Each of these 11 stories has a fantastic first line - my favorite, from “Sacred Heart,” being “In ninth grade I was a great admirer of Jesus Christ” - but often I felt that these stories of relationships on the brink did not live up to their openers. Most take place in a major city (Chicago, New York, San Francisco) or a holiday destination (Bora Bora, China, Mexico, Spain), but no matter the setting, the terrain is generally a teen girl flirting with danger or a marriage about to implode becaus...

I picked this book up purely because I was attracted to the cover and nothing more. Finishing it has made me feel like I have been on the most exhausting journey of my life around a collection of vibrant and powerful places. Each story is set in a different country regarding a different relationship within a different group of people and it's really fascinating. Each story took me out of myself, pushed me further than I expected and entertained me to boot. This is a author to watch.

Not a big fan of short stories, but my love for a visit from the goon squad led me to thisThat being said-I really enjoyed it, the stories didn’t feel incomplete like many do in short stories. They were all interesting and full of heart. Lovely book, you killed it again J Egan ♥️

This is now one of my top 3 short story collections of all time. Up there with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Asimov collections..but more consistently written, insightful, and memorable. A month later I could look at the titles of the stories and remember the character and the feel of their world. I like everything by this author.

At first I was quite taken by Jennifer Egan, but as I read on I discovered her stories all relied on the same contrived devices, bordering (no, relying) on the formulaic. These are parlor tricks, not authentic portraits of the human condition. In addition, story after story concerned only wealthy, privileged characters, with larger moral issues/themes altogether absent. Ultimately these stories aren't about anything - hollow, device-laden vignettes that get worse as you go rather than better.

With every book I read of Jennifer Egan's, I become a bigger and bigger fan. The one flaw that plagued some of her novels was clumsy plotting, but the short story form fits her style well and these masterful stories are beautifully rendered. Her keen eye for the glow of moments and how they resonate in our lives is at the center of each of these tales, and Egan draws much wisdom from the lives she observes here. Most poignantly, Egan hones in on economics in a way that most fiction writers shy a...

Video reviewInsightful stories focused on crucial moments in the lives of well-rounded characters, showcasing Egan's gift to say the unspeakable. That they mostly feature a plot too is just as exciting as a 2-for-1 offer on hand soap at your supermarket of choice.

Egan can write a short story! The variety of the stories is what really impressed me. Definitely adding her to my list of “read more stuff from this author”. The first story was my favorite, I think.Every story is set in a different place with different groups of people, and doesn’t waste words. Idk if there’s a “theme” to the stories, but I didn’t mind. While I still prefer darker writing, there’s for sure some haunting elements in the stories. I listened to this book on audible while working i...

I enjoy this author so much! She knows how to make you care about her characters in less than 10 pages... :)

This blew me away. Egan is a powerful yet delicate writer. I can't say enough about how beautiful this book is! READ IT!! And be moved by how fragile and damaged humans are but how sublime it can be as well. Stories of the human experience captured so perfectly is something I love. It connects us all and we can breathe easier.

I absolutely loved this one. I know some people really disagree with me, which is completely fine obviously, saying that Egan's stories are all the same etc. However, I like the sameness in this short story collection: it combines them and creates a narrative. My favourite stories were "Sacred Heart", "One Piece" and "Letter to Josephine".The score is technically 4,5/5.

Brilliant - each one a little beauty! Well crafted, depth and character in each one. Loved it!

This collection of short stories is probably like a 3.5, but because I like the author, I decided to round up. Most of the stories were perfectly fine, and there were a couple I loved. They were very short, so it didn’t get too deep into any specific character or plot, but together they were quick and enjoyable to read.

Boring stories about vapid, rich people.

It's a nice surprise when going to a bookstore to purchase a specific book (and they don't have it) and you end up grabbing a nearby book instead - and it turns out to be terrific. Although with Egan it is a pretty safe bet that you're going to get quality product, it was still great to experience a book of well crafted short stories."Why China?", the opening story of the collection, was my favorite. I don't want to spoil the plot, but suffice to say that it hit all of the right notes in creatin...

Beautifully written, sophisticated stories usually featuring Americans abroad (China, Spain, Mexico etc.). About half are from an adolescent's viewpoint as they come to realise their parents (or more often than not step parents) are not the flawless characters they once thought, or how they try to fit in with idealised friends. The other half are from the step-parents' PoV, as their marriages break or they move on to new relationships or perspectives. All are rich (or rich-ish) and privileged, o...

I've read three novels by Egan, beginning with her debut Look at Me, and most recently, A Visit from the Good Squad, which I absolutely loved. This short story collection underwhelmed me a bit, as many of the stories felt like treading water, revisiting the same themes and the same characters over and over again. It earns three stars thanks to a few of the stories which thematically and stylistically seem like precursors to Goon Squad, so they won me over. It's a slim volume at 146 pages and if

I love the route of cultural & critical ignorance I'm taking through her books, starting at Manhattan Beach, then Look at Me, and this collection of shorts as the third. I love the differences in energy and locations between these three books, and the similarities between the characters (with a few actually being the same people). I love looking at America, Americans abroad, and the fancy people and places of glossy magazine dreams through her Midwestern lenses."Spanish Winter" and "Sisters of t...

In the past few months I've read Egan's new novel Manhattan Beach, her famous novel/ interconnected short story collection Visit from the Goon Squad, and this story collection, Emerald City. Reading so much of a writer's body of work at one time, I started to notice funny things. For instance that Egan often describes people, particularly women, as smelling "bready," or once "oatmealy." Coincidental sightings and encounters between people who haven't seen each other in long stretches of time a...

I only write a few reviews on goodreads, but Jennifer Egan always inspires a few words from me. These stories are phenomenal. They have a specific point of view, while at the same time being generous and thoughtful about characters who may not share that point of view--meaning, they star a lot of upper-middle-class women or girls who are experiencing existential terror in struggling marriages and distance-making travel experiences, but you don't need to be an upper-middle-class woman or girl to