nothing Right," the title piece blows me away because Antonya picks up on the emotions and sensitivities of two, no maybe three families. The story begins with a single mom and a troubled son, and right there the complexities of the relationship are real and heartfelt. Not only does Hannah, the mother, struggle to make sense out of her child's behavior, at the same time she finds the need to analyze her own shortcomings. Wow! When Little Leo gets his weird girlfriend pregnant, Hannah goes into overdirive.
Hannah has made plenty of mistakes in her life, but her character is so relentless to handle things with a sense of dignity and understanding, we root for the most improbable.
Wow. That must be her secret. As the author struggles to keep the family together through the strange but real, the stories take on a life of their own.
"Nothing Right," the title piece blows me away because Antonya picks up on the emotions and sensitivities of two, no maybe three families. The story begins with a single mom and a troubled son, and right there the complexities of the relationship are real and heartfelt. Not only does Hannah, the mother, struggle to make sense out of her child's behavior, at the same time she finds the need to analyze her own shortcomings. Wow! When Little Leo gets his weird girlfriend pregnant, Hannah goes into overdirive.
Hannah has made plenty of mistakes in her life, but her character is so relentless to handle things with a sense of dignity and understanding, we root for the most improbable.
Wow. That must be her secret. As the author struggles to keep the family together through the strange but real, the stories take on a life of their own.
January 18, 2010
I won this book on First Reads, so I am reading it a second time through. The stories are not emotionally evocative and do not make me feel anything in particular (I cannot really empathize with the characters and sometimes do not even particularly like them), but there is something about the way Nelson writes that makes each story seem very real - as if each story was happening somewhere in the world or stories like it...and isn't it kind of sad and strange and interesting that all these stories are happening all over the world, and we'll never know or care about most of them, but even if we did know of them, we wouldn't be able to really understand them? I like the fact that when I read the stories in this collection, it all feels very random and at the same time, very truthful.
I still think I liked "Female Trouble" better just because it was a little more powerful in the normal way, and I like books that make me think and feel things. "Nothing Right" makes you feel like a casual observer.
There are some really good lines though. And the endings always linger.
I still think I liked "Female Trouble" better just because it was a little more powerful in the normal way, and I like books that make me think and feel things. "Nothing Right" makes you feel like a casual observer.
There are some really good lines though. And the endings always linger.
January 17, 2010
great collection of short stories.
her writing style reminded me a lot of one of my favorite authors ever, raymond carver. the stories are all short, but packed full of intensity and plot. they suck you in within the first paragraph, and then leave you stuck in that place once the story drops you.
each of the unexceptional, unspecial characters is written exceptionally well. her focus, unlike carver, is on women...but each woman's heart and soul and dirty secret intimate thoughts are plastered on every page. she doesn't waste words, but there's no lack of plot because of it. almost every story was better than the last. there were only one or two that i wasn't thoroughly impressed and amazed by (OBO is the only one i can think of off hand that didn't "belong" with the rest in this amazing collection).
how i've missed this amazing authors books before is beyond me, but you best believe i will remedy that today. barnes and noble, here i come.
her writing style reminded me a lot of one of my favorite authors ever, raymond carver. the stories are all short, but packed full of intensity and plot. they suck you in within the first paragraph, and then leave you stuck in that place once the story drops you.
each of the unexceptional, unspecial characters is written exceptionally well. her focus, unlike carver, is on women...but each woman's heart and soul and dirty secret intimate thoughts are plastered on every page. she doesn't waste words, but there's no lack of plot because of it. almost every story was better than the last. there were only one or two that i wasn't thoroughly impressed and amazed by (OBO is the only one i can think of off hand that didn't "belong" with the rest in this amazing collection).
how i've missed this amazing authors books before is beyond me, but you best believe i will remedy that today. barnes and noble, here i come.
June 4, 2009
Antonya Nelson's writing is a tribute to short-stories. Oftentimes when I read short story collections, it's easy for me to chug through from one to the next; however, almost every story in this collection was so engrossing I needed time to digest before moving on to the next. As the title shows, a theme of being unsettled or offput runs throughout the collection. I found all stories touching, thought-provoking and frequently unsettling, but I was not left with a sense of despair to taint the reading experience. Nelson does not discourage despair, but neither does she encourage it. She simply shows pictures of life and its potential, if not inevitable, malaise.
I am incredibly impressed with Nelson's writing style. I give her writing style the highest commendations. Her prose is beautiful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I am incredibly impressed with Nelson's writing style. I give her writing style the highest commendations. Her prose is beautiful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
June 16, 2009
One of the blurbs on the back of the book was from Raymond Carver, and I can see why he would like her writing - it's a more feminine version of his style! Not quite as sparse as Carver could be, but there are definite echoes of him in her writing (the blurb was for her in general, not this collection of stories).
This collection is best consumed one story at a time. While reading the first half of the book I read one story right after the other, and it blurred them together too much. These stories need a little time to sink in.
Many of the characters are not sympathetic, if they were presented in any format other than short story we'd get to know too much of them and really hate them. Often, I found, it wouldn't sink in until the end that I didn't really like many of the characters presented...
Overall, very good.
This collection is best consumed one story at a time. While reading the first half of the book I read one story right after the other, and it blurred them together too much. These stories need a little time to sink in.
Many of the characters are not sympathetic, if they were presented in any format other than short story we'd get to know too much of them and really hate them. Often, I found, it wouldn't sink in until the end that I didn't really like many of the characters presented...
Overall, very good.
March 8, 2010
Antonya Nelson has the ability to make the mundane extraordinary. So many sentences made me wonder how I could not have seen the world in just that way before. Her attention to detail is awe inspiring.
These stories on their own, cannot be anything less than exquisite, but as a collection, I wonder if there was not a sameness to them that left me feeling like I was ready to be done.
Had I run into one in a literary magazine, or some other place I would have surely wanted more, but instead I had more than my fill.
In almost every story there was a lonely, disenfranchised protagonist and a list of people that should understand but don't. Beautifully drawn circles held me to the place, but after a while that place felt a bit too familiar.
Still, as a lover of the short story form, I cannot say that I was disappointed.
These stories on their own, cannot be anything less than exquisite, but as a collection, I wonder if there was not a sameness to them that left me feeling like I was ready to be done.
Had I run into one in a literary magazine, or some other place I would have surely wanted more, but instead I had more than my fill.
In almost every story there was a lonely, disenfranchised protagonist and a list of people that should understand but don't. Beautifully drawn circles held me to the place, but after a while that place felt a bit too familiar.
Still, as a lover of the short story form, I cannot say that I was disappointed.
September 20, 2010
This book of short stories is written in prose that I really like. The pace of the stories and the amount of information given (setting versus character development, etc.) all were to my liking. The stories were interesting. But, for some reason I didn't love the collection entirely. The characters, in general, were not people I was interested in. A few of the main characters were self-described liars, but their lying came for no apparent reason. The best story, truly a good one, was the title story, "Nothing Right" about a divorced mom (and what happens when her teenage son's girlfriend gets pregnant). The characters and emotions in this story seemed especially realistic and well-developed.
Disclosure: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Disclosure: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
May 14, 2009
Antonya Nelson. Nothing Right. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009.
Nelson is one of my favorite writers. All these short stories were excellent. I couldn’t go through and recapture them in a sentence or two. Some short story books just have to be reread and this one will be one of them.
“Falsetto” (112) Her mother is dying. “…no matter how extraordinary this day and how it had arrived seemed – she was soon going to have to bear some very ordinary bad news. Every day somebody’s mother died.”
“DWI” (180) “In that space [somewhere within us:] resides all the trouble. Fantasy and memory, dread and desire, all the invisible intoxicants.”
Nelson is one of my favorite writers. All these short stories were excellent. I couldn’t go through and recapture them in a sentence or two. Some short story books just have to be reread and this one will be one of them.
“Falsetto” (112) Her mother is dying. “…no matter how extraordinary this day and how it had arrived seemed – she was soon going to have to bear some very ordinary bad news. Every day somebody’s mother died.”
“DWI” (180) “In that space [somewhere within us:] resides all the trouble. Fantasy and memory, dread and desire, all the invisible intoxicants.”
October 29, 2014
This collection of short stories is densely packed, but each story carries its own weight, detailing the life of a perfectly normal woman as she tries to survive. Alternating between painful and humorous, Nelson pulls the reader into the characters' viewpoints and embroils us in events and occurrences, some of which are familiar and some of which I hope never become so. It is worth reading slowly, digesting a story at a time, instead of breezing through successive stories, and the characters will become like good friends - you may sit down and have a cup of coffee with them while they remind you how good you really have it.
Won through Goodreads First Reads Program.
Won through Goodreads First Reads Program.
August 2, 2012
I'm partial to short stories, and this is such a sparkling collection. My favorite would have to be Or Else - a guy brings his latest girl to a house in Telluride he says belongs to his family, and gets kicked out by the real owners. I also liked People People - the do-gooder genius exposing secret adulterous affairs, Nothing Right - two divorced people and their misfit teenage children, We and They - the hippies vs. the bible thumpers, and Falsetto - a woman whose parents are in an accident trying to make things work with her younger boyfriend and her mature teenage brother. I didn't care much for Shauntrelle, but that was one false note in an otherwise brilliant collection.
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