Women in Bed: Nine Stories
Jessica Keener
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Jessica Keener's extraordinary debut novel, Night Swim captivated readers with its eloquence, insight, and humanity. "This gripping first novel announces the arrival of a strong, distinct and fully evolved new voice," said Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants called Keener, "An amazing new literary voice."Now Jessica Keener returns with this collection of nine stories that thematically address variations of love - love of self, family, and sexual relationships - from loneliness and isolation, desperation and rejection - to need and passion, forgiveness and, finally, to love found."Secrets" follows a young woman that gets involved with a female friend who pushes her boundaries around sex, love, and intimacy.In "Papier Mache," a college student who loses brother to suicide is grieving and gets entangled with a professor who is a critic and over-intellectualizes everything. The student challenges the professor and vice versa in a strange power dance with emotional fallout."Boarders" tells the story of a young college student who drops out to be with her narcissistic lover. She lives in grim boarding house with desolate, lonely men until she realizes that she must flee to find something better, healthier, more nurturing and loving."Woman with Birds in her Chest" involves a woman who leaves her social worker job and realizes she has never truly nurtured herself. Her ensuing breakdown puts her loving marriage to the test."Recovery" tells of a young woman in a hospital room who witnesses death, escapes her own, and comes to terms with life's uncertainties and the unexpected power of sibling love.In "Shoreline," a woman leaves her husband, goes to a cottage on the beach, and has a flirtation with a client. She soon discovers that she must end her marriage before she can move on to find a new love.In "Bird of Grief," a grad student recovering from a broken relationship projects her anger and grief onto a new man, eventually coming to terms with letting go."Forgiveness" is a spare, stark story of two sisters, family violence, and the quest for forgiveness.In "Heart," a woman meets her lover in a Paris hotel room and goes through a cycle of anxiety, worry, and the expectation that things will not work out, only to be surprised by the goodness that emerges.Poignant, surprising, funny and profound, and always perceptive and gorgeously written, Women in Bed is a rich collection of moving tales that will engage you from the first page.
Product Details
Price
$13.74
Publisher
Story Plant
Publish Date
October 01, 2013
Pages
154
Dimensions
5.11 X 7.99 X 0.46 inches | 0.4 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781611880755
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About the Author
Jessica Keener has been listed in "The Pushcart Prize" under Outstanding Writers. Her fiction has appeared most recently in: "Connotation Press: An Online Artifact," "Night Train," and "Wilderness House Literary Review." A recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist s Grant Program, and second prize in fiction from "Redbook" magazine, her feature articles have appeared in "The Boston Globe," "Design New England," "O, The Oprah Magazine" and other national publications. Her first novel, "Night Swim" was published to critical acclaim and was a national bestseller.
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Reviews
"What we do - or don't or won't do - for love, in all its incarnations, is at the fiercely beating heart of this stellar collection of linked stories. As exhilarating as love at first sight, and written in prose as clear and spare as a single bed, these stories linger, haunt and showcase the talents of a literary master."
- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of PICTURES OF YOU and IS THIS TOMORROW
"It is impossible to turn away from these beautiful and evocative stories. Jessica Keener explores the courage, vulnerabilities, and strength of women in every phase of life. No matter who you are, you will see a version of yourself illuminated in this poignant, powerful book."
- Jessica Anya Blau, author of THE WONDER BREAD SUMMER
"Seductive, incandescent, suspenseful, and wise, WOMEN IN BED is a masterful collection that explores a landscape of intimate love, heartbreak, and desire. Keener's writing has a thrilling clarity. At once multifaceted and seamless, these stories map, with searing precision, the intricacies of the heart and those irrevocable moments on which a life turns."
- Dawn Tripp, author of GAME OF SECRETS and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award
"Haunting and profoundly thought-provoking, the nine stories in Jessica Keener's WOMEN IN BED are probing, unflinching portrayals of self-reflection and redemption."
- Maryanne O'Hara, author of CASCADE, a People Magazine "Book Picks, 2012"
What we do or don t or won t do for love, in all its incarnations, is at the fiercely beating heart of this stellar collection of linked stories. As exhilarating as love at first sight, and written in prose as clear and spare as a single bed, these stories linger, haunt and showcase the talents of a literary master.
Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of PICTURES OF YOU and IS THIS TOMORROW
It is impossible to turn away from these beautiful and evocative stories. Jessica Keener explores the courage, vulnerabilities, and strength of women in every phase of life. No matter who you are, you will see a version of yourself illuminated in this poignant, powerful book.
Jessica Anya Blau, author of THE WONDER BREAD SUMMER
Seductive, incandescent, suspenseful, and wise, WOMEN IN BED is a masterful collection that explores a landscape of intimate love, heartbreak, and desire. Keener s writing has a thrilling clarity. At once multifaceted and seamless, these stories map, with searing precision, the intricacies of the heart and those irrevocable moments on which a life turns.
Dawn Tripp, author of GAME OF SECRETS and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award
"Haunting and profoundly thought-provoking, the nine stories in Jessica Keener's WOMEN IN BED are probing, unflinching portrayals of self-reflection and redemption."
Maryanne O'Hara, author of CASCADE, a People Magazine "Book Picks, 2012""
- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of PICTURES OF YOU and IS THIS TOMORROW
"It is impossible to turn away from these beautiful and evocative stories. Jessica Keener explores the courage, vulnerabilities, and strength of women in every phase of life. No matter who you are, you will see a version of yourself illuminated in this poignant, powerful book."
- Jessica Anya Blau, author of THE WONDER BREAD SUMMER
"Seductive, incandescent, suspenseful, and wise, WOMEN IN BED is a masterful collection that explores a landscape of intimate love, heartbreak, and desire. Keener's writing has a thrilling clarity. At once multifaceted and seamless, these stories map, with searing precision, the intricacies of the heart and those irrevocable moments on which a life turns."
- Dawn Tripp, author of GAME OF SECRETS and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award
"Haunting and profoundly thought-provoking, the nine stories in Jessica Keener's WOMEN IN BED are probing, unflinching portrayals of self-reflection and redemption."
- Maryanne O'Hara, author of CASCADE, a People Magazine "Book Picks, 2012"
What we do or don t or won t do for love, in all its incarnations, is at the fiercely beating heart of this stellar collection of linked stories. As exhilarating as love at first sight, and written in prose as clear and spare as a single bed, these stories linger, haunt and showcase the talents of a literary master.
Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of PICTURES OF YOU and IS THIS TOMORROW
It is impossible to turn away from these beautiful and evocative stories. Jessica Keener explores the courage, vulnerabilities, and strength of women in every phase of life. No matter who you are, you will see a version of yourself illuminated in this poignant, powerful book.
Jessica Anya Blau, author of THE WONDER BREAD SUMMER
Seductive, incandescent, suspenseful, and wise, WOMEN IN BED is a masterful collection that explores a landscape of intimate love, heartbreak, and desire. Keener s writing has a thrilling clarity. At once multifaceted and seamless, these stories map, with searing precision, the intricacies of the heart and those irrevocable moments on which a life turns.
Dawn Tripp, author of GAME OF SECRETS and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award
"Haunting and profoundly thought-provoking, the nine stories in Jessica Keener's WOMEN IN BED are probing, unflinching portrayals of self-reflection and redemption."
Maryanne O'Hara, author of CASCADE, a People Magazine "Book Picks, 2012""
