This was a cool experience. I've read both Euphoria and Writers and Lovers and enjoyed them. I think Lily King has a great writing style in the way that she can describe day to day life in an interesting way. This was no different. I tend to be pretty biased in loving short stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories shared. I thought switching around ages, people, and topics were great to keep the reader on their toes. I also really enjoy when there's grief woven in with happiness. Seeing the opposition of themes, but how they are connected by love in a relationship. King did it again!

Five Tuesday is Witter is the second book I have read by Lily King and I was not disappointed, although I didn't realize at the outset that it was a collection of short stories. Each is a little feast to savor when you have the need to dip into something beautifully written. and then to put it down and ponder. Recommended to all.

Even though short stories are not my favorite things to read, I always pick them up just to see if there will be any to change my mind. I think I always look for more complicated storylines and more build-out characters. There is limit to blanks that I can fill when I'm reading short stories.

Five Tuesdays in Winter started very promising. I like the stories in the first half of the collection because they had more meat in them: I had more time to understand characters' mindset and personalities. Second half of the collection lost me at times. But I can say that there stories are much more fulfilling than many other I have read. I guess it is because stories are more about life itself than some abstract theme.

If you are into short stories and if you liked Writers & Lovers, you will like this collection too.

I thought I'd read books by Lily King, but looking back over her other titles. it looks like I haven't! I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but King has a way of developing characters fairly quickly that I enjoyed. I found when I slowed down and reminded myself the stories would end quickly, I got more enjoyment out of them. Maybe that's how I should have been reading short story collections all along? My least favorite story, sadly, was the last one - too surreal for me. But I enjoyed the rest of them and look forward to reading more of King's work. Thank-you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Ms. King for the ARC of this title.

I adore Lily King and found this collection of short stories to be an excellent example of her mastery. The characters in some of these stories will stay with me for a long time.

Lily King's latest book is a book of short stories. Some I liked, some I did not. A few stories were written so well, I felt like I was feeling firsthand, the emotions of the characters. Most of the stories seemed to have a common thread of broken families and looking for acceptance/love.. Unfortunately I had a hard time staying focused and was getting lost or confused in a few of the stories that I had to reread 2 to 3 times.. Some I figured out, Some I didn't get, but maybe that was the intention of the story? Thank you #NetGalley and # FiveTuesdaysinWinter for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’d recommend this well-written and varied collection of short stories by Lily King. I became a fan of this author after reading Euphoria, and this book did not disappoint. It was easy to become engaged with these characters and their interesting stories. My favorites were When in the Dordogne and North Sea.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Grove Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King is a collection of 10 beautiful, surprising and heartbreaking stories with real characters about love, loss, family, marriage, betrayal, and LIFE. Different people (ages and sex) in Different situations at Different times. I enjoyed it, loved it. This was my first read from the author. Now, I'm a Lily King fan.

Creature
A 14-year-old girl takes a babysitting job, goes to stay with a family for two weeks. She falls for the wrong man.

Five Tuesdays in Winter
Mitchell is Bookseller, a single man with his daughter. Kate works at his bookshop, and he secretly falls for her.

When in the Dordogne
One of my favorite stories, A young boy, before entering high school, spend the summer of 1986 with Ed and Grant. Two college boys who be with him when his parent wasn't home.
“It’s gone. It’s over. You can’t find it, stroke it, coo over it. Time has stolen it away like it fucking steals everything. In rare instances, like yours, that can be a good thing.”

North Sea
Oda and her twelve years old daughter, Hanne go on vacation in a village near the sea. For the first time after her husband died, She tries to have a conversation with her daughter.
"But for so long now when someone asked how she was they loaded it with pity and braced themselves for her reply as if she had the power to hurt them with the truth".

Timeline
A story of a girl who moves to live with his brother to left her wrong choice behind, And her friendship with their neighbor, a single mom.

Hotel Seattle
The relationship of the two best friends is ruined because one of them is homosexual and after few years, he sees married and middle-aged Paul.

Waiting for Charlie
My next favorite story. Charlotte had had an accident, so badly damaged that not yet to consciousness. Her grandfather tries normal speaking to her.
"It was too much. There was too much unnecessary loss. There always had been".
This was a very beautiful and heartbreaking story.
"Tried to pray. He’d never learned to pray. All he knew how to do was beg".

Mansard
Frances's father back after few years. When she has 4 children and the last time she saw him, was at her wedding.

South
Marie-Claude didn't want their children to know why their father left them. But, Flo heard too much, and she's not happy with her mother's secrets. She should choose her vacation with her father and his girlfriend in a hotel, or her mother in a friend's house.
"Sometimes it feels there is nothing about her life her children cannot uncover, cannot redefine".

The Man at the Door
She has three children and one of them only a baby, she tries to find some time to write. In meanwhile a strange man shows up at her door with her unfinished book.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful collection of short stories that are all raw, intimate and certainly melancholic. There is an under-lying sense of nostalgia throughout some of these stories, if not all, and a certain sense of heartbreak that lingers throughout the book. Touching, surprising, and filled with love and loss, Lily King's writing is stunning and her characters tragic and ordinary while also quite extraordinary in their own ways as well. The title story, "Creature" and "When in Dordogne" are stand-out favorites from this collection for me.

Thanks Netgalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I loved these stories. Each entry in this diverse collection immerses the reader into a self-contained world filled with well-defined characters and interesting choices. King accomplishes the rare feat in short story writing of making each story seem like enough as it is - none felt too short or too long; each was perfectly balanced and satisfying. I particularly appreciated the first story, Creature, which set the tone for the rest of the collection, a through line perhaps best described as, “Bad thing may happen, but they do not have define who you are.” I appreciated the warm light that King shined through each of these stories. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Grove and NetGalley for providing a copy of this wonderful collection in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book. Writers and Lovers was one of my favorite books of all time, and I can't wait to see more from this author.

A beautiful collection of short stories that are raw, intimate and captivating – albeit with a melancholy undertone. What really elevates this book is that you’re instantly drawn into each story, on account of the exceptional writing and such well-developed characters. I wasn’t anticipating that the short stories would carry so much intensity, I found myself really taking the time to reflect on each one upon completion. And in most cases wishing each was a novel within itself as I could have easily consumed more.

I was first introduced to Lily King last winter with Writers and Lovers (one of my 2020 favorites) and have since gone on to read Euphoria. The stories in Five Tuesdays in Winter, her first short story collection, were so delightful to read and her knack character development shines (especially given how short some are!)

Of the ten stories, favorites included: Five Tuesdays in Winter, Hotel Seattle, When in the Dordogne and Creature.

Thanks Netgalley + Grove Press for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review. Loved it!

4.5 stars

A nuanced, moving collection of stories. Lily King is one of my favorite authors and I loved this one!

If you’ve read and loved any of Lily King’s novels, this collection of short stories is not to be skipped; if you’re new to this author, this is a wonderful place to begin. There are ten stories and each one is captivating and meaningful in its own little world.

Most of the stories have an undercurrent of melancholy running through them. There’s a wistfulness and distinct sense of unease at the end of each story that reminded me that this was not the beginning or end of the characters’ stories, rather just a snapshot of their utterly complex lives. I read this book in several sittings, not overnight like I thought I would. The reason for that is that each story introduces characters so richly developed and going through such intense emotions that when I finished a story I felt the need to step back and ruminate, to spend a little more time with the characters whose stories I hungrily consumed. I highly recommend this collection for when you’re in the mood for something slow, lyrical, and vulnerable.

My favorite stories:

CREATURE
FIVE TUESDAYS IN WINTER
WHEN IN THE DORDOGNE
NORTH SEA
HOTEL SEATTLE

Moments of an ordinary life seen through a magnifying glass. There’s no other word to describe Lily King’s job here but bittersweet. In its ten short stories, we find realistic characters that go through love and loss in so many different ways and facets that it’s hard to not empathize with at least one of them. Or ten.
The Man at the Door is probably my fav one. It focuses on writing as a form of escape and subtly brings references to authors and other books. It’s also a bit surreal, but not as heavy as Hotel Seattle, another highlight about lost friendships and homophobia.

At times touching and others heartbreaking, this collection of short stories by Lily King is beautifully written. The stories feature realistic characters that are easy to identify with or sympathize with or connect with. I personally loved the title story, which features a single father who is a bookseller.

I had never read anything by this author, but I am looking forward to trying one of her novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this e-ARC.

I wasn’t a massive fan of "Writers and Lovers" and was looking for something that would make me change my mind about Lily King’s writing. And this book did just that. “Five Tuesday in Winter” is a collection of masterfully observed short stories about love human desire in all its facets. Some of these stories are wholesome, others are quite raw and unsettling and although I personally favoured the latter, King undoubtedly excels in writing both styles. Some of my personal favourites were: "Creature" which follows a young woman's loss of innocence, " When in Dordogne" in which an overlooked teen finds comfort in the company of two unconventional babysitters and "Hotel Seattle" a keenly observed tale of repressed desire and toxic masculinity.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Press for the ebook. I loved Writers & Lovers, so I was happy to dive into these stories. And they’re wonderful. The first story, which takes up about a fifth of the book is a knockout. A young girl is a live in babysitter for a wealthy family and falls for a married, charismatic brother of her employee, but he shows how little he cares for anyone but himself as he carelessly toys with her emotions and eventually even her body. All these stories are so keenly observed and are shot through with moments of humor, but there’s also a heavy undercurrent of menace just below the surface. Fascinating stories of longing and upended expectations.

Book Review for Five Tuesdays in Winter
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