The Age of Grief

Rating:
Summary: Terrific title novella
Review: I picked this up after the end of a relationship in the same spirit that I listen to sad songs-- to amplify my own emotions, remember that others have been there too, and gain some release. "The Age of Grief" was good therapy!

The most wonderful story, in my opinion, was a heartbreaker called "Long Distance," in which a man released from a visit from a girl he no longer loves by circumstances realizes how her grief will be something he never gets over. This story is short and clean and unforgettable.

The title novella is powerful on so many levels-- told from the pov of a man who realizes his wife has fallen for someone else and is desperate not to let her tell him about it, it is such a convincing portrait of a marriage, of family, of the layers of fear and forgiveness that intimacy brings. One of the children gets a dangerously high fever and the terror and the bonds of love remind us that infidelity is sometimes part of a relationship, not its definition.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because while all of the stories are quick reads, well-written-- as is all of Smiley's work-- and occasionally even very funny, not all of them seem as grounded in the poignancy of emotional turning points. I was rather bored with "Dynamite," in which an aging underground movement protester from the sixties decides to reconnect with her family. That is to say, I didn't really think we needed that bit of plot-- I was far more interested in the family dynamics than the dynamite.

"Jeffrey, Believe Me" is a bit lightweight, doesn't seem to be a part of this volume really, though perhaps it provides some comic relief. "The Pleasure of Her Company" though is right up there with "Long Distance"-- friendship has its own jealousies and betrayals, and no happy couple can ever really be known except by themselves, as the lonely nurse who falls in love with her neighbors discovers.
"Lily" also lays out the issues of friendship and marriage-- friendship within marriage-- and how marriage is both more and less than romance.

Ultimately, read the book just for "Long Distance" alone. It's a masterpiece-- and it will haunt me.

Rating:
Summary: Grief can also console... read when heartbroken
Review: I picked this up after the end of a relationship in the same spirit that I listen to sad songs-- to amplify my own emotions, remember that others have been there too, and gain some release. "The Age of Grief" was good therapy!

The most wonderful story, in my opinion, was a heartbreaker called "Long Distance," in which a man released from a visit from a girl he no longer loves by circumstances realizes how her grief will be something he never gets over. This story is short and clean and unforgettable.

The title novella is powerful on so many levels-- told from the pov of a man who realizes his wife has fallen for someone else and is desperate not to let her tell him about it, it is such a convincing portrait of a marriage, of family, of the layers of fear and forgiveness that intimacy brings. One of the children gets a dangerously high fever and the terror and the bonds of love remind us that infidelity is sometimes part of a relationship, not its definition.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because while all of the stories are quick reads, well-written-- as is all of Smiley's work-- and occasionally even very funny, not all of them seem as grounded in the poignancy of emotional turning points. I was rather bored with "Dynamite," in which an aging underground movement protester from the sixties decides to reconnect with her family. That is to say, I didn't really think we needed that bit of plot-- I was far more interested in the family dynamics than the dynamite.

"Jeffrey, Believe Me" is a bit lightweight, doesn't seem to be a part of this volume really, though perhaps it provides some comic relief. "The Pleasure of Her Company" though is right up there with "Long Distance"-- friendship has its own jealousies and betrayals, and no happy couple can ever really be known except by themselves, as the lonely nurse who falls in love with her neighbors discovers.
"Lily" also lays out the issues of friendship and marriage-- friendship within marriage-- and how marriage is both more and less than romance.

Ultimately, read the book just for "Long Distance" alone. It's a masterpiece-- and it will haunt me.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific title novella
Review: I recommend this volume for the title novella, which has recently been made into a movie titled "The Secret Life of Dentists." Told from the point of view of a suspicious husband, it's a warm, very believable story which manages to carry some suspense until its resolution (no spoiler here). The narrator manages to be very interesting despite the humdrum surroundings. Highly recommended.

The short stories that precede the novella are good but not particularly noteworthy. Unlike the most recent reviewer, I actually liked Dynamite the most. Smiley is a gifted craftsman and an interesting writer. I've managed to overcome my first reading of her -- the dreadful Duplicate Keys -- and her idiotarian op-ed current affairs writing to have real respect for her as an artist. On a side note, "Moo" has to be one of the best comic novels I have ever read. "The Age of Grief" isn't quite up to that level of quality and imagination but it's a very accomplished and affecting novella. Go read it!

Rating:
Summary: The Inner Lives of Ordinary People
Review: I think Jane Smiley is similar to Anne Tyler in her ability to understand ordinary people and the significance of home and family. Her characters have exceptional (sometime unbelievable) abilities of introspection and self-examination. They also seem to live somewhat muffled lives. Emotion is there, but it is observed rather than felt.

These stories move slowly, building up layers of character and atmosphere through observations and spare dialogue. The last story, "The Age of Grief", made me think of Henry James novels like "Portrait of a Lady." Here we are looking very closely at daily behavior, signals and symbols that pass between people, the subdued drama of everyday life.