A lovely collection of short stories, with something for everyone in here. My first from this Author, but one I would follow.

Trying to clear my Netgalley shelf. I tried really hard to read this when I received it, but I couldn't get into the stories. I finally read all the stories, only because I read some reviews and figured out that the best one was "The Clouds". It was, but it was mostly downhill from there. Thanks for the chance to read this.

I like to read short story collections in between heavy books or at busy times in my life where I can read a story and set it down and pick it back up again.

I read the first three stories of this collection and just couldn't get into any story and wasn't enjoying the writing at all. I very rarely DNF a book (maybe once a year), but this was one of those and I didn't see much hope in continuing or finishing.

This was a disappointing, tedious short story collection. I read a decent amount of Ann Beattie short stories and novels in the 1990s and enjoyed them, and she is in fact known as one of the great contemporary short story writers. Sadly, this collection was just a dud. There was one story I loved ("The Cloud"), a few that were okay, and most were honestly a chore to slog through. The majority of the stories were just impenetrable to me - they generally plopped you into the middle of the story, introduced a million characters, you never got any sense of who the characters were or what was happening, and they were generally pretty depressing. Two stars instead of one for the good story, the literary writing, and the fact that I can't work up the passion to hate it.

The Accomplished Guest

by Ann Beattie

I chose this book because I love Ann Beattie's writing, and I found the theme — of people paying visits, traveling to see old friends, or receiving visitors themselves —intriguing. Despite the fact that these were collected from a range of publications, I found the theme especially apt, and enjoyed discovering the connection to it in each story I read. I feel like I have grown up with Beattie's writing, and this collection is one of her best. The characters have flaws but so much soul, and I would guess that, given the subjects she tackles, they will appeal to a wide audience. Told with compassion and humor, this is definitely a recommended book.

For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — I love short story collections.

Reminded me of… the writing of Paula Danziger, Alice Munro and Elizabeth Strout.

For my full review — click here

An Accomplished Guest is an interesting, but not particularly enjoyable read. The series of short stories focuses on relationships which are often complex or dysfunctional, so Beattie's characters, while skilfully drawn, are not particularly sympathetic.

I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but despite admiring much of the writing, don't intend to re-read any of them.

This book was just okay. Maybe I'm just not a huge fan of short stories because I feel that characters and storylines aren't as developed as they could be if they were longer. After completing each story I was left without closure. But also, felt no desire to really imagine what happened afterward since the characters tended to lack any redeeming qualities, and the stories didn't seemed relatable or very interesting (minus a couple). The stories I did enjoy were "Anecdotes" because of the strong, independent female leads, and "Hoodie in Xanadu" because of the anticipation factor, hopeful air, and colorful descriptions. The pace was a little slow for me and the stories uninteresting overall, but I do commend the author on a great use of language to describe scenes and emotions.

I thought I would like this more than I did. In spite of my disappointment, I'll start with some things I did like about this collection - the writing, the smart realistic dialogue, things to think about - aging (usually juxtaposed by connections with younger people), illness, family relationships . These are some of the recurring themes that in some small way connect these stories : visits, going to events - a birthday celebration, a wedding, a Christmas party, meeting with people from the past . While there was certainly food for thought here, I found myself at the end of most of the stories wanting to know more, feeling like it shouldn't have ended, trying to understand what it was about, never feeling like I knew the characters. I haven't always read short stories, but I have developed a greater appreciation of them this year and have read some lovely collections . This feeling at the end of most of these stories is the reason I didn't connect. Beattie is considered a master of the short story and this collection gets many kudos from Goodreads reviewers as well as the press . I'm giving it three stars because of the writing. If you are a Beattie fan or a true fan of short fiction, I recommend that you check out the other reviews. I'm not going to give up though on trying more short stories. I have several collections on my tbr list and given her reputation, I feel as though I should add some of Beattie's earlier work.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley.

Ann Beattie is a fine writing and this collection of short stories reflects this. Interesting characters in little snippets of life make reading these stories very pleasurable.

There is a good reason Ann Beattie’s short stories are included in best short story collections. Along with Alice Munro, she is one of the absolute best living short story authors. She has the unique and remarkable ability to change my perceptions of actual people and situations I encounter in my life. Because of her astute and revealing observations of her fictional characters, I realize there are many different reasons people I know do and say the things they do. I don’t really have individuals “figured out” or know why they think and behave the way they do. And it’s not an easy task for an author to encourage and enable me to look at people differently! Her stories are filled with wit, understanding, originality, and brilliant dialogue, and provide a singular and unforgettable reading experience.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 6/17/17.

The Accomplished Guest: Stories by Ann Beattie is a highly recommended collection of thirteen previously published short stories. This collection explores aging, mortality, fragile bonds between people, fate, friendships, and family. In several of the stories people are meeting for a social event or going out to dinner. Most of the people are older, in their sixties and up, have been married multiple times and seem discontented, perplexed, and very removed from any true connection with other people, even while they are meeting with them. Beattie gives us glimpses into these lives with her immutable excellent prose and clear, astute voice. Not every story was a complete winner for me, but, nonetheless, this is an excellent collection.

The Indian Uprising: A former student visits her professor.
For the Best: A man heads to a holiday party where he expects to see his ex-wife.
The Astonishing Woodchopper: A couple is going to a wedding where tensions rise.
Anecdotes: An older self-centered mother overshares and hurts feelings.
Other People's Birthdays: A woman returns home to celebrate her sister's birthday.
Company: A professor has former students over for dinner.
The Debt: Middle aged frat brothers get together in Key West.
Lady Neptune: A wheelchair-bound woman attends a holiday party in Key West.
The Caterer: A caterer recruits help for a job and encounters problems.
The Gypsy chooses the Whatever Card: Women visiting in a coffee shop are interrupted by a robber.
The Cloud: A woman goes out to dinner with her uncle.
Hoodie in Xanadu: A woman forms a partnership with her neighbor who has transformed his living room into Xanadu.
Save a Horse Ride a Cowgirl: An older man feels at odds and out of place in the world.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/06/the-accomplished-guest.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2027553405

Ann Beattie is a seasoned writer with a list of accolades as long as your arm, and this is why I requested a DRC of her soon-to-be-published short story collection, whose theme is visitors and travel. I was not disappointed. Thank you Net Galley and Scribner for letting me read it free and early in exchange for this honest review. This book will be available to the public Tuesday, June 13.

The first selection is droll; our protagonist is going to see an older man, and so we wonder…is this a boyfriend? Is it an ex? And as we move down the checklist, I love what she does with it. The next couple of selections are good but not as striking, but then the wind catches in Beattie’s sails and she is unstoppable. Other favorites here are “Other People’s Birthdays”, “The Debt”, and “The Cloud”. I found myself highlighting most of the text, which is wasted effort, since I can’t quote most of the book to you, but it’s something that happens to me when I read top-drawer fiction. The story I loved best is “The Caterer”, which made me laugh out loud and woke Mr. Computer, who was slumbering next to me and had to get up the next day for work.

Short stories are wonderful bedtime material, because there isn’t the wrenching sensation in tearing oneself loose from the book. When the story is over, it’s time to bookmark one’s place and turn out the light. I’ve read over a hundred short story collections, and this one is among the best.

Highly recommended to those that love excellent prose, and in particular to Boomers.

Although Ann Beattie's characters have aged, their world is still recognizable even if their faces and bodies have changed. Many now can afford luxuries, like a showerhead "which approximated a rainstorm that would fall with enough force to blind frogs." Some live in assisted living facilities, petting dogs brought by well-meaning volunteers. If they still live at home, their garden paths are aglow with "solar spotlights allowing the stamens of flowers to puncture the night like so many silent tongues."

One thing that has not changed: most characters are distinguished by the things they still carry, and the references they learned when they were young. Dr. T. D. Eckleburg makes an appearance at a party celebrating Bernie Madoff's sentencing, and when characters dance, the music is not new.

One other thing these characters have in common: they all want to retain control and to shape the narration of the rest of their lives. The reader sometimes listens in as a character relates his or her own actions, blurring the authorial line between showing and telling. Even a dog, whose ears "looked like someone had given up while folding origami," tells us about his view of the lifelong search for love.

Not all of these character-driven stories hold together in the longer form they are given. Maybe Ms. Beattie means for us to lose patience with some. Some characters, though, open themselves to live in old age with people they might not have noticed before, sometimes literally. Those make the reader cheer, and cheer up.

Ms. Beattie's writing is a bit less sparse than it once was, but no less wry or sharp. The details still matter -- the boots, the music, the wine. One looks at people disappearing up a flight of stairs, perhaps "to the roof, from which they'd take flight and clutter the night sky, for all she knew." The reader doesn't know either, but she has met them, and they are real.

Highly recommended. I received this book as an electronic ARC from Net Galley.

“But it would be a missed call. He liked that concept. As if by missing a call, you could shape your destiny.” – from the story, The Astonished Woodchopper

Master of the short story craft, Ann Beattie’s latest collection was a mixed bag for me, but ultimately what resonated was Beattie’s quirky selection of characters, navigating hope, loss, ageing and the puzzle that is our journey through life.

‘Indian Summer’ stands out as a highlight, my second read of this story about a woman, who long ago published a book of poetry, visiting her ailing professor and taking him to a Mexican restaurant as a birthday treat on the day that a snow blizzard blankets the streets. It’s a story shot through with pathos, mixed with bemusement at the roads life takes us down. Similarly, ‘The Cloud’ is memorable too for its depiction of the relationship between a niece visiting the university town where she graduated, and her relationship with her odd uncle. ‘Other People’s Birthdays’ is a poignant exploration of a woman’s journey home to her parents and her mentally disabled sister, whose birthday they are celebrating – a story which details with compassionate precision the toll of caring for and living with the mentally disabled takes. Age, and its difficulties and consolations is a theme of a few of the stories, including ‘The Caterer’ and ‘The Gypsy Chooses the Whatever Card’ which features this delightfully dry note: “At eighty, your life becomes nothing but improvisation, whether you want it to or not. You’ll do the craziest things, desperate to triumph in something as ordinary as changing a lightbulb.”

I just couldn't get into any of the stories... stopped trying after about four. Thank you for the chance to try reading.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have have always appreciated Ann Beattie's writing skill, and it's evident in this book. The short stories are all about journeys taken, visits made and missed, and families and friends. It sounded like it would be a great book, but I was disappointed.

The stories were fine but none of them grabbed my attention. Some of them went on to long, and others were too short.

If you love short stories, read this book.

What a wonderful collection of stories---dramatic, poignant and funny. In all of them, there is the sense of place and characters we can relate to. I love the theme of "guests," where the viewpoints of the hosts and guests are most often not the same. Also, at such gatherings, the best and the worst of the people are exposed..

Dreary and dark, could not get through the first 30 pages.

<B>An Accomplished Guest</B> is a nice metaphor for a well worn traveler of life. Its characters are mainly seventy somethings (remember when we used to be thirty somethings?) who are thinking about their long lives. Many of the characters have lost a partner and can't see to adjust to life as only a part of the whole. Ann Beattie gives tribute to wonderful places up and down the east coast and even gives one of my other favorite writers, Mavis Gallant, a nod.

On the eve of my seventieth birthday, I have to say this wasn't an easy book to digest in a day. It did however, help me see clearly on a different front. I watched an Isabelle Huppert film last night and as she lost important people in her life, she kept marching forward, at a brisk pace. I will feel empathy for every one of AB's characters and try to march forward like IH's character. Stay well all, baby boomers. It isn't, as you know, an easy march.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Scribner (June 13th 2017).

This was a disappointment. From such an accomplished and lauded author too. Random find on Netgalley, looked interesting, a collection of stories tangentially connected through a theme of visiting, visitors, visits. I tried and tried, but with possible exception of the story before last, nothing was interesting. Seems like all the stories were about a certain type of individuals (older, often 70s/80, wealthy or well off financially at least, well educated, liberal, upper class elite), which is great (certainly beats the alternative of young, dumb and penniless) and I like the intelligentsia very much in real life, but whatever happened to artistic licenses, imagination. etc.? This seemed to be the extreme case of writing what you know and the author might as well be one of her own characters, but it doesn't make for a very exciting, or even engaging, read. So if you like a bunch of stories where nothing happens about the sort of persons populists would basically love to round up and set on fire this might very well be your thing. The writing is quite nice, in a slow, well phrased sort of way and occasionally there's a humorous dash of two, but mainly this is the sort of quiet fiction that highlights its beauty, more like the sort that induces sleep. This literary visit has accomplished nothing and even at the relatively low page count has managed to still overstay its welcome, like so many guests tend to do. Thanks Netgalley.