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Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories Audiobook
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(3.04) - 1,086 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Lauren Groff presents nine stories of astonishing insight and variety, each revealing a resonant drama within the life of a twentieth-century American woman.
In "Sir Fleeting," a Midwestern farm girl on her honeymoon in Argentina falls into lifelong lust for a French playboy. In "Blythe," an attorney who has become a stay-at-home mother takes a night class in poetry and meets another full-time mother, one whose charismatic brilliance changes everything. In "The Wife of the Dictator," that eponymous wife ("brought back...from [the dictator's] last visit to America") grows more desperately, menacingly isolated every day. In "Delicate Edible Birds," a group of war correspondents—a lone, high-spirited woman among them—falls prey to a brutal farmer while fleeing Nazis in the French countryside. And in "Lucky Chow Fun," Groff returns to Templeton, the setting of her first book, for revelations about the darkness within even that idyllic small town.
In some of these stories, enormous changes happen in an instant. In others, transformations occur across a lifetime—or several lifetimes. Throughout the collection, Groff displays particular and vivid preoccupations. Crime is a motif—sex crimes, a possible murder, crimes of the heart. Love troubles occur in every story—love in alcoholism, in adultery, in a flood, even in the great flu epidemic of 1918. Some of the love has depths that are understood too late; some of the love is shallow and also understood too late. And mastery is a theme—Groff's women swim and twirl batons, become poets, or try and try again to achieve the inner strength to exercise personal freedom.
Overall, these stories announce a notable new literary master. Dazzlingly original and confident, Delicate Edible Birds will further Groff's growing reputation as one of the foremost talents of her generation.
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"The short story format suits Groff well. I found her debut, The Monsters of Templeton, to be long and rambly throughout the book until the very end in which she quickly wrapped everything up without a satisfactory means of getting there. I had no such problems with Delicate Edible Birds. Nearly every story was unique and engaging. I wasn't confused or left with the feeling that there should have been more."
— Kimberly (4 out of 5 stars)
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Groff's skill makes commonplace occurrences seem compelling.
— Kirkus -
“Groff’s prose is lovely, and when she nails a story—like the title story about journalists fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris—the results are sublime.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Vivid tales from a gifted young writer who continues to surprise.”
— Booklist -
“Groff’s skill makes commonplace occurrences seem compelling.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories Listener Reviews
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" a great collection of (unminimalist) stories that contain whole lives and generations while touching on the different facets of womanhood. "
— Irmak, 2/19/2014 -
" This joins my other favorite short stories book "The Interpreter of Maladies" that I read this year. Beautifully written, totally memorable plots and settings, and wonderfully developed, complicated, layered female characters. I hadn't heard of Groff before just randomly picking this book up in the library, but I should have. Outstanding. "
— Rachel, 2/17/2014 -
" A nice collection of short stories shows Groff really stretching and sometimes her aim exceeds her grasp. the collection is front-loaded with the best work, though even the failures have something to recommend them. We get the stories of women across the twentieth century, different situations and different obstacles, told in different points-of-view and with markedly different tones. I liked this better than better-regarded short story collections by Alice Munro or Dan Chaon, both for the variety of the stories and the empathy she extracts for her characters. I will definitely chase down Groff's other work. "
— John, 2/9/2014 -
" Superb book of short stories . . . "
— Jimkarnitz, 2/4/2014 -
" Read this a couple years ago and just tore through it again. I simply love her prose. "Quirky" doesn't cut it. The title story stays with me.... "
— Elizabeth, 2/2/2014 -
" I'm not a huge short story fan, but this collection was so intense and emoationally written that each story felt like a whole book. I highly recommend this book, but also Lauren Groff's novel The Monsters of Templeton, which was one of my favorite books of the past few years. "
— Nicole, 1/30/2014 -
" Even those of you who do not like short stories will like this one. "
— Susan, 1/20/2014 -
" Definitely worth reading. I loved having a number of different stories to read, and jump from one to the next, but also see parallels between each. I believe this books expresses Groff's excellent writing skills. "
— Trisha, 1/20/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. "
— Karen, 12/16/2013 -
" Great collection of short stories- some shine more than others. The title story is provocative and what a fantastic metaphor the bird in question is. Women make believable yet unwise decisions in many of these stories. Many of them have demons in their lives that they fail to overcome. "
— Suzanne, 12/2/2013 -
" A very mixed bag. The Dictator's Wife and Sir Fleeting killed me, but other stories left me feeling cold, even a bit annoyed by an inelegant or obvious plot twist or phrase. But let me not be too harsh; I think Lauren Groff is great, and I still think about The Monsters of Templeton with affection. "
— Moira, 11/23/2013 -
" I loved loved loved this one. "
— Chamie, 11/19/2013 -
" 5/26 About halfway through the stories. LOVE them. "
— Whitney, 11/10/2013 -
" While these stories are well written and most are quite interesting, I am just not a huge fan of short stories, I prefer I nice big novel. "
— Connie, 9/29/2012 -
" I read this like I read most books of short stories--if the story doesn't catch my attention, I move on after about 2 pages. That didn't happen very often in this book. Most of the stories were moving and a few were truly riveting. Good writing and interesting characters. "
— Lisa, 7/15/2012 -
" If I had one tenth the talent that Groff has -- I would consider myself a genius and be loved by many. Her writing is so incredible that I savored each and every one of these stories. I love you, Lauren Groff. "
— marcy, 3/27/2012 -
" Considering that I struggle with short stories, these were really fun to read. "
— Jessica, 2/22/2012 -
" SO GOOD. There were such a wide range of kinds of stories in this book, and it felt eclectic but also coherent and consistent. I'm not sure I can even talk about how awesome this collection was. Just read it. "
— Taylor, 12/3/2011 -
" Haven't read many short stories in recent years though it was my thing in my early 20s. This was a great re-entry. 'Fugue' and 'Watershed' were particularly good. A few of the stories aren't that great, but the ones that are make up for it. Recommended. "
— Chris, 9/5/2011 -
" Groff is such an elegant and beautiful writer that even when these stories don't work, they are still lovely. And when they do work, they are amazing. I'm so glad I found this little collection. A lot of the characters and stories stayed with me afterward; really enjoyed these. "
— M, 9/5/2011 -
" One of the best collections of short stories I've read in a long time. Each story is unique, which a remarkable achievement. Ms. Groff keeps up the same level of quality that she exhibited in The Monsters of Templeton. "
— Lori, 8/23/2011 -
" one of the best collections of short story's i have ever read. "
— Moishy, 5/15/2011 -
" I enjoyed this author's first book The Monsters of Templeton, so picked this one up. I loved these stories. Sometimes, short stories don't work for me, but I enjoyed all the stories in this book. If you haven't discovered Lauren Groff yet, read her books!!!! "
— Betsy, 3/31/2011 -
" A solid collection of short stories, but nothing that really rocked my world. I can see how Lauren Groff's writing and themes could easily rock someone else's world though. "
— Nate, 3/9/2011 -
" Short story collection about strong women. Liked all but the last two stories, hard to follow. <br/> "
— Linda, 2/1/2011 -
" Lauren Groff, I wish I could write like you! <br/> <br/> "
— Sarah, 1/5/2011 -
" Definitely worth reading. I loved having a number of different stories to read, and jump from one to the next, but also see parallels between each. I believe this books expresses Groff's excellent writing skills. "
— Trisha, 12/11/2010 -
" really enjoyed this. i get frustrated reading short stories (b/c if they're GOOD, i want them to be longer!) and these were the perfect length, well-developed, too a few sittings to read each.... highly recommend this collection.... "
— Rachel, 10/17/2010 -
" I loved the completely quirky & weirdly courageous women in these stories. I also loved the way swimming and moustaches popped up in nearly every one. The title story knocked my socks off. Excelente! "
— Taryn, 8/14/2010 -
" Loved 2. Really liked the rest. "
— Carol, 7/10/2010 -
" An amazing collection of short stories! "
— Kayleigh, 6/11/2010 -
" I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. "
— Karen, 6/10/2010
About Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff is the author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Monsters of Templeton, Fates and Furies, and Matrix, as well as short-story collections. She has won the Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and has been a finalist for the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work regularly appears in the New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere.
About Susan Ericksen
Susan Ericksen is an actor and voice-over artist. She has been awarded numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As an actor and director, she has worked in theaters throughout the country.