I have read every Curtis Sittenfeld book except her first volume of short stories. Her debut novel, “Prep” is one of may favorite books. I was delighted to have the chance to read “Show Don’t Tell” early thanks to NetGalley. Most of the short stories feature middle-aged liberal white woman residing in the Midwest. Some are struggling in their marriages or with their careers. One of the standouts was a short story involving a woman grappling with whether or not she’s racist when she’s filmed in a Karen moment. Another involved a woman who was once briefly a nanny for a young family very similar to the origin story of a certain billionaire. My two favorite short stories were where a woman tested out the Mike Pence rule and one which revisited the main protagonist from Prep at her boarding school’s 30th reunion. A few of the stories didn’t hold my attention as much as others, but all were well written, Reading this did make me want to go seek out Sittenfeld’s other short stories collection now.

4.5 To say I feel affection for Curtis Sittenfeld and her writing, well, that's an understatement. Her prose goes down so easy, like ice cream on a summer day. I instantly engage with her characters and their situations, with a pleasure that has grown increasingly difficult to access as I age.

She writes about her age - mid-life with all the various pushes and pulls. Questioning the eternity of marriage and how viable is that really. Ruminations on sex. The inevitability of having an unrestrained voice at this time of life. The potential of selling out with all those repercussions. How what mattered so much earlier in life seems to matter so little now. Noticing the markers in our lives.

It's the stuff of mid-life and for some characters, a kind of crisis. I'm older than Sittenfeld, and I find myself wishing she'd write about the stage of life I'm in now. I'm certainly interested in what that mirror would show me. Her vintage is not mine, her music a bit foreign. And relatability is key. Still, for the heart beats beneath the surface, I'm there.

Curious about how autobiographical the stories are, I looked up her bio. She went to Iowa Writers, has two daughters, and ostensibly writes 'women's fiction' - just like the character in her writer-centered, first story. And the last returns to the characters from her first novel Prep. My memory of it is blurry, and yet, through her typical writerly grace, that distance didn't keep me from enjoying the characters' 30th reunion.

Overall, this is an easy and comfortable read on topics that may push some reader's sore points, just as they are in my rearview. I found each story satisfying with no longing for anything longer. And I'm left with great, continuing affection for the author.

Kudos to Sittenfeld. And thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy.

A collection of shirt stories, all engaging and well written! She explores themes such as emotion and insecurity. I’m not normally a fan of short stories but everything was well thought out and didn’t leave you hanging.

Curtis Sittenfeld is a master storyteller, and her new collection of short stories do not disappoint. Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance reader's copy. I enjoyed reading all of these stories. Sittenfeld's characters are so realistic and her stories feel like they happened to someone you know in real life. She portrays her characters' emotions and thoughts with insight and accuracy. I loved "Show Don't Tell", a fun epilogue to Prep, one of my favorite Sittenfeld works. "The Marriage Clock" really made me think about what makes marriage/relationships successful or not. I loved how the main character questions the pious author of the book that is central to this story, and stands up to him after he flirted with her. "The Richest Babysitter in the World" was a great story about a character very similar to Jeff Bezos in the early stages of his career. The story was told through the lens of their college student babysitter, who turns down a job opportunity at his company. Her writing really makes the reader think "what if...", and question how our lives could be radically different by changing one decision. "The Tomorrow Box" was an interesting description of a group of friends who grow apart after college and how different people in the group view each other with completely different perspectives. Each story is rich and complex, and really satisfying from beginning to end. It's amazing how much of a world the author builds in just a few pages. I highly recommend Show Don't Tell, Curtis Sittenfeld's second volume of short stories.

Curtis Sittenfeld is always a reliably good read even if sometimes her writing about sexuality and other issues can be a bit on the nose.

She also writes a lot about her time in a boarding school as a scholarship kid. She still seems to be figuring that time in her life out. Having attended a prestigious “independent” school myself and coming from a middle class family, I really relate to how that experience amongst the trust funders can stick with you. My 50th reunion is in 4 years and I get tempted to attend. I’ve never attended any so far. I was not spring-cleaned but my mother decided not to have me go for senior year… long story and my father disagreed with the decision but it left its scars to not graduate with my class.

Anyway, Sittenfeld writes about some touchy subjects and sometimes makes you a bit uncomfortable - she’s no sissy - and I admire that even when I’m cringing a bit.

This is a collection of 11 stories and they are each long enough to sink your teeth into and be satisfying reads.

I particularly liked this comment attributed to a black woman in one story: “only white women are afraid of getting old.” That’s a lot to think about isn’t it?

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is a collection of modern day short stories. This was definitely true to the author’s work. Filled with realistic characters, and authentic dialogue, the writing is perfection. There is something for everyone in these stories because the subject matters are ones that will be relatable. Marriage, friendship, career goals, and social dilemmas are some of the themes.
However, I always find short stories leave me wanting more and this was no exception. The characters and situations are so engrossing, that I didn’t want them to end when they did. Sittenfeld does a good job of saying all she needs to say about each topic, so in that sense, each story was complete, but I am just a reader who wants more words, more details, more everything, so this wasn’t a perfect read for me. But for fans of the author, or readers who are excited to be able to finish a story in a half hour, this would be a great choice. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my ARC.

Curtis Sittenfeld is the kind of writer who makes other writers cry that they aren't worthy. Perhaps her title is her way of saying "watch me." An amazing collection.

Romantic Comedy and Prep are some of my favorite books, so I jumped at the chance to review Show Don't Tell. It's a collection of short stories that reflect on relationships, friendships, and the nuance and imperfection of adulthood. I didn't realize this book includes a chapter focusing on Lee's return to Ault, and it was such a treat to revisit this character as both of us are now adults. Curtis never disappoints!

I really loved romantic comedy so I was super excited to get this on NetGalley. The stories were good… Some I enjoyed more than others. Almost all of them dealt with social issues.-racism, sexism, homophobia and more. Sittenfeld definitely addresses some tough issues in her works that being said, my rating might not be completely fair because I am not a fan of short stories. For those readers who enjoy short stories, this may be right up your alley. There was nothing wrong with any of these stories… They just weren’t long enough for me to connect on a deep level with any one of them. Thank you, NetGalley for the digital copy.

Show Don’t Tell coming Feb 25, 2025. A collection of short stories and having read Romantic Comedy, this one goes back to a similar sentiment in Prep touching upon a series of topics around class, privilege, race, the pandemic, marriage and infidelity, and other generally uncomfortable topics. After reading, I think that’s how I’d describe all of the stories. There was a level of the main characters being uncomfortable or being awkward in some capacity, but in a way that helps them grow and change. I enjoyed these stories however given that they were so varied but had similar themes, I often lost track of which was I was reading “is this the one with the kids? That’s divorced? No that was the other one” but that may have just been a me thing since I struggle with books with long chapters. Overall if you enjoy short stories this is a good read coming out soon. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Curtis Sittenfeld understands people and she writes about them in such uncomplicated, perceivable ways. Show Don't Tell is a collection of stories exploring human behavior, instinct, insecurity and emotion. I loved it, like scream it from the rooftops type of love. All the stories were interesting and left room for interpretation. The characters are believable and relatable. I can say with 100% certainty that every reader will be able to find a little bit of themselves in at least one character if not many. This book thoughtfully unravels the complexities of life and social constructs. Show Don't Tell is a true work of art, nothing short of masterful.

I am not sure any of these stories were worth telling. I found them each to be trite and a bit diluted. The main issue at hand is even within each short story, the author jumps around a lot. It is confusing and does not push the story any. Usually I really, really enjoy Sittenfeld’s books. This was a massive miss.

The short stories in Show Don't Tell showcase Curtis Sittenfeld at her best: plainspoken and sometimes brutally honest, she strips away the gauze of life and shows life as it really is—sad at times, but also, unexpectedly rewarding. Many of the stories, such as the titular story, "Show Don't Tell," "The Richest Babysitter in the World," and "Lost But Not Forgotten," go back and forth in time and involve an encounter with someone from the past who was either memorable and became ordinary or someone awkward who became famous or notable.

Her stories are filled with insights and zingers, like: In the title story, "Show Don't Tell," she writes: "...but the beer bit made me uncomfortable in ways it would take between two days and twelve years to pinpoint."

Her narrators are often writers, filmmakers or other creatives, though there are a few outliers like a scientist and an accountant. Mostly they are women, often they are unhappily married, settling for less or divorced.

In “The Marriage Clock,” Heather, a Senior Vice President of Film Production and Development, flies to Mobile, Alabama to interview the author of The Marriage Clock, a “marital self-help book that has…sold twenty million copies.” The catch is: the author is a conversative Christian and she wants to convince him to include a gay couple in the film adaptation of the book. As in many of the other stories, she doesn’t quite get what she thought she wanted—she gets something else.

“White Women LOL” deals with cancel culture and the unconscious bias we all live with but pretend we don’t.

“Follow Up” deals with the life review most of us would do when faced with a potentially threatening diagnosis. In the middle of the story, Sittenfeld asks, “What is this a story about?”

My favorite story was “Lost But Not Forgotten,” which continues the saga of Lee Fiora, Sittenfeld’s heroine of her bestselling coming-of-age novel, Prep. She returns to Ault, the boarding school she so miserably attended, for her 30th reunion, and discovers that she’d often misinterpreted people and events in her past. “In all serious,” she tells her classmates at the reunion, “I think one of my problems at Ault was that I tried too hard to learn lessons. I didn’t recognize how much of the time life is just random. And often the lesson I thought I was learning was the wrong one.”

In these stories, Sittenfeld both shows and tells. She does a lot of telling, but in the best way, sharing so much layered information that at the end of most of these stories, you feel like you’ve lived a complete life with these characters, traveling deep in their past, to their present and sometimes futures.

I will be the first to say I'm not the biggest fan of short stories. I enjoy more resolution.

I dove into this, as I loved Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy, which I found refreshing and original. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this. There are twelve short stories, They're full of sharp, funny, and painfully relatable observations about marriage, ambition, friendship, and all the strange turns life takes in middle age. Sittenfeld's characters feel so real, and the situations—whether awkward, touching, or hilarious—hit close to home. It's perfect if you're looking for a mix of humor and thought-provoking insights, wrapped up in the kind of storytelling that feels like it's speaking directly to you.

My favorite was The Richest Babysitter in the World, which is about a babysitter, who works for a man who becomes a tech billionaire. She turns down a job at his company and reflects on what if she had only said yes?

These stories are so different, but her writing style is apparent in each of them. While I didn't love all of them, I was curious as to where each one would go. Having never read her book Prep, I wasn't familiar with the lead character Lee, so I wasn't sure how I should approach her.

All in all, a good one if you're a big fan of Sittenfeld!

I'm a big fan of previous Curtis Sittenfeld novels and will look for her work again, but this collection of short stories didn't appeal to me. It' may be my current headspace, but I don't have the bandwidth to commit to short stories- learning/caring/thinking for such a short termed experience. YMMV.

The new short story collection Show Don't Tell packs exactly the sharp, thought-provoking punch that only Curtis Sittenfeld's writing can deliver. As always, the cast of.characters is likable - or, at the very least, forgivable - and deeply flawed.

In A for Alone, an artist works a unique project that will either confirm or deny the Mike Pence Rule, which asserts that men and women can not have a platonic friendship. In Lost But Not Forgotten, we get another glimpse of Lee Fiora from Prep as she reflects on the impact that her boarding school days had on her present and future life choices. In The Patron Saint of Middle Age, a woman contemplates the place of race in a long-lasting friendship as she decides whether or not to go digging in a stranger's yard for a buried statue that has superstitious meaning.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this sometimes controversial, always provocative new masterpiece by one of the most talented authors of our time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest collection of short stories.

The twelve stories in this collection mostly focus on middle aged women navigating the relationships in their lives. Most of the narrators in this collection (although not all) are midwestern white women, many of privilege, who find themselves dissatisfied with their marriages and or their past choices. The stories feel timely and relevant, especially in Sittenfeld’s inclusion of racism and Trumpism.

Sittenfeld’s writing always feels clever and accessible. While certain stories stood out, I found them all interesting and enjoyable. An added bonus for Sittenfeld’s fans is the last short story in the collection, centering on a now middle aged Lee Fiora, the protagonist from Prep.

I have tried and tried to be a fan of Curtis Sittenfeld, but the books just aren’t for me. I think many will enjoy the stories and this writing style, but for whatever reason, I struggle to enjoy the books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an arc of Show Don’t Tell. I love Curtis Sittenfeld. I adored Romantic Comedy, and I really couldn’t put this one down. Despite that it was short stories (which is not my preferred genre), I was super compelled to keep reading. Sittenfeld is a master at dropping the reader into a story- I felt connected to characters I just met, and I was invested in the story from the first few paragraphs. I found myself even thinking about some of the stories later in my day… they have staying power in a way I didn’t expect.

I love the title, love the cover….but I’m sad to say that I didn’t love these stories. I’m a huge Curtis Sittenfeld fan, so this surprises me to say. But I just found the themes she chose and the tone/mood of these stories to be unrelentingly sad. A collection of ways life can disappoint us, almost. Perhaps that is exactly right for this time, so I do recommend others give it a try. Sittenfeld is an excellent writer, and I’ve enjoyed both her novels and her first story collection. But this one wasn’t for me. Still through, I’m glad to have had the chance to read it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.