This book is intense and sad. It's not that it's not good, but it makes you realize how many challenges women face and how little power we often have. I think it's worth a read, but it's tough.

"What was bad was that life was all about waiting for adult things to get less bad. Children were smart: they just liked things that were already good, like swing sets and cereals with marshmallows and candy shaped like bears."

Girls of a Certain Age is the sort of collection that you want to just keep savoring. Adelmann writes the most mundanely beautiful characters there could ever be. She keys into details the way only a wonderfully neurotic person could.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for honest feedback. This book is a collection of short story/essay style chapters. Each holds a theme related to women's experiences. It reads best for people who are interested in the insights of people's lives, sort of like mini excerpts of a memoir. The cover is very appealing, I actually clicked to see about this book based on the title/cover.

Filled with blistering insight and incisive exploration of modern life, this collection brings together a group of stories that explore the inner and outer lives of woman in today's world. Each story sits in its unique world but the collection as a whole comes together to reveal a larger investigation of how woman move through our times.

This wasn’t my personal favorite, but that is most likely because I’m not a huge fan of short story collections. Think this will appeal to other readers.

My review for Shelf Awareness is here:
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3919#m51354

The review is also cross-posted to my Smithsonian BookDragon blog here:
http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/girls-of-a-certain-age-stories-by-maria-adelmann-in-shelf-awareness/

A really solid collection of short stories about many different women from different walks of life. Maria Adelmann has a fantastic way with words, and can draw you into a story immediately and with a lot of heart. The stories aren't plot heavy, they are more quick peeks into slices of life and each of the women featured are relatable and sympathetic. My favorite was probably The Wayside, the last story in the book, which reads more like a novella about a girl during the summer before college in New England -- working at an old inn giving tours, and dealing with a brother who was just deployed to Afghanistan. Adelmann also uses surrealism is fascinating and new ways. I'm not always a huge fan of short story collections, so I'm often thrilled when I come across one that speaks to me and gets me excited. GIRLS OF A CERTAIN AGE is one of those collections.

I don't always reach for short stories but I generally enjoy them when I do. This collection is no exception and some of the stories (Elegy, Middlemen, None of These Will Bring Disaster) I really, really enjoyed! I did feel that the collection was cohesive and well written about the various experiences of women today. I would definitely read more by this author.

Girls of a Certain Age came out last month on February 16, 2021 and you can purchase HERE. Definitely pick this up if you are a fan of short stories!

Songs were like tarot cards. You could always find a way to see yourself.

DNF 40% in. While one or two of the short stories kept my interest, overall I was bored and just kept waiting to move on to the next one, hoping I would like it more.

An excellent, well-crafted collection of short stories looking at girlhood and womanhood. Adelmann gives a tender portrayal of women from various backgrounds at a turning point in their life--focusing on one experience that has the power to define their lives. We explore themes of self-improvement, relationships, heartbreak, sexuality, mental illness, and body image.

The first half of this book is incredibly strong but does weaken at the end with stories that feel a little less developed in their exploration compared to the earlier works. Often short story collections can feel very MFA workshopped but this collection never goes in this direction. These stories certainly beg to be analyzed and discussed but they're subtle without losing nuance.

I loved this collection and can't wait to recommend it to readers who enjoy Miranda July, Katherine Heiny, and Melissa Broder.

It is rare that every single short story in a collection is captivating and strong, but this collection is just that. Girls of a Certain Age by Maria Adelmann is a masterfully written book of short stories that dives deeply into women's psyches at all stages of life. From dealing with dysfunctional relationships to enduring a mastectomy to supporting a spouse with PTSD, each story immerses you in the experience of the main character. While the modern style of writing is consistent the voices of each character are diverse allowing for each story to stand alone, yet adding to the strength of the collection. I highly recommend this short story collection!

Advanced copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In turns mundane, nostalgic, and heartbreaking, this collection of stories delivered on it's promises. These beautifully written, evocative stories are heartbreaking in the sheer humanity, and lack of humanity, they depict. From a young girl who finds her friend's Tamagotchi completely frivolous, to a lost twenty-something who has essentially quarantined herself after losing her job and makes an art form of arranging necessities around her bed so she never has to leave it (sound familiar??), many of these stories aimed straight for the heart, and met their marks.

Despite the beautiful prose, or perhaps because of it, this collection brought a lot of emotions to the forefront of my mind, and while not all of them were positive emotions for me, I think it only speaks to Adelmann's abilities that in only 12 pages they can forge a deep connection with a feeling, a situation, and a character.

3.5/5