Stories to savor, words to enjoy.
348614
With the literary landscape stocked with memoirs and one too many yarns about teens saving a parallel universe, Green's poems and shorts rise above the cacophony to deliver a savory morsel of something our palettes have gone too long without.
2883946
These tales are so well known that this will be one of those books that one either delights in or tosses it aside. When I had a few moments that I just wanted to relax and let someone else do the thinking I would pick this book up. The stories were a quick (half hour or so) and thoroughly enjoyable read.
1221217
Lots of great stories that make the heart swone.
302307
I enjoyed these stories. The author has a way of describing details in the most amusing ways. I like how each story comes to you in pieces, and by the end you are able to put them all together.

Bottom of the Bag is a great. Made me think of the movie American Beauty.
1437158
This is a beautiful, poignant collection of short stories.  Jhumpa Lahiri's writing is such a pleasure.  She has great power of description.  Nothing is overwritten or flowery; every word matters.
Ms. Lahiri shows us homesickness, loss, callousness, despair, unrequited love, and painful awakenings that come with a failing marriage -- as well as hope, tenderness, forgiveness, contentment, and wisdom.  Some of the stories have a palpable sadness.  Others make you smile.  Most do both.  All are gems to be savored.
4854607
These collection of stories really have a way of working into your brain and your heart.
4679739
My booked arrived today, and I Spent the afternoon drinking up each word, each page.  The author has a  genuine warmth, and gift for storytelling, revealing delight in nature great and small, intuitive understanding of our human spirit, writing with unabashed vulnerability and humor  fthat resonates with this reader. This compilation of English and Spanish short stories offers nurture, and reminder to embrace life as a gift.
2383645
A collection of beautifully written short stories which speak from the heart. Jan has successfully incorporated many emotions and experiences that we all share on this journey. I think "Mermaids" is my favorite story.
1646731
A story of friends told in vignettes of their adventures together.  How wonderful it might be to sit back, enjoy life and measure this experiences by the glass (of wine).
66313
I reviewed this book as a paperback, so here's a repeat of what I said:

This collection contains seven short story gems to enjoy in one long sitting before a fire or in delicious nibbles one at a time.  Each is very different from the others in setting and story, but all are about people searching for themselves and finding their way to a new understanding of their place in the world. One of my favorites is "Time to Leave," which has a line that encapsulates the collection: "a thermal beacon in the frigid air pointing the way to warmth and comfort."

I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading more work from Raima Larter.
794082
These stories are written with the flow of warm chocolate being poured. The descriptions are lush and sensual and the stories are full of interest. Characters have such full range of life you might expect to run into them while exploring an old house. I truly loved reading these stories, though all of the "bug talk" in the first story got a little (just a little) tiring. I can't bring myself to see the movie because I am not sure anyone could bring the experience I had to the screen. Although I read this for a graduate school exam, I could just as easily have read it for the sheer pleasure.  And as soon as I finish writing my thesis, I'll probably pick it up again.
3949661
The reader is invited to explore deeply into words that vibrate with meaning and feeling. Selecting a word for each day  has given me surprising and delightful insights.  Bekki Bergeson
4271635
There is something pervasive throughout this collection of stories which leads the reader through the author's ordeal and finally his coming to terms with whatever devastating blows life dealt him; and that is the quality of his writing, his ability to draw you in to stories regardless of how bizarre they might be. Pain, suffering, confusion, desperation, resolve and hope are vividly related in the stories, the foreword and the afterword. Most stories are enjoyable.
3947531
I enjoyed this collection immensely. It is well written, easy to read and I was completely drawn into the fictional world of the village. Descriptions of the place are evocative and powerful, the chilly, wind-blown airfield, the forbidden depths of the wood or the sunny canal towpath are all made real for the reader. So are the relationships.

The interwoven, layered nature of village life is captured perfectly. At the beginning the stories stand alone, told from different points of view, but characters begin to reappear almost immediately and a number of on-going plot-lines emerge, as characters' lives unfold. Some of the stories are amusing, the rivalries, plots and gossip, especially among the pensioners, made me laugh . Others are more intriguing - I couldn't tell how stories would end. Some are sad and insightful. I was thoroughly involved and will probably read them all again soon.
684419
A beautiful collection of a mans personal encounter with love, nature, and life reflected in poems whose gentleness and feeling are sung as softly as lullabies. I savored each poem, and I look forward to reading them again.
4239077
Terrific stories - a little of everything - life, love, happiness, sadness. I highly recommend this book.
1317134
I enjoyed this anthology tremendously.  There is something here for every reader to enjoy.  Lots of entertaining stories and a variety of poems.