I typically steer clear of short stories, because I prefer to get immersed more deeply into novels. But I have loved everything that Lily King has written thus far, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on more of her writing. Five Tuesdays in Winter did not disappoint! Each unique short story captivated me from the beginning and wouldn’t let go until the end, with writing that somehow got right to the core of each character’s experience. Every story was perfect 'bedtime story' length - short enough to read in one sitting, but long enough to be compelling and complex. Ms. King’s writing is something so special – she makes every character instantly relatable and every story has a visceral quality that I love. She manages to be easy to read, but also smart and insightful and so perfectly articulates the inner life of her characters. I don’t know how she does it, but if I were ever to write a book, I would aspire to write like her!

As has become common, I request new books by authors that I haven’t read yet but have their former books on my Want to Read list. In this case, Writers and Lovers by Lily King is the former, and Five Tuesdays in Winter is the lucky draw. This is a collection of ten of King’s short stories, mostly all with a theme around love.

Short stories are not always my favorite, and sadly this was the case again. I just feel like with a short story being characteristically short, they have to have some purpose and with most of these stories I just didn’t feel like there was much point. Or the point wasn’t interesting enough. So a man has a crush on his employee… nothing spectacular there. I like the stories to have a twist or be super captivating but these were just blasé.

There were also a few stories with sexual violence and I just found them disturbing to read. And the last story was very bizarre with some sort of sci-fi element which was very different from the other stories so it felt very out of place. If I had to pick a favorite story it would be the grandfather in the hospital with his granddaughter which was actually very, very short but it was more impactful than some of the other longer stories.

Overall the writing was fine and there was a variety of types of characters but I just didn’t find anything worthy of being a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for an ARC of this book.

i have not had the opportunity to read writers and lovers but, have been really interested in picking it up. so, when this came up netgalley i thought it was a perfect chance to give lily king's writing.

her writing has a great balance of the blunt almost bitter writing that i associate with more millennial fiction as well as being really poetic. there are some beautiful lines throughout all the stories.

something i appreciate in a short story collection is when it is actually short. i find sometime short story collection end up just being a couple of weirdly paced novellas. lily king doesn't shy away from having an actual short story which remains fleshed out and has a relatively satisfying conclusion. the pacing was sharp in most stories and all the characters felt fleshed out. however, obviously when reflecting on a short story you will always feel like there is still room for more details especially when you like that story in particular.

as with most short story collections i had my favourites and least favourites.
1. waiting for charlie - this was my favourite story. it ggrappleswith difficult themes in a short amount of time however, the emotion remains poignant and the message was touching.
2. the man at the door - wacky and weird but such an interesting tale that handled the themes in quite a unique way.
3. when in the dordogne
4. creature
5. south
6. five tuesdays in winter - yeah this is the title story but didn't really leave the impact and found it a little bit confusing .
7. mansard
8. timeline - to me this felt a little bit disjointed

overall, this really sold me on lily king's writing and i hope i can pick up her other work like writers and lovers soon.

4.5 stars, rounded up.
This is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, which I think is a marker of a successful short story collection. Individually, these stories range from good to excellent, but they work so well together that it raises the overall reading experience. It's clear that each story was carefully chosen or crafted for the project, not just thrown together.
I won't review any specific stories because I don't want to spoil anything, and I think it's best to go in with just a vague idea of the collection. That being said, each story explores its own kind/form/experience of love, and even though they are short, they manage to convey deep emotion and atmosphere.

I absolutely loved Writers & Lovers, so I had high (but hesitant) expectations, and I think readers will be pleased, as I was, to find that the simplicity and beauty of Lily King's prose shines here too. Furthermore, King has a way of creating characters than feel fully fleshed out even though we're with them for fewer than 40 pages. Even if we are not told everything, it seems like King does know everything about them and communicates their most essential selves to the reader. Finally, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed piecing together each story's setting in terms of both time and place.

After two positive experiences with King's works, I'm looking forward to digging into her backlist!

My star ratings for each story are as follows:
Creature - 4
Five Tuesdays in Winter - 4
When in the Dordogne - 5
North Sea - 3
Timeline - 4.5
Hotel Seattle - 5
Waiting for Charlie - 4
Mansard - 3.5
South - 4
The Man at the Door - 4

Short stories are just.........short.

Hence, the reason why I'm not often drawn to them. You just get into the ebb and flow of them and then they end.

But these short stories, in the hands of the talented Lily King, have substance to them. Each could be the springboard to a novel in of themselves. She has an uncanny skill of uncovering the pulse points of humanity. And it is revealed in each of her selected characters that reflect all ages, all walks of life, and all individuals who brush up against love and also those who feel the very loss of it.

Five Tuesdays in Winter may be a worthy bridge for you to cross into the writings of Lily King. But, at the same time, Lily King has showcased her brilliant writing abilities in Euphoria and in Writers & Lovers. Each are incredible reading experiences. But Writers & Lovers held my heart. Her main character of Casey carries the weight of profound grief after the loss of her mother. Like the majority of us, she wears a path back too soon into wrapping herself in the return to daily routines.

Lily King's writing is brutally honest as it peels back the layers of human nature. And that's the deepest element of a true writer.........allowing you to see profoundly beyond the words.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Grove Press and to Lily King for the opportunity.

Lily King is so talented a writer that I immediately fell in to each of these richly detailed stories. It was both an asset and a flaw that the worlds of each story was so beautifully built up that I could have spent an entire novel in just that one story: each was so vivid that they lingered with me long after I stopped reading, but I also felt like I needed a bit more because I was in so deep.

I really enjoyed these short stories. They’re beautifully written and very human, about grief, love, growing up, families, loneliness and passion. “Waiting for Charlie” was the best to me about an old man visiting his comatose granddaughter in hospital, full of memory and sadness.

lily king doesn't know how to miss. searingly mature and measured, emotional without overwhelming, this is for everyone. absolutely gorgeous

I loved this collection of Lily King's short stories. All of them are very different from one another but there are certain thematic elements that appear in many of them. Alcoholism, loss, finding love, and family issues appear in many of the stories. There was only one that was difficult for me to connect with - The Man at the Door. I think the reason for this is the particular style that was used to tell the story.

I loved virtually all the other stories. The title story, Five Tuesdays in Winter, touched my heart. A fairly misanthropic single father ,whose wife has left him, owns a bookstore. It's not a cozy place. In fact, he'd rather that his customers not hang out there. The story is about his relationship with his female employee and how his locked in emotions find their way to the surface.

When in the Dordogne was very touching. A male high school student who was a late in life child is left with two house sitting college students while his parents go on vacation. From them he feels the love and connection that is missing in his relationship with his parents.

I think my favorite story in the collection is Waiting for Charlie. A cranky 91 year old grandfather goes to the hospital to visit his badly brain injured granddaughter. She is a comatose young woman who was injured in a car accident. No one has been able to reach her but somehow he thinks he can make a difference by being assertive and telling her what's what.

I could go on about why I liked the rest of the stories but the gist is that they are amazingly polished and wonderful. It's difficult to believe this is Ms. King's first collection of short stories. I am a great admirer of her novels and she is gifted in the short story arena as well.

Lily King has delivered a truly wonderful collection of rich and textured short stories. She captures the intricacies and over-stories of the human experience with beautiful, immersive prose that leaves the reader wanting more.

Lily King is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This collection of stories are emotional, raw, and uncomfortable in many ways. But, they also ring true in their complexity.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are entirely my own.

I'm not usually one for short stories, in fact, I probably would not have requested an ARC of this book from NetGalley had I realized, but WOW, I am so glad I did.

Lily King's collection of short stories, "Five Tuesdays in Winter" is absolutely beautiful. I can't pick a favorite because I loved every single one of them. These stories deal with a variety of sometimes difficult topics: grief, heartbreak, coming of age, and more. King's writing truly made me feel like I knew the characters personally, and like I was feeling emotions alongside them.

This was my introduction to Lily King and I will 100% be looking back at her past writing while I look forward to what she publishes net.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lily King’s Five Tuesdays In Winter is a charming collection of ten short stories. This is a challenging genre because I get hooked on a story only to have the pace shift to something else. Yes, I understand the concept of short stories. But, I found it to be an exciting contrast of stories, with my favorite overall being “When In The Dordogne.” Lily King Has a distinctive way of writing, and I found most of these stories to be gems. The book cover itself is also gorgeous. So the long and short of this short story's novel is that I enjoyed the read. This book would be a good one to have by your bed so that you could read one chapter a night. At the end of the day, all of the short stories center around love, and who will turn that sort of story down? Certainly not me. Publication November 2021. @netgalley @grove_street_press #grovepress #LilyKingAuthor
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. Thank you, Netgalley and Grove Press, for the opportunity to read this book which delighted me.
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Five Tuesdays in Winter was like savoring a box of gourmet chocolates, one at a time. While I'm usually a novel reader, I found myself looking forward to reading one story each night. Each tale immediately captured me with the vivid characters and their thoughts and struggles. If this collection could convert an non-short-story person like me, I'm sure those who love this genre will rejoice!

A beautifully written collection of short stories, with a focus on transition, through slices of life. Definitely recommended..

FIVE TUESDAYS IN WINTER
BY LILY KING

Lily King has long been one of my favorite Author's. I first discovered her when she was a Barnes & Noble sensation with her debut called, "The Pleasing Hour," over twenty years ago which I knew I had found a talented author whose every work crafted since I have loved. Followed by "The English Teacher," which I devoured in one cold Winter's day. I eagerly awaited her next novel called, "Father of the Rain," which was a novel I found to be well worth the wait. "Euphoria," I thought was brilliant and I didn't read right away. but is my favorite--I enjoyed it immensely. "Writers & Lovers," is also a favorite. I found it compelling and the setting was familiar to me because I have been to all of the Boston landmarks that she included. This latest collection of short stories called, "Five Tuesdays in Winter is also a favorite and really solidifies in my opinion what a truly gifted writer she is. I loved all of her novels and I have always been a fan of short story collections because they pack such an emotional range on the spectrum and I love the intensity of the themes and I found this collection quite powerful. I plan on rereading all of her work because she has an acute talent for sharp dialogue and is just so captivating in her characterizations and plots. This latest short story collection is just so stunning. My favorite four are "The English Teacher," "Euphoria," "Writers & Lovers," and "Five Tuesdays in Winter."

"Five Tuesdays in Winter," is my all time favorite short story collection and I am probably a minority because a lot of readers don't like short stories as much as novels. I wish that I could share this collection with my younger and only sister who loved short stories as much I do. This is a beautiful collection that I found had something to offer in each and every one and I found all of them to be quite powerful. My favorites were "Creature," "Five Tuesdays in Winter," "When in the Dordogne,"--the most uplifting one and my favorite ending with the young boy who discovers happiness taught to him by two University students Ed and Grant. He learns it through them having felt unloved by his parents whom seem to be remote. This fourteen year old boy spends a life altering few weeks during the Summer. Perhaps his father's struggle with depression and the feeling from his distant mother who hires a house sitter instead of two students to look after her son. Ed and Grant have to ask what the boy enjoys instead of her making that a priority she more or less tells them that he 'looks after himself.' I found the positive impact that these two University students have on him to be life affirming. I loved the last paragraph and it was the most hopeful one that resonated with me.

"Creature," which is about a young girl whose mother arranges with a family to babysit a young girl and boy whose mother wants to share in the taking care of her children. The children's Uncle is not the sort I would want my daughter to even entertain the thought of having a crush on. He is every parent's worst nightmare. I thought his actions were disturbing, but found the story realistic. "Five Tuesdays in Winter," is about a father and daughter who own and work at a used bookstore. Their only employee a tutor of Spanish for the vulnerable father and "North Sea," were melancholic and raw in their depictions of vulnerability were equally poignant as were the entire collection. I own all of Lily King's physical hardcover First Editions, First Printings signed by her on the title page and I plan on purchasing this one and hopefully be able to go to her Author reading of this one as she lives close by in a neighboring State or attend a reading of this one in Boston, if she plans on an Author's tour. I would really be interested in hearing her speak about her writing process of this latest one which is a strong and solid collection. I love how when reading a short story how they almost end unexpectedly with the last lines being Stunning! She keeps getting better and better with each new offering. This one contains some of the most raw and honest writing about the human condition that I have read in recent memory. Unflinchingly Humane! Unforgettable! Brilliant & Stunning! Spare! Unique! I would give this collection one-hundred stars if I could. Absolutely Haunting in Ms King's spare evocative prose!

Publication Date: November 6, 2021

A huge debt of gratitude to Net Galley, Lily King and Grove Atlantic Publishing for providing me with my Fantastic ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#FiveTuesdaysinWinter #LilyKing #GroveAtlanticPublishing #NetGalley #FavoriteAuthor

This book was honestly not for me. I enjoyed Lily King's writing style, she is excellent as describing situations and emotions in great detail. I was disappointed in the lack of conflict in most of the stories in this collection. I do not read collections of short stories often, but the stories in this collection did not have many (if any) climaxes which got me hooked. I also did not like the endings to most of the stories. I do not mind if stories do not have a happy ending, but King ended most of these stories without any real conclusions to them. Too many loose ends were left for the readers. The first story (about the young girl who was hired as a nanny for a family) especially frustrated me in this regard. I would have to say that my favorite story was "Hotel Seattle". I really liked the characters in this story, their dynamics with one another, and how they developed. The conflict and resolution were great as well. I loved Lily King's eloquent writing style, but this was overshadowed by the lack of plot and conflict.

A fine, unsettling collection of stories from the author of novels Euphoria and Writers and Lovers, both of which I greatly admired. Many of the stories have to do with the sexual awakening of young people (nothing prurient, just their awakening sense of themselves as a sexual being) or of more mature people longing for love or mourning love lost. Always, the details are so well observed—you feel as if you’re right there as events unfold. The title story reveals an emotionally closed off used bookstore owner, living with his precocious 12-year-old daughter, as he unclenches and softens toward his attractive new employee. The humour is gentle and understated, but, oh! his mental cataloguing of the flaws of the women who show an interest in him before she comes along. Priceless. In North Sea, a German widow takes her sullen, angry 12-year-old daughter, who refuses to deal with her father’s sudden death two years earlier, on a miserable vacation, where the girl finally finds a shocking acknowledgement of her grief. And so on. Many memorable moments here.

Five Tuesdays in Winter is affecting, well-written yet uneven. The first three short stories are really good, and so vivid that I felt like I could easily step into the stories, like watching a movie ("Creature," "Five Tuesdays in Winter," and especially "When in the Dordogne"). With a few exceptions, the rest are mostly unremarkable — I either couldn't connect to the story or see its point (I really want someone to explain "Mansard" to me). As with Writers and Lovers, there's something addicting about King's intimate writing style here. I plan on reading more of her work soon, starting with Euphoria.

A beautiful book of short stories that touch upon growing up, grief and loss, falling in love, and so much more. I feel like many short story books feature very similar stories back-to-back that are sometimes indistinguishable. In Five Tuesdays in Winter, each story was so unique and different from the one before it. Some were sweet, some were sad, and some were a little upsetting.