These are beautiful stories. McCracken is a master of the short story form. Elevating the ordinary into the extraordinary simply by a little twist of her storytelling kaleidoscope here and there, McCracken gives us careful and perceptive observations of the world, life, and humanity. Not a single story here disappoints. And, as with her other collections, each story here leaves us not only questioning our own value systems but also wanting to linger just a bit longer in McCracken's worlds.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because it's brilliant.
The author is a talented storyteller and her characters are realistic, flawed and very well written.
The stories are fascinating and loved them.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Elizabeth McCracken's THE SOUVENIR MUSEUM is that rarest of story collections -- an immediate throat-grabbing moment in a person's life with rich atmosphere, complex relationships, and laugh-out-loud. I hurtled through the spare, elegant prose and emerged feeling like I'd been to Amsterdam, to that tiny family house far in the country, Legoland, with fascinating people in their fullest and most human selves. A wonderful, truly transformative read, it enchanted me -- and I am not usually drawn into short stories. Each story is a gem in itself although several characters appear in different stories, making me feel involved in who they are, were, and are becoming. I received an advance reader copy of the novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

This collection of short stories was extremely enjoyable to read. There is incredible variety ranging from darkly funny to poignant. All of the stories share exquisite descriptive language and visual imagery. From references to 'Let's Make a Deal" to Punch and Judy. Some of my favorite images were of "Raft of Medusa at the Waterpark" or a character in search of a "Baby Alive" doll in thrift shops. McCracken not only is able to evoke a visual image of where you are but also a sensory experience through smell and touch. I also love that two of the characters, Jack and Sadie appear in many of these stories. Very well written and even though each story stands on its own, I highly recommend you read them all.

A must read.

Award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken is an undisputed virtuoso of the short story, and this new collection features her most vibrant and heartrending work to date

In these stories, the mysterious bonds of family are tested, transformed, fractured, and fortified. A recent widower and his adult son ferry to a craggy Scottish island in search of puffins. An actress who plays a children’s game-show villainess ushers in the New Year with her deadbeat half brother. A mother, pining for her children, feasts on loaves of challah to fill the void. A new couple navigates a tightrope walk toward love. And on a trip to a Texas water park with their son, two fathers each confront a personal fear.

This contemporary short-story collection brought to live so many quirky, well-formed characters. The strength of the writing shows in each character's well-developed inner voice - the window we get into their thoughts and motivations is captivating and engaging.

The stories were ;linked in a way that gave the collection a strong structure, but each story stand strong alone in its storytelling and emotional depth. I especially loved "A Splinter" and "Robinson Crusoe at the Waterpark"

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this collection!

I don't think that this is for me.. The plots of the stories weren't as interesting as I had hoped. The characters felt a little flat to me.

The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth Mccracken. I was looking forward to reading these short stories. I tried a couple of times to get into it. But couldn't. I'm not sure if I just didn't get it, or maybe because I'm American and it takes place in the UK. So I gave up. Thanks for letting me give it a try

I have been a fan of amazing author Elizabeth McCracken since I happened upon her wonderful novel THE GIANT’S HOUSE when it was published with great fanfare. Her writing is vivid and true and surprising and often hilarious. This new dazzling book of short stories spans the globe. I was captivated by every character, every narrative and every location. This book of unpredictable, multi-dimensional characters is a welcome tonic in a time when world travel is impossible and staying at home is the only choice.

I recommend this book enthusiastically and without hesitation.

Brava, Ms. McCracken! And thank you for taking this reader around the globe.

I'm all about a little bit of absurdity, and I love a good collection of short stories - however, I just don't think this was the right collection for me.
I loved the uniqueness of Elizabeth McCracken's writing, but overall it felt very disjointed for me. Everything started and ended so abruptly, and not in a charming kind of way.

I just wish there was more closure within the short chapters, and a better flow to it all.
Short story collections are hard to get just right, this one was just a little too far left field for me unfortunately.

So how to review a perfect collection of short stories? This is such a book and I am at a loss for words. Nevertheless, here are a few.

McCracken's strength lies in her characters. Quirky and grounded, willing to combine both whimsey and harsh reality. I know that sounds dreadful, but McCracken pulls it off. A young man has his parents' permission to run away to sea for a few weeks, but he fails to return, instead running away to London to become a ventriloquist. An aging actress with a role in a children's game show watches an entertainer make balloon animals on a ferry during a storm. A man discovers that parenthood involves going places, like a German-themed waterpark, that he would never normally visit. And there are stories that link together in the best ways. I can't point to a weak story or a clunky phrase in the book. I loved it.

Author Elizabeth McCracken populates her stories with characters we almost seem to know well. They are almost recognizable, friends of friends we may have heard about for years, but only met in passing. Her tales are modest until, all of a sudden, she juxtaposes thoughts so perfectly, arriving at a conclusion unknown until she provided it, but exquisite. THE SOUVENIR MUSEUM is a collection of her short stories previously published elsewhere. I am most enamored of the continuing saga of Sadie and Jack and wished she had provided another story about their old age. Perhaps that will yet arrive. This is a fast treasure; a very good collection of life stories. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

These delightful short stories are mostly about people away from home, attending weddings in foreign countries or running away from home or going to ill-fated museums with the wrong expectations. Elizabeth McCracken is a master of the specifics of a character's fears and yearnings, and can tell the stories with a wry humor that helps to capture the small embarrassing absurdities of our daily lives as well as our biggest tragedies when they come. A handful of the stories are about a married couple named Jack and Sadie, and we get to see them at various stages of their lives, apart and together. On the whole, this is a marvelous collection that shows what McCracken does best; she creates whole worlds for us to enjoy in small bites.

Some hits, some misses (mostly hits). One of the most underrated literary writers out there. Weird and very compassionate portrayals of humanity.

I received an electronic ARC from Ecco through NetGalley.
This set of short stories weaves together and each stands on its own. Readers see characters at different points along their life journeys. McCracken shares just enough about her characters to pull readers in and not drown them in details. As expected, some are more appealing than others but a diverse range of readers will find a story to connect with in this book.

The Souvenir Museum is usually not the type of book I read. My mind has been changed after I finished this book. It is a refreshing change and I throughly enjoyed it.
Let’s picture we are walking down a hallway with six doors on one side and six doors on the other. Behind each door is a story of love, death, betrayal, friendship and soul searching. Open door number one and you will find Sadie meeting her fiancé’s family for the first time. Continue on to door number two. A group of people in search of sea puffins, actually finding more than birds.
My personal favorite is behind door number 11. This story involves a mom and her son. They travel to Denmark , visiting a legoland and a souvenir museum which they tour finding a room filled with forbidden souvenirs. The forbidden items are coral, ivory, and alligator shoes. As they tour an old authentic danish village they encounter the “Viking” father of her son. Apparently he left her not knowing she was pregnant.
So many stories in The Souvenir Museum of people seeking to understand life, themselves and the world around them. If you the reader seek to join these characters on their quests you will be rewarded with memories to last a long while after you have turned the last page.

The Souvenir Museum is a book of short stories that all have the common theme of family/relationships. I loved every moment of this book. I loved every story. I have never read a book by this author and I look forward to reading more. She writes with a dry wit that I adore.

There are some stories that have recurring characters and I found myself looking forward to seeing how they progressed. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I was a little sad to finish it because I wanted more. Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Memories are the souvenirs of our souls. Lovingly stitched together like panels of an heirloom quilt, the short stories in The Souvenir Museum offer hauntingly profound and deeply expressive tales of love, loss, guilt, longing and remembrance spanning from days to decades. These stories speak to the very essence of nostalgia, the persistence of memory, and how the circumstances of our past often play a role in defining our journey.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This was a lovely collection of short stories. At times, defined by setting and place, and at times defined by character relationships and the passing of some years, these stories provide a range of emotional engagement that I found thoroughly enjoyable.

I lost steam on this collection after the third. I do love her writing! Short stories are hit or miss mood-wise for me and I am not in a short story mood. Thank you!

This is a collection of quirky short stories that feature seekers looking for their place within the world, within family, within themselves. The author’s language is unexpected, sometimes humorous or insightful. Her descriptions may chronicle the familiar, but something is always a little bit off. Characters may be hard to connect to, since they are having a hard time forming their own connections. Reading this book is a pleasure because the author can transport you to seeing a world through someone else’s eyes. Whether you want to go there can be disquieting and perplexing. Caught up in the author’s sentences, I sometimes lost the character…..but even that was enjoyable. It’s a different reading trip, unlike others I have taken…but worth the time.
Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.