We So Seldom Look on Love

Wow. Wow. Wow.
See, THIS is why I have terminal writer's block. You read something by Barbara Gowdy and you realize you are completely inferior and nothing you do will ever make you better enough.
These are short stories, horrifying short stories, prizewinners all. They are all about people who have an oddness about them - a conjoined twin bit attached, an extra big head, deformities of all kinds and degrees of hardships.
And I love every one of the characters. I bleed for them. The poor girl whose mother loved the legs of her twin better than she loved the whole girl, the girl whose friend has a purple suitcase by the door in case of an event...
Gowdy is so good at telling these stories that they didn't feel prurient, even though some of show more the people in them had non-benign interest in the characters.
Read it. Buy it for your bookshelf. And whenever you feel like sitting down and writing a book, reread it, and then go have some wine. show less

I loved this collection. The short stories here can be disturbing and taboo, but where Gowdy excels is in crafting her characters, who are at once strange and familiar. There is not a single character in this collection that I did not empathize with.

The writing is fantastic. Gowdy captures the mindset of her characters perfectly in the prose.

I tore through this collection, and would recommend it to anyone who isn't afraid of reading shocking stories that touch your heart in unexpected ways.

This anthology was my first experience with Barbara Gowdy, some years ago. She addresses the fringe of human nature, and writes with the exacting sensation of biting into aluminum foil. "We So Seldom Look on Love" is a study in identity and the reflection of self in another. Also read: "Mr. Sandman."

As always, Barbara Gowdy's characters are a tad freakish and mostly likeable. However, some of these stories were just too weird for me. cannot recommend it.

Excelente!!! Hace tiempo que no leía unas historias cortas tan originales , profundas y precisas .

"FLesh of my Flesh" me tuvo leyendo entre lágrimas . Tanta ternura ! (Entre tanta perturbación de la mayoría de los demás cuentos)

Sometimes uncomfortable topics are nonetheless well written and intriguing. Gowdy is an excellent writer.

Very quirky and a little disturbing.