A delightfully odd, funny book of short stories. Laugh out loud in many places ("The Irish Wedding"). Prime Elizabeth McCracken content.

"The Souvenir Museum" by Elizabeth McCracken is a collection of short stories that showcases the author's talent for crafting richly detailed characters and evocative settings. While the character development may vary from story to story, McCracken's prose is consistently engaging and immersive, drawing readers into the lives of her diverse cast of characters. Set against a variety of backdrops, from small-town America to exotic foreign locales, the atmospheric settings add depth and texture to each story, creating a sense of place that resonates long after the final page.

McCracken's writing style is both lyrical and incisive, with prose that crackles with wit and insight. The plots of the stories unfold with a natural rhythm, allowing readers to savor the beauty of McCracken's language and the complexity of her characters' lives. While some stories may lack the pacing and intrigue of others, the overall collection offers a satisfying blend of humor, pathos, and emotional resonance. The relationship dynamics between characters are expertly portrayed, adding depth and nuance to each narrative and leaving readers with a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Overall, "The Souvenir Museum" is a delightful and thought-provoking collection that offers a glimpse into the joys and sorrows of life in all its messy, beautiful glory. McCracken's skillful storytelling, richly drawn characters, and evocative settings make for an enjoyable reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Whether you're a fan of short fiction or simply love a good story, "The Souvenir Museum" is a must-read that will linger in your mind long after you've finished the last page.

This collection is as character-driven as it could possibly be. Events happen in the stories, but the momentum comes from a delicious, absorbed interiority. Her characters are eccentric and often obsessive and utterly compelling. Note: Don't space these stories out too much or you might (like me) miss the fact that five of them are about the same two characters and then feel really dumb and like you missed a layer to the brilliant storytelling.

This author writes SO WELL! I didnt love all of these stories but the first one- i definitely laughed out loud and told my partner about it. Well written- i will read stuff they write again!

It was an ok read. Some of the stories involving the characters felt like filler with no resolution. Sadie and Jack are the main focus of most of the storytelling. I particularly enjoyed the water park story. A beautiful story about a man who loses his wife but finds love in the form of a younger man. Beautiful.

I was not familiar with McCracken's previous works but was intrigued by the description. I tend to love books about quirky people. This is a collection of short stories about a wide variety of people and their relationships. I found the majority of the stories unable to catch my attention and found only a few of the characters even interesting. Too many of the characters grated on my nerves. From reading other reviews, this is a book that you either love or hate. There is no middle ground for this book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I love Elizabeth McCracken, but this was my first time reading one of her short story collections -- and I adored it. The prose is perfect and the stories are absolutely heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

An excellent collection of short stories. Elizabeth McCracken is as accomplished a short story writer as she is a novelist. I have read several of her novels but this was my first exposure to her stories. I will definitely be looking into previous collections and anticipating future stories.

I am grateful to NetGalley, HarperCollins and author Elizabeth McCracken for providing me an advanced digital copy of the story collection titled The Souvenir Museum. I enjoyed reading most of the collection’s stories, but I most enjoyed reading the several stories sprinkled throughout that are akin to the chapters of a novella. It is as if Ms. McCracken wrote a novella, but threw in several unrelated stories between chapters. I have never read a story collection like this before. Usually I am able to find a theme or common thread among the stories, but here the only commonality was the disjointed continuation of one story. I found myself wanting to get through the interloping stories to see what would happen next in the novella!

The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken is a very touching and somehow nostalgic collection of short stories that I enjoyed reading. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading short stories. #TheSouvenirMuseum #NetGalley

A well-written collection of short stories with quirky characters. A handful of the stories feature the same characters at different points in time, but the majority are stand-alones. I read this collection over a long period of time, but the stories were memorable enough that I can actually remember even the early stories in the collection, which is definitely not always the case.

I’m not great with shorty stories so my feelings aren’t a reflection of the quality of this book. Much of the writing was nuanced and enjoyable. I’m just always anxious about how many pages are left before the next story and generally aware I’m not necessarily giving the book its due.

In a Souvenir Museum, Elizabeth McCracken reveals an astounding range of skill. This collection of short stories is rich. There isn't a single story to highlight, because the entire experience is one to relish, less due to plot --although the settings were detailed-- and more due to author's creativity. With clever wordsmithing and world building, with compact words and tight sentences that suggest at so much, I could sometimes just gasp at the ability to show the beauty of language:

"He did not dream in Lego, not anymore, but sometimes he still raked his hand through the bins of it beneath his bed as a kind of rosary, to remind himself that the world, like Lego, was solid and mutable, both."

McCracken is an astute observer whose stories felt imaginative and new; I relished the opportunities to pick up this book and delight at the richness of the scenarios and the characters and the way McCracken could make words shine and feelings pop off the page.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

A real pro gives us some great stories!

I’m a sucker for short story collections, and I so often hit gold. And I did here! Wow. I loved a few, liked a bunch, said meh to a couple. But overall, it was a great collection—I mean, I really like this author’s style—her captivating language, plot, and characters. Just wait till you read some of the quotes, below—just wowser. (Permission to skip to the quotes if you can’t stand to wait, lol.)

I’ve been curious about this writer ever since I heard Ann Patchett praise her. Apparently, they were at a writer’s retreat together and became bosom buddies. I could just see them drinking tea together while joyfully critiquing each other’s work in little cabins buried in some lush rainforest. Any friend of Ann is a friend of mine, lol. No, seriously, if Ann Patchett likes her writing and I like Ann Patchett so much, it only makes sense that I’d like Elizabeth McCracken. She is one smart cookie—and a born storyteller.

Joy Jar

-Quirky characters who let you in on what they’re thinking. Great little character studies.

-Chiseled sentences. The language is SO good!

-The stories made me stop and think. Little nuggets of wisdom tossed in here and there.

-Even though many of the stories didn’t have real closure, I liked how they showed splices of rich, off-kilter life.

-Quirky and intriguing storylines.

-There’s an off-beat couple, Jack and Sadie, who appear in four of the 12 stories. I liked seeing them at different times of their life.

-Learned a bunch of new words, which is always fun as long as the book isn’t overrun with SAT words. It wasn’t, here—the author sprinkled in the perfect amount.

-The first story made me conduct a survey (see Complaint Board)—fun fun fun!

-My very favorite story was “Robinson Crusoe at the Waterpark.”

Complaint Board:

-Occasionally the author is borderline too heady.

-The images are usually good, but occasionally they’re too much—at those times, it seems the author gets carried away with trying to describe objects too well, too creatively, too Iowa grad-school-y. Or maybe too writer’s retreat-y.

-In the opening story, “The Irish Wedding,” there’s an American slang phrase that is sort of pivotal. I didn’t know the phrase, so when the main character cracked up, I didn’t know why. I was left out of the joke. She did give its meaning when she calmed down, but I had missed the point of her laughing, which sort of ruined the story for me. It seemed wrong for the author to pick a phrase that wasn’t known by all Americans. (And what if this story is published in other countries? The phrase will be lost on them, too.) However, on the upside, I frantically surveyed everyone I know to see if they knew the phrase—I always love me a good survey, and I love the conversations that happen at survey time. I’m blown away that most people had heard of the phrase. How did I miss it? (I know I’ve gotten you all curious now, but let me say the phrase is really sophomoric and stupid!) I could have lived my whole life and never missed knowing this phrase. Authors: please don’t put it in a story! It wasn’t fun that I had a complaint about the very first story; it had me worried about future tales. (It turned out that this was the only story that made me complain, thank god.)

I just spent an hour transcribing some of my favorite passages—a real kick because I got to hear some golden sentences again. The list of quotes was hugundous, so I made myself pick just ten. Fat chance! I hate when I don’t obey myself, but I had to sneak in an extra. I wanted to ignore my rule of 10 altogether and go hog wild—the hell with my stupid rule! But, sigh, my review is already way too long!

Quotes:

“Outside of the car the rain was friendlier than it had been on the car windows, over friendly, wet and insinuating, running its fingers through their hair and down the backs of their collars.”

“What could be sadder in a marriage than incompatible feelings about bagpipes?”

“It struck him as feeble-minded, to stare at the throats and tails of birds for a flush or flash, just so you could name them.”

“David was not superstitious except in this way: he liked to feel lucky.”

“Gravity is hilarious, until it kills you.”

“…pessimism is a form of cowardice…”

“My apartment had only a small fiberglass shower I had to fit myself into, as though it were a science fiction pod that transported me to nowhere…”

“How can it be that I felt like this, over so little? It was as though I’d rubbed two sticks together and they’d detonated in my lap.”

“He was a lifelong shrugger. It was the genuflection of the devout fuckup.”

“The time that living with another person took up! The small talk! The politeness! Life alone was banal, too, but at least the banality wasn’t narrated.”

“A radio station was another way grown-ups could talk to you without ever having to listen.”

I thank Ann Patchett for leading me to this fantastic short-story writer. Believe me, this won’t be the last thing I read by her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I tried. If the first story sets the stage, I knew early on I had to exit left and DNF. Our first introduction includes a couple who couldn’t be more flat and forced if they tried. The troupes reminded me of when sometimes authors write about another gender and miss the mark altogether. I was so bored with the first story and I absolutely love short stories. This is the second book I’ve tried to read by this author and I can finally admit she just isn’t for me. I love the cover though!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really like Elizabeth McCracken, and I have been a huge fan of short story collections this year, but this one didn't gel for me. The first story was such a strong start, but I didn't feel like subsequent stories lived up to it, although they all had some great writing. I even loved the puffins, but didn't love the characters. I'll keep reading McCracken's books, this one just wasn't a favorite! Thanks!

Short stories can be a challenge for me but I enjoyed these and would recommend them to readers looking for an absorbing collection.

Elizabeth McCracken is an excellent writer. As for her story telling.. I can't say that I'm a fan. None of these stories were particular memorable and they come off as disjoined and random. I would call this depressing literary fiction which I liked some of the messages in the stories but I was just so bored and couldn't get past that. This won't stick with me but maybe if the author does write a full novel I will read that just because I think her writing is so great. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.!

My first Elizabeth MCracken book and It will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed the stories being bookended by a wedding and the sparkling, believable characters that featured. Highly recommend.

The Souvenir museum was an unexpected and wonderful surprise. The book is a short story collection with themes of longing, finding one's place, and being out of place. There was something about these stories that felt nostalgic, as if I was reading actual memories. The writing was incredibly evocative and moving and the characters and stories stayed with me long after I finished the book.. One of my favorite reads yet this year!

Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the copy in response for an honest review.