Female Trouble: Stories

By Antonya Nelson

Book Overview

Female Trouble features thirteen wise, funny, and startlingly perceptive stories about the vagaries and revelations of womanhood. Named by The New Yorker as one of the twenty best writers of her generation, Antonya Nelson explores the broad notion of family from myriad angles in Female Trouble. Set in the vividly rendered Midwest, these moving stories are dark and honest portraits of people in moral quandaries, gray areas, unclear circumstances -- from the three-timing thirty-year-old man of the title story to the divorced mother of a turbulent teen in "Incognito" to the sexually adventurous daughter of an adulterous mother in "Stitches." With Female Trouble, Nelson has created a cast of memorable characters who reveal us to ourselves with disturbing clarity and conscience.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743218728
• ISBN13: 9780743218726
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.9" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Profound women's anthology!

Female Trouble is one of the most profound women's anthologies I've ever read. This collection of short stories has dark and profound subject matters. There are stories of infidelity, failed marriages, mother/daughter relationships and women's sexual prowess. Antonya Nelson is a rather talented writer with an obvious penchant for revealing women's emotions. The female protagonists are of various ages and economic backgrounds. There is something for every woman here. I can't recommend this wonderful book enough! Brava, Ms. Nelson, for revealing some rather profound truths with such unflinching honesty.

fantastic

Nelson's perception and clarity in writing of complex, difficult issues is an amazing talent. Her prose are smart, witty, and feel deeply connected to each and every character. Nelson's writing is so in touch with language and emotion that the reader is transplanted into the world of the characters. A fantastic collection that cannot be put down until the end is reached.

Wonderful Stories

These stories are wonderful, very well-written, sharply observed. Nelson has an eye for detail that is so right on, so observant, filled with an underlying snappy wit. All of these stories are very strong and will motivate the reader to explore her novels. Enjoy.

Poignant, realistic, a great read

I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories. Each one had at least one phrase or passage that was so succinct, so perfect, almost an exact description of a feeling or thought that the reader probably thought he or she was the only one to have ever had. The characters are believeable, complex, 3 dimensional. Each story was a little package that I wanted to savor before going on to the next. A strong collection.

Great collection from a writer who only gets better

Antonya Nelson's other story collections are wonderful, but this new one, FEMALE TROUBLE, is by far the best work of her career. These stories are a little less cynical than those from FAMILY TERRORISTS, and her quirky humor and perfect prose still shine through. The National Book Award committee has, in the last few years, named story collections to their finalist group (Jean Thompson; Dan Chaon). If they're paying attention this year, Nelson should draw their attention -- there's no better short story writer in America today. Canada has Alice Munro; Ireland has William Trevor; we have Antonya Nelson.