First of all, thank you to NetNalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the digital version of the book.

I'm not sure how I feel about these stories. I actually just bought Ling Ma's Severance a few days before getting this copy. Although I haven't read Severance, I was pretty excited to start on this one, but got confused by the stories. I really liked Ling Ma's storytelling and writing. And as a Chinese immigrant myself, I truly appreciated how she incorporated aspects of Chinese culture throughout the book. And my hometown, the city of Changsha of Hunan province, was specifically mentioned in one of the stories, which warmed my heart. However, what bothered me was the fact that none of the stories seemed to have an ending, so what was the conclusion? Were they all supposed to be just open ended and left to my own imagination?

With that said, I'm still very much looking forward to reading Severance as I think that would at least be a complete story.

Loved this book. I have pitched reviews to a number of publications, including Bomb Magazine and Millions, but have not yet had luck in placing a review.

A very good collection of short stories that mix oddity, menace and poignancy. Review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd-h5T4FrjU&t=485s

I really enjoyed this collection of stories, some bizarre while others are amusing. My favourite being Office Hours.

Bliss. Montage presents varying stories about finding your place in the world, feeling as if you belong, and other themes of place. I really enjoyed that the speculative elements weren't too "out there", but more of one step removed from reality. The writing was insightful and poignant. You related to the characters' struggles. Great collection.

One of my most absolute short story collections of all time! The last story of this collection will haunt my nightmares. This little book had me shaking from beginning to end. I laughed at the title "Yeti Lovemaking" which is truly what you think. My favorites in the collection were G and Peking Duck. I think Ling Ma is really a writer of and for the diaspora, whichever it is you might belong to!

i love ling ma and i want to kiss her on the face but that seems like a pretty major overstep so instead i'll just read everything she writes.

mini reviews for each story like i always do for collections when my weary brain allows me!


STORY 1: LOS ANGELES
immediately i don't think i can review every one of these. this was too one of a kind, too striking, i'm speechless, and i have to do this EVERY TIME?!

about to give up already.
rating: 4.25


STORY 2: ORANGES
cover story. basically.

this doesn't have the same fervent originality as the first one but it's even more immersive and suffocating.
rating: 4


STORY 3: G
this allegory is so satisfying (if a little clichéd) it's like having a treat.
rating: 4


STORY 4: YETI LOVEMAKING
HELLO ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL METAPHOR THIS ONE NOT CLICHED AT ALL!!!!!
rating: 4.25


STORY 5: RETURNING
AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

i don't want this book to end ever.

a story about books and the themes of books and it has the themes and also more themes and also also also...
rating: 4.5


STORY 6: UNIVERSITY
hmmmmmm.

fun recurring theme becoming apparent of the complexity of desire (i.e., a sense of dissatisfaction too elaborate to pin on any one thing) making happiness impossible in modern life.
rating: 4


STORY 8: PEKING DUCK
these are just so rich.
rating: 4


STORY 9: TOMORROW
whoa.
rating: 4


OVERALL
brilliant and incisive, more knowing and intuitive on the subject of being young and getting older in the 21st century than just about anything i've ever read. i know i'm going to return to this one, countless times mentally and more than once for a reread.

significantly better than the sum of its parts, and the parts are damn good.
rating: 5

I loved loved loved Ling Ma’s debut novel, Severance, so I was extremely excited to read this collection and it did not let me down. It’s usually difficult for me to get through a full short story collection because one or two inevitably fall short— but I didn’t feel that way with any of the stories in Bliss Montage. I finished the collection a few days ago after burning through it in a single day.

Ling Ma wove a thread of several strong themes throughout the collection; namely womanhood/girlhood, immigration, and toxic relationships. I am still mulling over the power of the story “G”, which was, if not the most technically impressive story (I’d give that honor to “Peking Duck”), the story that landed the hardest for me emotionally. The central friendship, the pain and anxiety and pressure and confusion of it, was expressed with absolute precision and beauty.

Ma’s work in this collection really reminded me of the power of short form magical realism— sometimes what one needs is a small but very potent dose of absurdity and fantasy. 5 stars ⭐️

Thank you to Farrar, Strauss and Giroux & NetGalley for the eARC :)

3.75 stars
This short story collection was so interesting. The first story starts strong with intruding you to the protagonists numerous amounts of ex boyfriends who live with her. I was surprised by the analysis of movie themes in one of the stories. I loved the discussions around culture from China to Garboza. This is one of those books where you just have to experience instead of relying on reviews because none of them will do it justice. I’m looking forward to Ling Ma’s future works.

This was a wonderful collection of stories that I found delightful and mindful. I found this collection from someone talking about it on Youtube and new immediately that I had to see if I could get a review copy... and I am so delighted I did.

I wanted to like Bliss Montage by Ling MA, but I couldn't keep myself from feeling like the writing tried too hard to be evocative and immersive. Instead of floating in the words, I felt like I was tangled in sheets of silk that were too slippery to grasp. I am unsure if that unsettled feeling was what the author was going for, but I gave up after three stories. I pride myself on powering through writing, as sometimes the author just needs time to settle into the story. I hope that if the author publishes again, it is in a long format book that may spin her ideas better.

This is my first time reading Ling Ma's work and I was pleasantly surprised. Bliss Montage is a short story collection that has no limit. You'll have stories about making love with a Yeti, living in a house with 100 ex-boyfriends, and even a baby's arm sticking out of you while pregnant. They are strange and bizarre, but will keep you hooked till the end.

Through these short stories, Ma explores the themes of toxic friendships, mother-daughter relationships, the Asian-American immigrant experience through the perspectives of women; using magical realism and fantastical elements. Ma's mind is brilliant and I could see any of these 8 short stories becoming its own full-length novel.

Some of my personal favourites from the collection are:
Oranges
Peking Duck
Returning
Office Hours

3.5/5 stars

Gosh, I love Ling Ma. Each story was such a *mood* - somber, melancholy, wistful, triumphant - set amongst a dystopian, dreamlike landscape, which could almost be reality, save for something that is just *off*. I loved it. My favorite story out of the collection was 'G', which explores codependent - borderline abusive friendships and drug use.

Incredible. I inhaled Ling Ma's first book, Severance, shortly after its release and have been a fan ever since. These stories are so simultaneously captivating, tense, and bizarre. Ma has a voice that makes me completely zone out (in a good way) and transcend into the worlds she creates. From the first story, you will want to read it non-stop from beginning to end. Her voice is like no other. Obsessed!

Please see the full review published on the Chicago Review of Books, linked here: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2022/09/21/the-stories-we-retell-in-bliss-montage/.

Not all of these short stories were for me, but I have several coworkers who will love them. My favorites were the stories about the ex-boyfriend Adam and the mother and possible door-to-door salesman. Thank you for this collection.

This is my first time reading Ling Ma's writing. Her style and cadence nice the reader through the stories very smoothly and, although not a thriller, she manages to keep a steady stream of mild suspense going.

I also love how natural the conversations are throughout. Her use of imagery is great as well, I had no trouble picturing the scenes she placed before me.

Overall, I suppose some of the stories are a touch speculative but not over the top. So even if you're not into that I would still recommend this book.

DNF at 37%

I don't get what the stories are trying to tell me? I'd end one story and start another and get confused whether it's a continuation or another story altogether simply because the tone felt so similar to one another and so do the narrators.

This is my first time trying something from Ling Ma and I will say that her writing is nice. The stories themselves—the ones that I finish reading, that is—failed to capture my attention. They felt fleeting at best and I felt like I myself was on a 💊 trip the whole time I was reading Bliss Montage lol

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

In addition to the beauty and strength of its writing, what distinguishes this short story collection is its careful curation. The stories fit together in coherent and surprising ways, and Ma's ventures into surrealism/magical realism add an additional flair to the set. Ma's first novel, SEVERANCE, set a high bar, and while not every story can meet that bar, no reader will walk away from BLISS MONTAGE disappointed.

This collection of short stories is immersive, surreal, and insightful on the experience of being a woman & an immigrant. While I enjoyed most of the stories I did feel as though a few of them went over my head. I especially loved “G” & “Oranges”.

Ling Ma has an impressive ability to capture universal human feelings while also writing an unrealistic setting or plot. This strikes me as the kind of book that’s not for everyone, but those who’ll love it will reeeaally love it. I think the best reading experience will be had if you break these stories up a bit rather than reading one after another or the entire book in one sitting like I did. The narrators of each story had a similar tone and I found myself wondering if I was reading about the same person a few times.