One of my favorite 2021 books was Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle. When the publisher offered me her book of short stories I was glad to dive into them.

Relationships are hard. Lovers, parents, children—they send us soaring and they break our hearts. But as a character says in the title story, “My mother says it’s wrong to think we’re entitled to avoid bad feelings. She says they’re part of the price we pay for living.”

The stories represent Shipstead’s progress as a writer in process. The first story, The Cowboy Tango, to me felt most like her novel. A teenager shows up at a dude ranch looking for work. The boss falls in love with her, and after ten years makes his move. But the girl is more interested in his nephew who breezes in and out of her life.

The stories are diverse. The bitter narrator in Acknowledgements is a writer from Up North “Michigan’s bemittened middle finger” whose story will resonate with aspiring writers. A woman tries to untangle the mystery of her paternal origin. Honeymooners realize their mistake. Two athletes have a one night stand at the Olympics. A actress is haunted by her past asks to speak to a naval officer on the plane who is in charge of the remains of seaman. An artist in residence sees lambs taken for slaughter and wonder if it’s better to know or not to know one is to die. Expats working for a guano company are abandoned and a man rises to abusive power. “I’m afraid we don’t get to choose what haunts us,” a therapist notes. The last line of the last story concludes, “She should have understood that even a life lived properly, lived better than she was living, could bring so much grief.”

I enjoyed each story.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Lots of range in these stories, and what beautiful writing! "Souterrain" and "Angel Lust" were absolute standouts that will undoubtedly stay with me. Not all hits, but when these were good they were GOOD.

I enjoyed this stories a lot, they show how people can cope and deal with even the most terrible things in life. It was sort of life affirming:

Loved this set of short stories, though I found the title story the most difficult, but I was in the middle of a long travel day. Became a fan of Shipstead with Great Circle and I will definitely be working through her older stuff. Hard to describe what I like so much - great characters and writing. These stories end in a way that leaves you guess, but in a good way.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday for the chance to review Maggie Shipstead's collection of short stories; these stories remind me of what an accomplisher writer Ms. Shipstead is. I have read Great Circle and also her earlier book Seating Arrangements, both books that I really enjoyed (and admittedly liked more than this collection but I am a reader who likes novels and even the big ones like Great Circle more than I like short stories). These stories here are vivid, atmospheric, and multilayered. Some stories resonated with me and engaged me more effectively than others but each one has an intense staying power. I do note that the themes in some stories, such as Angel lust, were a bit hard to process, and really won't be for all readers but as a collection of stories I think some can be skipped and others appreciated differently.

3 things I liked
1. As stated, the writing is strong and reveals a writer invested in not telling a reader what to think and even challenging a reader to manage an open ending or unlikable characters. There is a dark edginess to some stories and for me a persistent sense of disconnection and loneliness, which can feel timely after this season of pandemic and strain.

2. The stories can feel masterfully slippery, you start off thinking the goal or theme is one thing and end up with a subtler but theme or feeling. For example, with Acknowledgements I thought it was going to be more a story of reconciliation and it became for me more a story of misogyny and resentment. The character was unlikable but the story was one I ended up appreciating for where it went. The first story too, Cowboy Tango, captured this feeling that a story can upend itself in ways that are thought provoking.

3. The stories were for me atmospheric and intense, each story had it's own mood yet connected still with a sense of discomfort and perhaps subtle humor or at least a sense of inviting the reader in to see something deeper that was simmering within a character or relationship. I appreciate a writer who sees readers as intelligent, worthy of stories of complexity and with voices that seem to call out the contradictions in how people act and think (nicely done in the "title story" You have a Friend in 10a). Even if some stories did not click with me... the intention of the writing was engaging and appreciated.

Thank you again to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for inviting me to review this collection

Between 2 and 3 stars. I loved Maggie Shipstead’s The Great Circle. I was excited to read this because the description and cover artwork was so interesting. I’m sorry to say it just did not work for me. There were one or two stories that I liked, some that I probably just didn’t get the concept, and the rest just made me uncomfortable. I do not want to read stories where a father sexualizes his young daughters. There is a difference to me between literary masterpiece and creepy perversions. I can get behind the open endings and multiple interpretations. But some of these were just too much. I won’t rule Shipstead out, but this did not work. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN 10 A-Maggie Shipstead
I am not a fan of the short story, and as such, and infrequent reader of the genre. Having said that, these are excellent.Apparently they were written at various intervals over a considerable time period, yet seem applicable to current times.My favorites:
IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE. A very interesting approach to Olympic competition here. A sexual encounter between 2 nameless competitors provides the background, but the subject really is the Olympics, the competition,the struggle to get “ there” and what happens afterwards.
YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN 10 A- at least to me,a cult resembling Scientology is the reference point here, and the actress involved in it with her now divorced husband and the alienation of her child is at times humorous at times so poignantly sad.
SOUTERRAIN-Paris and its catacombs provide the background here,but human frailty and one seemingly harmless meaningless lie provide the background for a chilling tragic event.
THE COWBOY TANGO.My top selection. An older ranch owner, in love with his younger female ranch hand, who in turn loves and in my reading is tragically used if you will, by the owner’s nephew. In the final scene, the reader is left to draw his own conclusion, which to me is always the mark of a well written piece, be it novel or short story.
All of the stories are good, all thoughtful, all extremely well written.
Totally different from THE GREAT CIRCLE, but an equally good read.

This collection of short stories is eclectic in location and scope, with stories set all over the world, in various historical settings and points of view. Reading one story a day allowed me to sink into each one without getting too bogged down, which I can see very easily happening with this collection, as they are each so different from one another. Some stories have named characters, some unnamed. One is told in a Greek chorus "we" POV, and others flip around in time.

While not my favorite short story collection I've read by a long shot, I do appreciate the creativity and uniqueness in each story. I would recommend reading it slowly and carefully to get the full experience.

Any reader of Maggie Shipstead's novels knows the lively range of this author's gifts: YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN 10A is a genuine treat--a showcase of Shipstead's imagination, elegantly written and fiercely inventive. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and to Knopf for the opportunity to read/review it.

I liked the author's previous book (The Great Circle), but this collection of short stories just did not do it for me. I thought a lot of them were slow and a little boring, and I just couldn't get into it. Also, there's nothing I hate more than when authors show off their vocabulary unnecessarily, and that happened in several of the stories. Definite miss for me.
I would not recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC!

Love this collection of stories!! Highly recommend! The first book for me to read by this author but definitely not my last!

Maggie Shipstead's collection of short stories was immersive, varied, and unexpected. The character development in each different story was complete in spite of the story length. Several of the stories left me wanting to spend more time in the world and with the characters, providing just a taste of what could be a complete novel. Each story is completely different from the others in the collections, evoking unique feelings and experiences while reading. I am impressed with Maggie Shipstead's writing and look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fabulous collection of stories from Maggie Shipstead! These have such depth and the characters stay with you long after reading.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I had never read any Maggie Shipstead before and was blown away. Really imaginative stories that stay with you. I'm now starting to seek out everything she's ever written.

“You Have a Friend in 10A” by Maggie Shipstead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Short stories. Location: All over the world. Time: from Victorian days to present.

Maggie Shipstead’s novel “The Great Circle” was an epic adventure with many characters. In this new book of short stories, she creates the opposite- short, confined stories of unique individuals who leave you wanting more.

The book contains a number of characters who reflect sadly or poignantly on previous events. For example, “Souterrain” focuses on a blind man, the Paris catacombs, secrets and lies. It cleverly tackles reflection by going backwards in time as the story progresses. And “Angel Lust” is filled with mementos of long ago loss.

Shipstead also showcases a lack of inertia in characters as their lives unspool around them. For example, “The Cowboy Tango” shows us a Montana dude ranch owner with years of unrequited love for Sammy, his horse wrangler. And “Backcountry” follows a rootless young woman across the years as what goes around, comes around.

There are stories about a nightmare honeymoon, a writers’ retreat in Ireland, sex at the Olympics, and Victorian era women abandoned on a remote tropical isle. And finally, the title story, “You Have a Friend in 10A” features a burned out actress describing her time in a Scientology-like cult while married to the cult’s biggest celebrity.

The book covers many situations, with reflections and loss the most common themes. Characters come to life as Shipstead writes them. We quickly come to care about Sammy the horse wrangler, and just as quickly dislike a literary snob with his excessively ornate vocabulary in the brilliant story “Acknowledgement”.

Well-written characters in a variety of unique situations-it’s definitely worth reading and it’s 4 stars from me! 🌵📚👩🏼‍🦳. Publication date is May 16, 2022 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Emily Reardon for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

A fantastic collection of short stories.Maggie Shipstead never fails to write engaging stories characters that come alive.I enjoyed each story a truly gem of a collection.#netgalley #knopfdoubleday

I LOVED every single one of these stories! It's no secret that I love Maggie Shipstead's writing. This story collection was on a whole other level. The stories are complex and have a lot depth. Each story takes you into the mind of a complicated and relatable character. You will ponder these stories long after you read them.

There’s definitely something for everyone in this latest collection of short stories by Maggie Shipstead, author of The Great Circle. Each story is more entertaining than the last, making it a terrific read to pick up time and again. Shipstead is certainly making a name for herself in the literary world. Her fans will not be disappointed by this latest endeavor.

Having read and loved Maggie Shipstead's "Great Circle," I jumped at the chance to read her latest book. It is a collection of short fiction written over the last ten years and previously published in other anthologies. They offer the reader a chance to enjoy the author's talent in short bursts.

I am an infrequent reader of short fiction. I use Ray Bradbury's short stories as a palate cleanser before starting a new book, so I found myself comparing the two authors' stories and the comparison is favorable. Shipstead spends more time developing her characters with vivid descriptions and histories that feed into the plot of the story. Bradbury often ends his stories with a punch, but not always for Shipstead. Her literary twists may be inside the story, then end with a satisfied sigh. Her stories take place in current and historical times, and are scattered around the globe. Many of them seem to closely parallel what is in today's headlines, while others relate personal relationships irrespective of time and place. Shipstead's stories reveal great perception about small bits of human life.

To highlight a few of the stories:
Respective of recent news and the public's realization of the mental stress in athletes, "In the Olympic Village" is a brief story about what leads up to and what comes immediately after Olympic failure. Unlike the other stories, the characters remain nameless, depersonalizing the athletes and focusing the reader's attention on the Olympic struggles they battle both in and out of competition.

I know nothing more than headlines about the Church of Scientology, but the story "You Have a Friend in 10A" is loaded with often hilarious terminology about an actress and her search for Esteem that must be a literary jab at the spiritual journey of that church's members. The actress's road to stardom also crosses paths with a character too closely resembling the producer, and now jailed Weinstein.

In "Guano Company," environmental disaster and war on distant shores become a nightmare for an island's inhabitants. The Pacific atoll should have been paradise, but instead its lagoon is filthy and full of lice, and the island crawls with small aggressive crabs waiting to devour anything in its path. When their supply ship warns them that war may cut off future supply deliveries and offers to evacuate them, can the islanders leave the only place they've known? How will they survive if they stay? In many ways, this story reminded me of "Lord of the Flies."

These are just a few of the stories that make Shipstead's collection of short stories well worth the time.