Cline’s latest is a superbly written set of short stories. The tie between these stories, for me, was the dark moments hidden just beneath the surface, the moments Cline did not need to say outright for the reader to feel. I see a future short story master in Cline and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next.

I really loved Cline's The Girls, and was super exited for an ARC of this book. I gave up 80% in. I guess I'm not a short story kind of gal. While each was well written, I kept losing interest. And if I got even a little hooked, the story ended. And a new one began. This just wasn't the book for me. A huge disappointment.

1 star--I didn't like it. This rating has nothing to do with the quality of the book, which is stellar. The writing was excellent (the reason I requested this book from NetGalley is that I enjoy Cline's writing). In fact, Cline's ability to capture characters and situations is precise and detailed.

But that's the problem. Every story in this collection was a picture of despair. The characters were stuck in horrible situations--but not big outward horrors like car crashes, cancer, or global pandemics (heh). Rather they were stuck by their bad decisions or paralysis or just the minor helplessness of our late-capitalist society. Every single story was about a terrible person in a depressing situation. No options, no joy, no hope.

2020 is not the year for a book like this. Sorry, Emma Cline. It's not your fault--it's just really bad timing. I'm currently watching sitcoms and reality tv as a distraction from what's going on in the world. This collection of stories was the opposite of what I want to read right now.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Although I haven't read The Girls by Emma Cline yet, I was excited to read this because of the great things I heard about Emma Cline's writing. I definitely agree--her writing is excellent! Although this is a collection of short stories, I never felt that the flow from one story to the next was choppy. However, in terms of the plot of each story, I wanted more. Personally for me, I like having a reason/resolution to a story when I read fiction, so this wasn't my cup of tea. If you like slice of life stories that don't necessarily have an "end goal" in mind, I would recommend this book.

I normally do not read short stories, but, having read The Girls, decided to read Daddy. It is a series of ten short stories. All were well written and all, in my opinion, suffered the short story syndrome, they were just not long enough or complex enough. Is Emma Cline a good writer? Absolutely. She did a terrific job with these stories. They just reached a reader who did not appreciate them as they should be appreciated. Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC for an honest review.

Emma Cline has described her collection as growing out of her interest in in "... power dynamics and gender performance"... She is not afraid to go to the dark side, really go "there." All of these stories, several of which have been anthologized and won prizes, are strong and not easy going. In some cases, such as Northeast Regional and The Nanny, the crime is offstage, alluded to, it is the aftermath that is addressed here. And often there is no resolution or retribution. The stories just end. But oddly, they end at just the right moment leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. These are definitely not stories for readers who like finales, but readers who want to be tested.

In Daddy, Emma Cline re-enters the literary world with a striking collection of ten short stories exploring various facets of modern relationships.

My favorites were Marion, A/S/L, and Los Angelos.

This woman could write about roadkill and I wouldn't hesitate to call it art.

Emma Cline is so yourng, but so talented! I loved "The Girls" and her short story collection is just as good.

I really enjoyed this thoughtful and highly readable collection of short stories from the author of The Girls. Emma Cline has the makings of a young West Coast, female Jay McInerney I think she will be around for many years to come..

"Los Angeles" was one of my favorite short stories in this collection. "Menlo Park" was funny and a bit too familiar (I used to work at a well-known dot com with people like this). I also loved "The Nanny.," which was beautiful and sad. These stories have a little bit of a feminist Bret Easton Ellis vibe (is that even possible, you ask? Yes! Read them!) - a similar satirical vibe with a great sense of place and a wry understanding of Californians,. I also enjoyed the writerly jokes in "Menlo Park.".

But the real standout of the book is Marion, for which Cline received the Plimpton Prize. This is a pretty perfect, beautifully written short story. I am sad I missed it when it was first published but glad I got to read it now.

I give this book a solid 4.5 starts rounded up and I look forward to reading more of Emma Cline.

Genre:  Literary Fiction Short Story Collection
Publisher:  Random House
Pub. Date:  Sept. 1, 2020

I wish this short story collection had a different title. “Daddy’” makes it sound like you’re about to read erotica. Thankfully, these stories are not. Maybe Cline wanted the reader to be surprised. I certainly was. What captured my interest when agreeing to read and review this book was its description as "literary short stories." It’s the word “literary” that sold me. Plus, I appreciate short stories.

What you get in these ten stories are edgy slice-of-life tales that explore human nature. Cline portrays moments in her characters' lives that reveal the dark parts of themselves that they would prefer to keep hidden. She does this well. Dare I say, there are traces of Joyce Carol Oates in this young author. Connecting all the stories is a father or father-like figure, though they are often not the main character.

One story in the collection, “Marion,” was the winner of the 2014 Plimpton Prize. From its first sentence, the writing is vivid. “Cars the color of melons and tangerines sizzled in cul-de-sac driveways.” Here, Cline takes the reader inside the mind of an eleven-year-old girl who does not understand the sexual desires of her 13-year-old best friend. There is a ”Mean Girls" vibe to it, but the reader will find themselves forgiving the older girl since she appears to be at the mercy of her own unstable parents and the questionable boundaries between herself and her father. The short is good but I found “Arcadia” more chilling.

“Arcadia” is the type of story that sticks with you and you really wish it didn’t. An older brother acts as a parent to his 18-year-old sister. The sister is pregnant. Her boyfriend, the protagonist, moves in with her and her brother. The three live in the house the siblings grew up in. The sister and her boyfriend sleep in her childhood bedroom, still decorated as when she was a child. This is the author's first hint that something might be off with this brother/sister relationship. What is so creepy about this short is that the boyfriend slowly begins to realize that there are inappropriate sexual intimacies between the siblings. He tells his girlfriend ”this is no place to raise a baby.” The power in this short is how the boyfriend chooses to look the other way because he gets sucked into the unhealthy family’s dynamics.

”Son of Friedman” is a sad tale of a father who is, rightly or not, disappointed in his son. George Friedman, a washed-up movie producer, has dinner with an old friend, who still has a thriving acting career. The actor is also the godfather of Friedman's adult son. The reason for this get-together is that Friedman's son is having a screening of a short movie he created, a pure vanity project. During dinner, the actor asks Friedman about his godson. Friedman thinks, ”It never even crossed my mind to invite him to their dinner.” With that line, we know what we are about to read. A father who is utterly embarrassed by his son's project. I thought the author's talent shines brightest with how she goes deep into the relationship between father and son without ever spelling it out. The father thinks, ”he was always a nervous child." He often recalls all expensive drug addiction centers his kid has been in. He never admits his own drinking problem to himself.

In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. Her perceptions are close to brilliant. With a few more years under her belt, I believe she will get there. Part of what makes this collection so good is that in each story there is some sort of perversity right underneath the surface. You can sniff it but you cannot see it. And what will really scare you is when you recognize some of her characters’ traits in yourself. Well done, Emma Cline.

Though The Girls is her last novel, Daddy still carries hints of Emma Cline's former. Like The Girls, each story within Cline's latest collection carries a murky weight that goes unresolved before we moved on to the next "daddy issue." Cline shines in the short story genre, crafting full-bodied characters within two pages while knitting tension throughout.

I would argue, though, these constricted and conceptual stories would benefit from elongating the story to poke deeper at what Cline exposes. Daddy: Stories is deeply digestible, convincing, with drinkable detailed prose.

<i>I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I absolutely loved [author:Emma Cline|2926065]'s debut novel <i>[book:The Girls|26893819]</i>. It still is probably one of my all time favorite reads. I was very excited and super thankful to be asked to read a copy of her newest work,<i> Daddy: Stories</i>! Although I don't think I loved it as much as <i>The Girls</i>, I still enjoyed it. Her writing style is very smooth and the prose just sweeps you along with each turn of the page. Quite a few of the stories I was left feeling like I wanted more from them but that could be a good thing I suppose --always leave them wanting more! I never felt like any particular one dragged on but there were a few I like less than others. If you are in need of a quick read, this is one you can consider picking up! That's one of my favorite things with short stories, you can finish one in a sitting if that's all you have time for.

Short stories seem to be enjoying a surge in popularity. I would not normally choose a book of them, but had read and enjoyed Emma Cline’s debut, The Girls, and that was enough for me to want to pick this up. Cline is hugely talented and her way with language is admirable - everything down to the manner a ponytail is described (meaty! So perfect, yet who would have thought?) is clever. I devoured these. Truthfully, I would have preferred a novel to get my teeth into (meaty!) but if you want a quick read, these are great.

Emma Cline's novel "The Girls" blew me out of the water when it first came out a few years ago so I was ecstatic that she was releasing a collection of short stories at the end of this year. From the first page of the first story, I was hooked. Cline's writing style and storytelling skills were so compactly wrapped up in each story that I was left wanting more from each. Each character within the stories felt completely developed and fleshed out. One story in particular, "Los Angeles" stuck out to me. It grabbed my attention almost instantly and by the time I read the last few paragraphs, I was craving for more. Emma Cline's stories are addictive and swift. I can't wait to see what she puts out next.

I loved Emma Cline's last book, The Girls, so I was thrilled when I received this one from Netgalley. This might be a case of setting my expectations too high but the majority of the stories in this book left me wanting more...and not necessarily in a good way, more of a "thats it?" way. I will definitely continue to try Cline's books, though, because despite my issues with Daddy, her writing style is absolutely beautiful.

I loved Emma Cline's debut novel "The Girls." Read it if you haven't already! Her second book is a collection of short stories. She proves herself equally adept at writing short pieces as she does a novel. The collections consists of pieces she previously published in The New Yorker, Granta and The Paris Review as well as a couple new ones.

Like "The Girls", many of these stories are set in California. Her writing is fluid, characters perfectly captures in a few deft strokes. Read it!

Emma Cline is a very talented writer; while I wouldn’t say I necessarily enjoyed The Girls or this collection, they are both extremely compelling and well-written. This leaves you with a slightly “yuck” feeling as it highlights the worst parts of human nature.

Emma Cline book of shorts stories drew me in each story a gem.The characters their moments their lives come alive.An author who is magically talented.#netgalley#randomhouse

Emma Cline shows off all her skills in the 10-story collection “Daddy”. She is a master of character and setting development; her pacing and dialogue as good as it gets.

I’m often reluctant to read and especially rate collections. I feel a little twitchy while reading, afraid I’m going to miss that certain word or turn of phrase that was key to understanding the whole. I had no such issues with “Daddy”. Cline’s stories are less unexpected sudden twists of fate and more falling deeper and deeper into an abyss. Characters come in all shapes and sized, but are often broken or on the verge. Many come from a life of privilege where head-starts may have once helped,, but were ultimately wasted or abused. Others have had to hard-scrabble to survive and are doing it by the skin of their teeth.

“Daddy” is not for the faint of heart. There is great deal of self-medicating, never for the best. There is abuse of all kinds, often brutal and cringe-inducing. There is a good deal of coming-of-age where imagining what is becoming is not terribly cheerful or light. Deep, dark broken people and relationships. Just what I thrive upon.

Thanks to RandomHouse and NetGalley for the eARC.

After reading The Girls I knew I'd want to read anything by Emma Cline. Something about her descriptions of people are just so compelling. The young, the old, the shitty. You just understand them deeply, feel their motivations, accept their mundane as your own, even when they're so different.