This was just very depressing. It just felt so true. ( )

Here is upper-middle-class London and the people who populate it. The women in these stories struggle with decisions in marriage, parenting, and life. Sometimes I felt that enough was enough, but then a story would pop up which put me back on the reading path.

That story was Wurstigkeit. This translates somewhat to English as a couldn't-care-less attitude. What the story really focuses on is shopping or the 'sausageness' of shopping. As the stories in this book weave their way around the loss of each woman's soul, the 'sausage' story becomes the fulcrum of the book. Looking at today's society, where females gain their most power spending money they don't necessarily have, this wonderful little story taps into the lost lives which revolve around clothes stores so exclusive you must know the password to get inside.

I felt this volume was a nice change of pace vis-a-vis short stories in general, as the characters are women and quite magpie-ish. It was a good read and has earned a hard won spot on the bookshelf.

Book Season = Autumn

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Going into this, I was fairly sure it wasn't exactly my style, but I always love a set of short stories, no matter how atrocious. As I began to get into the lives of the many intertwining characters, something clicked. This book made me afraid to have children, but I think that was part of the point. ( )

Simpson's short stories capture not only the day to day existence of mothers, children, and families but also most importantly the varied emotions that are coloring those days. Although I liked Perotta's Little Children I thought Simpson's book was a deeper analysis and presentation of what it is like to be a mother. ( )

Mentioned in Jonathan Franzen's essay collection Farther Away. UK: Hey Yeah Right Get a Life; US: Getting a Life