Lauren Holmes

Despite the salacious title, "Barbara the Slut" is not about sex. This book of 10 short stories is about the human condition -- relationships between siblings, parent/child relationships, life cross-roads, job stresses and more. Sure, sex plays a role -- to a varying degree -- in many of the stories, but it's not the central theme. Those hoping for pages of steamy love scenes will be disappointed.

I loved Holmes's style and wondered why I don't read short stories more often, as it's a show more powerful genre. In this collection Holmes delivers "slice of life" stories of people in completely different situations. There's not a lot of background at the start of her stories, nor are there tidy endings. I see in other reviews this is driving some readers batty, but it didn't bother me. Each of the characters in the stories is so distinct, that Holmes does not need to rely on plot in order for the story to be fulfilling. There was enough plot to satisfy, while having the characters drive each piece forward. It was a refreshing change from the confines of many novels I usually read.

4 stars. show less

I'm not going to tell you that this book wasn't any fun to read. And I'm not going to tell you that it's title isn't funny. But I'm also not going to tell you that the stories in this one are particularly noteworthy or memorable. Holmes does one thing right: a sort of cool, detached irony that plays out in specifically female-oriented contexts (babysitting gigs, high school sexual politics, a short-term job at a clinic). I'm always glad to find more evidence that, despite British people's show more claims to the contrary, Americans really pull off irony on stage or just in text.

Not only is the tone of these books too samey, their content often is, too. They all seem to focus on vaguely frustrated young women in that in-between sage that, for many in the middle class, lasts from the end of high school to the years that immediately follow graduation from a four-year college. I'm not saying that these years and experiences can't be written about in an interesting way: other authors have, and young adults often find their lives flipped upside down by enormously charged emotions during this period in their lives. But you wouldn't know that by reading "Barbara the Slut". These stories just aren't for me. show less

I received this as part of Goodread's First Reads program, meaning that it's an unproofed pre-published copy of the book.

This is an interesting collection of short stories, more for the subject matter than for the content within. Almost all of them (minus the one about the guy and the one about the dog) are from the point of view of women on the verge of adulthood. You don't see that much, and I found the characters to be much more sympathetic and interesting than world-weary adults who show more have seen and dated it all by the age of 36.

Some of the stories in this collection really stand out, particularly the first one and the titular "Barbara the Slut." I kept waiting for something more, though, a message or a kernel of truth that would resonate with me. Don't get me wrong: there are some really good stories in here. But from a literary perspective, the collection as a whole isn't particularly strong.

But let's be honest: do normal readers give a shit about literary greatness? Nope. They want to enjoy a few hours through someone else's eyes, and this book gives you exactly that. show less

Barbara the Slut is just one of the numerous realistically nuanced characters you will come across in this collection of short stories by Lauren Holmes. Each story conveys human emotions, interactions, and relationships that I swear I have witnessed in real life, either from observation or from personal experience. Lauren Holmes has a freshly simplistic voice that can draw humor, poignancy, and intimacy out of her parade of characters with envious ease, and she will leave you wanting to hear show more more details about their life stories. Barbara the Slut and Other People is a light and honest collection that is perfect for summer reading and for celebrating a wonderful literary debut. show less