Anne Tyler's characters are quirky but so real. A lovely story.

Will mention in review of her new novel next month.

One of her early stores back in print. Not bad but it seems very dated in both the language and storyline. Worth reading for a completist.

5 stars to Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles, a short story by Anne Tyler! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Huge Anne Tyler fan checking in. We like to claim her as a North Carolina author because she grew up in Raleigh. I read everything she writes, though she is another author where I hoard some books unread because that’s how I roll. Delayed gratification.

I did not delay reading this short story because I received an advanced review copy, and it was my pleasure to read about Susanna.

Susanna is a healer...but only sometimes. Her gift works occasionally, but not when she wants it to work most of all. In that way, the gift becomes mysterious and even a painful burden.

Anne Tyler’s touch is present throughout this short story. If you are a fan, this is a must-read. If you aren’t a fan, I think you’ll become one.

Thank you to Anne Tyler, Knopf/Doubleday, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Anne Tyler has been my favorite author ever since I accidentally received her book "Breathing Lessons" back in the 80s from The Book of the Month Club. From that point forward, every time I spotted a new Tyler release I bought it without a second thought. She has an exquisite and uncanny knack of writing about ordinary people doing ordinary things on an ordinary day and making it so thought-provoking and engaging. In the last five years I was gifted one of her more recent offerings and found myself "stuck" in the book, for the first time not connecting with the story. It was very unsettling... kind of like how you loved a certain show when you grew up and then you watched it again after decades and lost that special feeling you once had. Then you ask yourself, was it you that changed? Now I'm a couple of books behind from her recent releases like "A Blue Spool of Thread" and "Vinegar Girl" which I intend to read at some point, hoping to bond with her works after the one "flop" I experienced.

So, when I approached this short story amounting to just 24 pages, I was certainly intrigued as to whether I would get that "old Anne Tyler" feeling like stepping into a pair of comfortable old shoes. First of all, I have no knowledge of Tyler ever releasing short stories, nor do I ever seek out reading the "short" genre myself. However, my interest was immediately piqued when I read in the prologue that it was originally published in 1974 in Cosmopolitan magazine. That brought me back to the old stomping grounds of my youth and my appetite was whet for some vintage Tyler.

Well, I am happy to say that this was Anne Tyler at her best. This was a story about a teenage girl named Susanna, the daughter of a pharmacist during the depression. She and her sister take turns helping out her father in the store, and he is very kind and compassionate in helping people get the pharmaceuticals they need despite lack of funds during this time. Susanna one day realizes she has a healing gift. She is very humble about this discovery and insists to everyone, "I'm just like you, I'm no different than you!" as she holds out the hands that to others impart a miraculous and perhaps Godly gift. I won't say much more because this is a very quick read, but I highly recommend it to both fans of Anne Tyler and the short story genre.

It’s Anne Tyler. So it’s a lovely piece of storytelling, full of detail and empathy and charm. But it’s a short story. Really pretty short. It offers food for thought and brief immersion. More, longer would always be better.

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I'll round up.

"The first thing I tell people is, I'm just an ordinary woman. I'm just like you, I say, I can see they don't believe me."

When she was 17 years old, on what seemed like just a regular afternoon, Susanna discovered she had an exceptional ability. While caring for her aunt, who was suffering from a migraine, Susanna rubbed her forehead, and—amazingly—her pain was gone. She healed her.

Word of Susanna's ability travels fast, much to her chagrin. People begin to travel from near and far in the hopes that Susanna can heal them. But while people say that Susanna's power is God-given, she isn't quite sure. If God is granting her the ability to heal people, why does she fail sometimes? Is it her shortcoming, a lesson God is trying to teach her, or is the person somehow to blame?

The power to heal has changed Susanna's life profoundly. In this short story, famed author Anne Tyler paints a portrait of a woman shouldering an overwhelming burden. She cannot understand why she can't heal everyone, and why when she so desperately needs to call on her ability, she doesn't succeed, and it leaves her questioning why she was chosen to tread such an arbitrary, often thankless path.

Anne Tyler has been one of my favorite authors since the 1980s, so any opportunity to read her work is such a treat. Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles is poignant and compelling, and once again, Tyler has created a memorable character. However, the story was so short it almost seemed truncated. I wanted more time with Susanna, more time to share her struggles and see how her life was affected.

Even though I wish the story was longer, it's still a strong example of Tyler's storytelling talent. If you think about it, it's essentially a literary amuse-bouche to whet our palates until her new novel comes out in July! Can't wait!

NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler is a very highly recommended re-released short story about a faith healer.
Susanna is an ordinary woman whose gift to heal people by touching them is discovered when she was seventeen. As word of her God-given power to heal spreads, the gift her touch seems to bestow on some people also becomes a burden she has to bear. This is a wonderful short story!

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House via Netgalley.
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A wonderful short story by Anne Tyler. It was a great reading that gave a lot of food for thought.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday and Netgalley for this ARC

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of short stories – I prefer longer narratives so I get to know the characters better. However, this wonderfully crafted short story from Anne Tyler provides enough detail and insight into the main character, Susannah, to make you feel like you actually did (almost) get to spend enough time with her. Susannah is an aging faith healer whose look back on her life and the gift/curse of her healing powers is a lovely and sad tale. Anne Tyler’s writing is as elegant as in her longer works. A pleasure to read this.

Thanks to NetGallery, Knopf Doubleday and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This short story of an aging faith healer is a master work from Anne Tyler. Despite being so short, it tells volumes.
Susanna's gift is both a blessing and a curse, why does it work only sometimes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this masterful story.

This wonderful short story by Tyler is only an enticement for more. Susanna, an aging faith healer, is a terrific character and while I would have liked to read more about her life etc, I appreciate that this is meant to be a snapshot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to Tyler's next novel (and more short stories for that matter!)

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler is a short story one of the Vintage Shorts published by Vintage Books. It takes place during the Great Depression, Susanna Meader’s Aunt Eunice was suffering from a migraine so in an attempt to sooth her Susanna laid her hands on her and the migraine was cured changing Susanna’s life forever. Anne Tyler’s elegant prose as always delights the reader and if I have any complaints about this story it is that it was too short and I wanted more. Publishing Date May 29, 2018 #HalfTruthsAndSemiMiracles #NetGalley

Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler

This short story reeled me in and stuck with me for days after I read it! - from its title to the very end (such a good title!) A story about a person with a gift, which isn’t really quite a gift (it’s a half gift, a semi-gift). Developing bubbles of thought about religion, love, and suffering, Tyler confronts and analyses the psychology of illness/dis-ease in society and how often we are able to help others, but not ourselves. This is a simple story but Tyler still manages to wind in and out and surprise you at every corner. She is the true mistress of storytelling! A brilliant and sensitive story about the ironies of life and not quite getting the life we bargained for!

Anne Tyler is a master at character development. This short story brings to life Susanna in vivid detail. I could feel her bewilderment at her sudden ability to heal people. This was not something she welcomed but she did her best to share what she felt was her God-given talent. Her sad life made it clear that her 'gift' was also a curse.

Vintage Tyler. Love it. Peopled with her usual cast of imperfect but admirable characters. Tyler rarely disappoints!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A little dose of Anne Tyler is always a good thing. This is a short story about an aging faith healer. It turns out to be lonely work. Entertaining and well written, although I think I prefer her full length novels. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an complimentary copy.

Anne Tyler is one of my favorite writers and I’m sure I’m one of many writers who has studied and admired her works and said, “I wish I could write like she does.” I guess I need a character like Susanna- if she touched me, she could pass on writing talent! Susanna is the protagonist in this evocative and lyrical short story. She can heal-most of the time- by touching the person. The story is set during the Depression era, when people needed hope and help. But who helps Susanna? This brief story will give you plenty to think about and it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my honest review.

This quiet story provides a lot to think about with regards to faith, love, and solitude. It's well-written and is something I'll come back to.

Short book,, but so awesome. This would make a great regular page book as well.
Wonderful little read!

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.