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Chargement... This Cake is for the Party (2010)par Sarah Selecky
   Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  TobinElliott | Sep 3, 2021 |    ) Rdra1962 | Aug 1, 2018 | I look forward to more. (  ) laurenbufferd | Nov 14, 2016 | Set in various locations across Canada, but especially in Ontario, the stories have varied themes and feature characters that include a young man struggling with whether or not to report a good friend of his wife as an unfit mother, a naïve young woman trying to launch a network marketing business, and a woman at her deceased neighbour’s yard sale. Her characters and themes are universal and guaranteed to make you squirm in recognition. Selecky’s writing is clean and unpretentious, and I predict a bright future for her. Recommended. Read this if: you’re looking for a fresh, new voice in Canadian fiction; or if you enjoy short stories in modern settings. 4 stars Note: Visit Sarah’s website and sign up for her free daily writing prompts. They’re brilliant. (  ) ParadisePorch | Jul 12, 2014 | ) oldblack | Mar 22, 2014 |
 Selecky harbours deep affection for her characters, combined with effortless grace; there is truly not a weak link to be found. She has a keen ear for understated dialogue, and a gift for unusual description, always a plus: “a round, hollow sound comes from Flip, who is trying to hide his laugh in his wineglass. It sounds like the fossilized call of a loon.” The stories, taken together, do suffer a certain degree of sameness in their rhythms, an overall softness that may disguise Selecky’s very real skill in construction. But should it be a mark against an author to have a distinctive voice at all? At one point in the story ‘Prognosis,’ a character exclaims, “I can’t explain it, but we should celebrate.” The same can be said for This Cake is for the Party. Short fiction collection :A very tasty confection, crumbs and all .The cover of Sarah Selecky’s debut fiction collection is striking in its insistence upon ruin, lack and nostalgia: A jaggedly reassembled smashed plate is home to a cluster of crumbs, a consumption-smeared fork and the counter-insistent title declaration, This Cake is for the Party. And while the collection explores sites of emotional and physical volatility, Selecky sinks her teeth into something far more powerful than the violence of loss: She skillfully wrests devastation from its customary gloom of lamentation and regret, and bares its overwhelming beauty.Selecky’s stories are also ridiculously witty.Compelling, clever and exceptionally crafted, This Cake really delivers. Prix et récompensesListes notables
"Shortlisted for the acclaimed 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award, and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize Best First Book Award, This Cake Is for the Party has received consistent rave reviews praising debut writer Sarah Selecky. In these ten stories, linked frequently by the sharing of food, Sarah Selecky reaffirms the life of everyday situations with startling significance. For upmarket women's fiction readers that love stories which reflect the joys and pitfalls of marriage, fidelity, fertility, and relationship woes, this collection is a conversation starter. This Cake Is for the Party reminds us that the best parts of our lives are often the least flashy. Reminiscent of early Margaret Atwood, with echoes of Lisa Moore and Ali Smith, these absorbing stories are about love and longing, that touch us in a myriad of subtle and affecting ways.With more than 10,000 copies sold in Canada, where she was named the CBC Book Award's Best New Writer, Sarah Selecky proves she is an exciting new voice with a promising future"--
"Shortlisted for the acclaimed 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award, and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize Best First Book Award, This Cake Is for the Party has received consistent rave reviews praising debut writer Sarah Selecky. In these ten stories, linked frequently by the sharing of food, Sarah Selecky reaffirms the life of everyday situations with startling significance. For upmarket women's fiction readers that love stories which reflect the joys and pitfalls of marriage, fidelity, fertility, and relationship woes, this collection is a conversation starter. This Cake Is for the Party reminds us that the best parts of our lives are often the least flashy. Reminiscent of early Margaret Atwood, with echoes of Lisa Moore and Ali Smith, these absorbing stories are about love and longing, that touch us in a myriad of subtle and affecting ways. With more than 10,000 copies sold in Canada, where she was named the CBC Book Award's Best New Writer, Sarah Selecky proves she is an exciting new voice with a promising future"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (3.74)
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3
The first is a quiet desperation. Each of Selecky's characters--all beautifully realized with a quirky yet minimalist touch--seem to be desperately searching for something...understanding, friendship, love, success... So at times, they all seem to come from the same village. Yet, each one does bring something different to each story.
There's beautiful, oblique observances in each of the stories. Selecky has a wonderful eye for details most of us miss. When she mentions them within the story, however, they immediately set the perfect tone, or emotion.
There's a slight preponderance of healthy lifestyle plot points. This character's a vegan, that one sells healthy, organic food, this one creates all-natural cleaning products, those ones live off the grid on an island and make candles. Everyone's very arty. I'd love to see the author break out of that occasionally and give us someone who's a little more gritty.
There is also, at times, a sometimes frustrating lack of resolution to many of the stories. At a yard sale, a son is grieving the loss of his father. His mother is moving on, but the neighbour's relationship with the grieving son, while hinted at, is never fully revealed. It's things like that that frustrate me. I know it's considered literary and I know it's deep but dammit, I like a beginning, a middle, and an end.
So yes, this is a tough review to write because I love the writing, I love the characters, I love the situations, I love the observances, but I don't always love how some of the stories more fade away than finish.
Still, would I read more of Selecky's work? Hell yes. (