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More copies of this ISBNA Vacation on the Island of Ex-Boyfriendsby Stacy Bierlein
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Quirks of fate highlight this debut short story collection whose characters are women of dazzling ironies and introspections, always in motion and trusting in love—even when it remains out of reach. Two friends plan a visit to Nantucket, but find themselves on a different island completely, where the men they have loved are lined up on the beach in chronological order; a grieving mother and daughter encounter naked strangers in unexpected places en route to the Dordogne River; a restless New York artist travels to Madrid to find a European lover, only to fall for another persnickety New Yorker. From the mysterious island in the Atlantic to the crowded highways of Los Angeles and from the Charles Bridge in Prague to the temples of Luxor and the most remote regions of the Myanmar peninsula, the worlds invented here are inspiring and unique, original in the manner through which the physical landscape never fails to inform the emotional one. Review:"In her insightful debut collection of 14 short stories, Bierlein (coeditor, Men Undressed: Women Writers and the Male Sexual Experience) explores the many dimensions of a woman's heart through the experiences of a diverse and unique cast of ladies — from the cuckquean turned kidnapper holding 'An Interrogation at the Prison of Ex-Girlfriends' (i.e. her husband's lovers), to the 'Two Girls' who despair after their beaus have returned to their wives, to the mothers of 'Luxor' and 'Men's Furnishings,' struggling to understand the enormous love they feel for their children. While breastfeeding her baby girl in the latter story, Cheryl muses on teaching her daughter to curse, so she can 'tell the bad men to fuck off.' In the title story, best friends board a boat to Nantucket only to find themselves on 'The Island of Ex-Boyfriends,' on which they discover and confront the many men of their past. 'In three days we have played, cried, ran, fought, laughed, danced, and built fires with them all — every man we've ever wanted. We're exhausted.' Beirlein's deft character development, nuanced prose, and honest treatment of the ups and downs of love make this a memorable and engaging collection — a trip readers will want to take again and again. (Mar.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
About the AuthorStacy Bierlein is a founding editor of Other Voices Books and cocreator of the Morgan Street International Novel Series. She is the editor of the award-winning anthology A Stranger Among Us: Stories of Cross Cultural Collision and Connection and coeditor of Men Undressed: Female Writers and the Male Sexual Experience. She lives in Los Angeles. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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