Alice Adams (1) (1926–1999)

I have to preface this by saying this was a quick read. The characters keep you glued to the page. One of the major themes of Adams's Caroline's Daughters is dissatisfaction. To start with, Caroline has five daughters from three different marriages and each one couldn't be more different from the another. The only thing they really have in common, besides their biological mother, is the need for something more in their lives. Eldest daughter Sage is a failing ceramics artist with a show more philandering husband. What disturbed me about her story is that everyone around her knows her husband is a cheat but no one has that conversation with her. Overweight Liza is mother to three but wants to be a writer. She is the only one who is truly satisfied, relationship-wise...at least she thinks she is (stay tuned). Fiona is a restauranteur who really doesn't like food and can't keep a boyfriend. Jill, as a stockbroker lawyer, is fixated on wealth so much so she has prostituted herself for the excitement and extra cash. Portia, the youngest, simply doesn't know what she wants. Her sexuality as well as her entire life is ambiguous. True to all sibling rivalries, there is competition and jealousy among all five of them. In the midst of all this chaos is Caroline, powerless to help her daughters find their way. She has her own drama to deal with when her third husband suffers a debilitating stroke. show less

It is a set of stories about women, most, but not all, white women from the south; most, but not all, divorced or many times married, most sad in some defined or undefined way. It is most often a picture of a time when marriage was a social goal, career an afterthought or discouraged, children freer than they seem today, or less cared for. In those set in the south, the awareness of race and class are prominent themes. Many of the stories are told by or about children as witness to the show more adults in their lives.
That makes the stories sound unredeemably sad, but not entirely. Happiness is sometimes thwarted, or sometimes offstage, or sometimes reported after the fact. It's not the interesting part.

The earliest story is from 1959, the last from 1978, and the social fabric changes in a way I recognize, having lived through it, albeit without the prevalence of alcohol and divorce. They would certainly fail the Bechtel test - but then, I think the whole era would have, wouldn't it? show less

I've been rereading Alice Adams short stories from her 1989 collection called [b:After You've Gone|814153|After You've Gone|Alice Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1302186735l/814153._SY75_.jpg|2107424]and remembering what a fantastic, succinct writer she was. The New Yorker agreed publishing over twenty of her tales and I read her superb novels back in the day, but most of these stories are well done (except perhaps the title tale) especially "Fog" show more and "Ocracoke Island". They are about thoughtful women in their forties or fifties who have competent careers, comfortable homes, often pets, but their men! There's more than disregard in their attentions, a cruel streak can be seen in some of these guys. The women are gently reaching toward feminism and some toward autonomy, but each of them is someone I can imagine having conversations with and bemoaning our unfortunate lovers. Compelling and identifiable, a satisfying reread. show less

I've been rereading Alice Adams short stories from her 1989 collection called [b:After You've Gone|814153|After You've Gone|Alice Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1302186735l/814153._SY75_.jpg|2107424]and remembering what a fantastic, succinct writer she was. The New Yorker agreed publishing over twenty of her tales and I read her superb novels back in the day, but most of these stories are well done (except perhaps the title tale) especially "Fog" show more and "Ocracoke Island". They are about thoughtful women in their forties or fifties who have competent careers, comfortable homes, often pets, but their men! There's more than disregard in their attentions, a cruel streak can be seen in some of these guys. The women are gently reaching toward feminism and some toward autonomy, but each of them is someone I can imagine having conversations with and bemoaning our unfortunate lovers. Compelling and identifiable, a satisfying reread. show less