Wow I loved this one! The short stories were all such a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed that they all had heart, emotion and different messages. I think my favorite was the babysitter for the famous family. I will highly recommend this one!

A delightful collection of short stories that cover a wide variety of human experiences. Curtis really shines in the art of a short story and they were all enjoyable. The characters were unique, intriguing, and engaging. A lot of the endings were ambiguous which I struggled with at first because I like a clarity but I came to appreciate. I think it takes a lot of talent to write a whole story in just a few pages and I am impressed by that. I will say the Trump references were a little jarring. I like to read without being reminded about what I’m trying to avoid haha.

I am a fan of the author's longer form works, and it was obvious in tone and style, that these were her pieces. I really enjoyed the change in pacing for the short stories. Definite must read for present fans of Sittenfeld.

Most of the short stories in Curtis Sittenfeld’s newest book focus on middle-aged white women looking back at key moments in their lives and grappling with roads not taken or making choices in the present that could have serious repercussions down the line. For me, despite Sittenfeld’s always impressive writing abilities and good humor, there was some unevenness, and perhaps one too many close brushes with celebrity--one story involving a Jeff Bezos character felt particularly slight, but other stories were meatier. One of the themes that I found interesting, which popped up in several of the stories, had to do with lapses in honesty or ethical behavior--women making the wrong choice or not being able to see into their own motivation. The final story was sweet and apparently involves a character from a past novel, and although I have not read that novel, I enjoyed the story. It reminded me of the most recent Amor Towles book of short stories that also includes a character from an earlier novel. I can imagine how much these characters must stay with authors, and I love it when they decide to revisit them at later moments in life.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and advance copy of the book.

While I recognize the author is a great writer I always struggle to get through her books. I don’t find the characters very likable but with a full length novel learn to enjoy their flaws. In a book of short stories each frustrating character bled into the other to where the stories felt monotonous. Some of the stories were quite good but I found myself struggling to get through many. For fans of the author this will be a must read but I would pass. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read copy.

These are wonderful stories! These stories have everything I love about Curtis Sittenfeld's writing. Bold and honest with some of the most compelling characters I have ever read about. I highly recommend this!

This is a good, solid short story collection. I have read many of her books. Sittenfeld is a master of the short story! She tackles difficult subjects with kindness and dignity for all. Sittenfeld writes about grownup men and women with a keen eye for detail and nuance. Recommend this excellent book, and all of her books!

I have really enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld's novels. They are well-researched, draw you in through her character building and are well paced. While much of her writing style carries into this collection of short stories, these stories felt a bit monotonous, all from a middle aged woman's perspective. There were several of them that by the end of the story, I wasn't sure what the point of what I just read even was.

Overall, I would still recommend this for completists of Curtis's work, and also for those looking for a bit less commitment than one of her full novels, however this one for me was simply middle of the road.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Show Don't Tell is my first foray into short stories from Curtis Sittenfeld. Many of the 12 stories in this collection highlight academia. In the title story, graduate students in a writing program compete for highly coveted fellowships where students become narrowly focused on who is selected, putting blinders on what else is going on in their lives. Other stories highlight assumptions people may have about others. A white woman is introspective about micro-aggressions she may have conducted in the past. In A for Alone, a woman interviews men in her life about the Billy Graham/Mike Pence rule with interesting outcomes. A woman looks back at her time babysitting for a couple, very thinly veiled as a Jeff Bezos-like and his wife before his company took off. The changing expectations of middle aged women are explored in another story. The final story in the collection highlights a character which Sittenfeld wrote about in her previous book Prep as she returns to her private school for alumni weekend. I would be curious what fans of that book thought about this character's decisions. As with all short story collections, some resonated more than others with me but I overall enjoyed this collection.

Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and author for a copy of this book.

I have absolutely enjoy Sittenfield's prior work and I mainly read this for the story about prep, one of her first books. It was therefore my favorite because that book had always felt incomplete and unjust to me.

However, I have realized that is her way of writing. While she writes largely about white people and is a social commentary, it is easy to slip into their skin and hover about for days and wonder why they wonder.

Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
Short Stories: literary fiction
3.5 stars

This collection of short stories explores human behavior, emotion, interaction and insecurities. The characters in EVERY story have something relatable about them because Curtis Sittenfeld writes situations that are so real life and are such an observation of everyday social interactions and individual interactions WITH society. I found the perfect mix of cynicism and insightfulness in these stories that were about just plain regular life, often with female protagonists that have some "experience," under their belt. I did feel, in two-three of the situations, that I wanted some sort of epilogue, but again I loved the easily perceived characters. 

TL;DR: I often end up LOVING lit. fic, and especially family and friendship drama, but sometimes the pay off feels like a lot of work for a full length 300-400 page book. That said these stories were the best version of lit-fic: in bite size form.

In her new short story collection, Show Don't Tell, Curtis Sittenfeld brings her signature style to the world of short fiction, offering up bite sized stories that are easy to devour, but will leave you thinking afterwards. It is a fun set of stories that will work well for Sittenfeld's fans, and are a good introduction to her style for those who would like to sample her writing.

As I read this collection, I was conscious of the fact that I should be getting bored. Despite Sittenfeld's dedication to overly specific details in crafting the lives of her characters, at the core they were all essentially the same. Nearly every narrator was a middle-class, straight, white woman. She was either in academia, or spent lots of time thinking about her college days. Nearly all of them were either divorced or in unhappily practical marriages, but were embarking tantalizing new sexual trysts. And the narrative voice of each subject was nearly identical. All of these factors had me thinking that the stories should feel repetitive; that I should be getting bored. And yet I couldn't help but be drawn in.

Because although Sittenfeld does apply the same narrative voice to everything, it is one that completely draws me in. It is witty, and she manages to poke fun at her narrators even though the stories are written in the first person. While she only writes about privileged white women, that means she has perfected it. She is able to write with extreme emotional clarity about the lives of these women, the things that consume them, and manages to allow the reader to emotionally connect with her subjects while simultaneously elucidating the ridiculousness of their lives.

It is, I think, difficult to tell what about Sittenfeld's work is satire; when we are supposed to believe what the narrator is saying and when we are supposed to recognize they are being ridiculous, sometimes even racist or homophobic. While I had no issues when reading Romantic Comedy, I thought Eligible went too far. In this collection, I again thought the lines were relatively clear.

My favorite stories of the bunch were "The Richest Babysitter in the World" where a college student babysits for a man who will eventually become Jeff Bezos, "Follow-Up" about a woman who bonds with her teenage son while awaiting breast cancer screening results, and "White Women LOL" where a white woman becomes obsessed with finding a lost dog in order to win the favor of the only Black family in her neighborhood. This collection is witty and insightful, even if it is only insightful about a small group of people. I know this book will be for everyone, but if you are a fan of literary fiction and Sittenfeld's other works, then I do think you will enjoy it.

Overall a very solid short story collection. I found myself wanting more out of most of the stories which I think is a good thing. I found them easy to get into each time.

One of my personal favorites of the collection is the richest babysitter in the world - I could have read a full length novel about these characters!

I love a good short story compilation, and read and enjoyed Sittenfield's last anthology (You Think It, I'll Say It), but this one unfortunately I just didn't love. Several of these stories I found entertaining, and her writing is impeccable, but most of them left me confused about why I spent time reading it, and thus wondering what the point of the story even was. Upon further reflection though, perhaps that was in fact the point...to really think and ponder about what I had just read. 

I also found almost all of these stories to be about middle-aged women, and while I did just turn 40, I don't find myself to be in that category yet, at least in terms of these themes, and thus didn't relate to many of them. I found the stories to be a bit monotonous with those same vibes. Lastly, I was frustrated because the stories I did find intriguing seemed to end abruptly, and those I couldn't get into, just seemed to keep on going.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

I’ve heard great things about this author’s writing, and while I agree…excellent, thoughtful and engaging, I’ve decided I’m just not a huge fan of short stories. I would however, be most interested to read more of their work.

I’m not really a short story reader but Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite writers and this collection did not disappoint. I really felt like I got a full narrative arc in many of these stories, maybe I am a short story reader now! Maybe it’s because I’m a middle aged midwestern woman like many of these characters in this book, but these stories felt true to me. I enjoyed all the stories but enjoyed some more than others. And as a Sittenfeld fan I most enjoyed revisiting characters I met in her first book, Prep.

This was okay! I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I liked Sittenfeld's You Think It, I'll Say it, and I really liked Romantic Comedy, but Show Don't Tell just didn't hit the same as other work of hers that I've read. The stories weren't as memorable and I found it hard to pick this back up and continue reading.

I will say — I really love Sittenfeld's writing and that was no different in this collection of short stories.

I'll continue to read more of her work in the future, this just wasn't a favorite of mine!

Short story collections can be hit or miss depending on the writer, but Curtis does not disappoint. I love her writing, I would read it in any genre. I had to request this one when I saw the title and was instantly transported to my creative writing courses in undergrad. It was peak disassociation to step into each of these uniquely different characters and their respective worlds. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something funny, insightful, and at times poignant.

A preface to my review - Sittenfeld's first short story collection "You Think It" isn't billed as a "Trump book," nor is it, but so many of these stories show the conundrums---social, sexual, professional---of this singular political moment. I'm tempted to reread it.
In her latest collection of short stories, Curtis Sittenfeld presents eleven stories that explore the complexities of relationships, fame, artistic ambition, and the ever-shifting dynamics of modern life, often in an academic setting. With her characteristic wit and insight, Sittenfeld creates characters who feel so authentic that reading their stories is like remembering experiences from your own life. Highly recommended.

Writing is great, some stories felt more memorable than others but I loved the final story that continues from her novel, Prep. If you read Prep, you need to get “Lost But Not Forgotten”. I also really liked “A for Alone” and “The Hug”. Target audience is really women in their 40s-50s.