Reader Score
79%
79% of readers
recommend this book
Critic Reviews
Great
Based on 22 reviews on
"I really loved all the characters in this book. They're so complex and interesting, and in every story, you'll find them going through these pivotal moments in their lives."--Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club Pick)
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND USA TODAY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post - NPR - Financial Times - San Francisco Chronicle - New York Public Library - Refinery29
A suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. A high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. A shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate's seemingly enviable life.
Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her "astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers' heads" (The Washington Post) is showcased like never before. Throughout the ten stories in You Think It, I'll Say It, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided.
With moving insight and uncanny precision, Curtis Sittenfeld pinpoints the questionable decisions, missed connections, and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up a life. Indeed, she writes what we're all thinking--if only we could express it with the wit of a master satirist, the storytelling gifts of an old-fashioned raconteur, and the vision of an American original.
*Booklist (starred review)
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION
"At once psychologically acute, deftly crafted and deeply pleasurable."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Witty and buoyant . . . Each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted."--Chicago Tribune
"Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing. Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we'll read it."--People
"Razor-sharp, often hilarious . . . [Curtis Sittenfeld] is a sharp observer of human nature and human relationships. . . . A witty, breezy, zeitgeist-y collection."--USA Today
Author of Brave Deeds & Fobbit, both from @groveatlantic. Blogger at Quivering Pen. Work in @esquire, @glimmertrain, @Salon. Curator of #SundaySentence
Marked as to-read: The Best American Short Stories 2020 by Curtis Sittenfeld https://t.co/CUQazy3UWy
A weekly convo w/ @dollyalderton & @pinsykes, that covers the lowbrow to the highbrow. Come to our last LIVE event on Dec 8th! ALL proceeds go 2 Blood Cancer UK
This week we recommend Help Yourself, by Curtis Sittenfeld. If you enjoy short stories which touch on topical social issues surrounding race, class, motherhood and art, this one's for you; https://t.co/GUMZi9PZ4z https://t.co/ie58fWvZXJ
Book reviews @BookBrowse, @ForewordReviews, @TheTLS, @WasafiriMag and more. Assoc. ed. of @BookmarksMag. Freelance proofreader and book blogger. American in UK.
@TisdallLaura A similar situation to Curtis Sittenfeld or Lily King when they published their short stories recently. I get the sense that short stories' prestige and saleability vary between the USA and UK -- something we talked about when reading Pachico's The Lucky Ones for the shadow panel
"At once psychologically acute, deftly crafted and deeply pleasurable."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Sittenfeld makes writing lively and diverting fiction look easy, though each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted. . . . Witty and buoyant, Sittenfeld delivers her characters to her audience with bemused perspicacity and above all affection. . . . Sittenfeld proves adept at quickly establishing characters in whom the reader feels inclined to invest immediately."--Chicago Tribune
"Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing. . . . Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we'll read it."--People
"Razor-sharp, often hilarious . . . [Sittenfeld] is a sharp observer of human nature and human relationships. . . . A witty, breezy, zeitgeist-y collection." --USA Today
"Magnificent . . . brilliant . . . Sittenfeld is an astute observer."--Houston Chronicle
"Cathartic fun . . . Sittenfeld here confirms an ability to mine the casual cruelties and quiet furies of the elite for comic gold."--O: The Oprah Magazine
"Sittenfeld's new story collection is brutally, beautifully human."--Entertainment Weekly
"Sittenfeld proves once again why she's one of the finest observers of human nature writing today with a collection of potent pieces as funny as they are literary."--Glamour
"Empathetic imagination is one of the defining features of Sittenfeld's fiction."--NPR
"Sharply observed and unforgettably crafted stories . . . The sheer power of Sittenfeld's storytelling talents will leave you breathless." --Southern Living
"Deeply relatable characters interacting in deeply human ways." --HuffPost
"[Sittenfeld] brings her unflinching eye, piercing wit, and storytelling gifts to everything she does, making this collection a series of perfect gems." --Nylon
"Sittenfeld is always a treat. This collection of short stories is smart and funny and honest."--PopSugar
"Sittenfeld spins magic. Reading these consistently engrossing stories is a pleasure." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sittenfeld's first story collection takes no prisoners . . . Brilliant."--Library Journal (starred review)
"Every bit as smart, sensitive, funny, and genuine as her phenomenally popular novels."--Booklist (starred review)