This was my first time reading a Sittenfeld short story collection. Wow - a tour de force. Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, immersive from start to finish. Sittenfeld packs emotional punches in short-form fiction more effectively than many authors are able to convey in long-form. Brava!

4.5 stars! An absolutely stellar short story collection from Curtis Sittenfeld. The last story features Leigh Fiorra, the protagonist from Sittenfeld's novel, Prep. So glad we get to drop in and see how she's doing after all this time!
Pretty sure Curtis Sittenfeld can do no wrong. She is highly clever and highly entertaining.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this digital e-arc.*

I'm going to be completely honest with you: I don't like short stories. I have read all of the Lydia Davis and George Saunders and they are never the right fit for me. But I knew I had to read Show Don't Tell when I heard that we were going to revisit the world of Prep, a book that I must have read 5x in my university years. And I am so glad that I did.

Anyone who has ever read Curtis Sittenfeld knows she is clever and funny and always has just the right take on the world. These stories feature grown women, something that is such a theme in publishing right now, and I am here for it. Contemplative and heartwarming, these stories were a lot of fun to read. And of course, I enjoyed getting a glimpse of Lee's life! Maybe I'm a short story convert after all.

I read and loved PREP as a teenager in 2005, and I can't believe how similarly SHOW DON'T TELL affects me as an adult. Sittenfeld's writing identifies something in me I struggle to name; it makes me feel more seen and less alone & ridiculous in my inescapable human-ness. I didn't go to a fancy boarding school but PREP still cut to the heart of who I was, and that's true of this story collection at my age now, though I'm neither a mother nor a wife. Sittenfeld is such a talent. Her observations are incisive and devastating, and her work has a deeply sad/funny quality that I absolutely love in a piece of writing. Her voice rings so absolutely true. I can't wait to buy this one for my own collection in addition to the library's!

I've been a giant fan of Curtis Sittenfeld for a while now. She's for sure an auto read author for me. Although I don't often read short stories, I requested this book from Net Galley as soon as I saw it. I loved it. Sittenfeld does such a great job of letting the reader feel for her characters and never once did I feel like this was less than due to the short length. In fact, all of the stories were so satisfying I didn't feel like I was missing anything a longer time with the characters would have given me.
Curtis Sittenfeld is for sure one of my favorite authors and this just further solidifies that.

Attention St. Louisans: There are sooooo many references to such specific STL things in these stories (Waterman and McPherson, The Loop, the amount of time it takes to walk around Tower Grove, Forest Park running trail, the Hill, etc.). This was just an added bonus for me and I couldn't love it more.
Many thanks to Net Galley, the publisher, and of course, Curtis Sittenfeld for allowing me the early opportunity to read this book. I can't wait for more to have the chance to do so.

What a beautifully curated collection of short stories. Each narrative was compelling, thought-provoking, and open for interpretation. Curtis Sittenfeld crafted each story in a way that you felt like you knew these characters, they could be your neighbor, Mother, Aunt, Friend, etc. The writing is witty, realistic, and humorous but she also doesn’t shy away from showcasing her characters flaws.

The stories do focus mostly on middle aged white women at a pivotal moment in their lives, whether it be their marriages, friendships, motherhood, and ambitions, so it would have been nice to see a little more diversity, but you write what you know right? I enjoyed some stories more than others, but that’s to be expected. I think what I truly liked about this book was how Sittenfeld was able to take all these characters and make them feel real with raw emotions.

This would make a great book club read and provide plenty of things to discuss. Now I want to go back and read a few more Curtis Sittenfeld books, especially her novel called Prep.

So I’m definitely a little torn about how to rate and review this book. On one hand, Curtis Sittenfeld just writes so charmingly that how can you not like her work (I found myself grinning at so many of her stories) and I really enjoyed a lot of these stories. On the other hand, some of these stories (more towards the end of the collection) were real stinkers. I could literally be one of her characters (mid 40s married white female with a couple kids who lives in the Midwest and is nostalgic for the late 90s) so maybe that is why her writing appeals to me so much? I read Prep 20 years ago and I remember loving it but I don’t remember any of the details so the story that is a quasi sequel (though it was pretty sweet) didn’t do all that much for me. So I guess the bottom line is if you are a 40 year old mom who likes Curtis Sittenfeld you will probably love this story collection, and if you aren’t then you might not. 🤣
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book.

Thanks to Random House for my advanced copy of Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld.

This short story collection was interesting to read and I liked how they all felt like normal characters. I wished there had been a little bit of an intro/backstory for each of the stories, to give more context.

My favorite was Lost but Not Forgotten as I loved seeing more of Lee at her 30th reunion.

4 stars

Incoming fans of Sittenfeld's will get what they hope for here: a great collection of short stories featuring typical people making mistakes, observing themselves and each other at mundane yet pivotal points in their lives, and interacting with the world in ways that made me cringe more than once. This is an engaging and realistic snapshot of how people deal with life in the modern era, including accounting for the unexpected and grappling with the past.

One of my favorite aspects of Sittenfeld's work is that the stories never feel gimmicky. The regular moments and realizations in these characters' lives are important and interesting enough on their own, and that may even give readers a heightened sense of appreciation for their own experiences along the way.

I enjoyed this read - as I have all of the Sittenfeld works I've encountered - and I look forward to more.

Another classic Curtis Sittenfeld. I prefer her novels but if you liked her previous essays, you're in for a treat. She's sparse with words but paints a very clear picture of setting and characters. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced copy and the opportunity to share my thoughts.

I’ve been trying to put a finger on what I find so satisfying about Curtis Sittenfield’s work, and I think it’s her unflinching ability to tell stories that don’t settle easily—stories with flawed protagonists, where it isn’t always clear who is in the right. The tension in these short stories is less often about exterior circumstances and happening to the main character, but rather some kind of inner struggle triggered by a seemingly innocuous event that has ripple effects for the main character. Sittenfield pulls her characters through a multitude of moral dilemmas and awkward situations, many of which are common experiences that we don’t speak about: an act of accidental racism fueled by unexamined bias; an old friend revealing they’ve been hurt by a character’s unthinking actions for over a decade; a small act of compassion blossoming into romance thirty years after the fact; a woman trying to disprove a cultural notion and instead falling right into it.

I crave fiction that mirrors the messiness of my actual life; while occasionally I want to escape into a world where things turn out more perfectly then they do in real life, mostly I want to read something that makes me feel known and else alone. While I wouldn’t say any of these stories are actually scenarios close to my life, the way they’re framed—the ambivalence, the messiness, the seemingly small events sitting off big ripples of emotion—felt more true to my experiences than the glossy, butterfly-filled fairy tales I sometimes pick up, and for me, that is very satisfying.

I’ve enjoyed several of Sittenfield’s books (and failed to enjoy one of them), but this collection especially has me eager to pick up more of her work.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of short stories marks a fairly significant departure from Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy, but I enjoyed it. It’s incredibly relatable, albeit painfully so at times. Sittenfeld offers the reader a mirror to look into the complexities of aging, racism/classism, marriage and the human experience. Many of the stories center middle aged woman facing various issues.

You can definitely feel the influence of the pandemic in the writing; a part of me was a bit reluctant to live through that experience again, even if it was just on the page. That’s what Sittenfeld does so well; urging you not to look away from the ugly bits.

I am very lukewarm on short stories but I love both of Curtis Sittenfeld's short story collections. Each one is witty, sharply observed, poignant, and a perfect little treat!

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors, ever since I read Prep as a 14 year old freshman some time way back in the 90s. I feel like I grew up with her and as I have gotten older (*ahem, mid 40s*) so has she. That was so evident as I read all of the stories in this wonderful short story collection. In every story, as the characters grapple with aging, parenting, adulting, marriage, divorce and on and on, I related to every one. Some of these stories hit me so close to home it made me uncomfortable. My favorite story out of this book was White Women lol. I agree with some other reviewers that all of the characters seem like the same character in different situations, but I don't mind that because I like the character so much.

I would recommend this book to any Curtis Sittenfeld fan and anyone interested in what it's like to be in your mid (to late) 40s and grapple with the fact that if you're lucky, your life is only half over. This is a club I am shocked I be in but I love being able to read about people going through the same thing.

***Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.***

I’m a huge Curtis Sittenfield fan, and this book didn’t disappoint! I thought short stories may leave me wanting more, but that was not the case at all. This is a compelling collection, simple on the surface but actually very insightful and nuanced observations on daily life. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up! This short story collection was not as strong as the author's last in my opinion, but still had some good stories. The focus of most of these stories are marital and parent relationships in middle-age, which would be a more appropriate audience for the book who would likely enjoy it more. Despite my inability to relate to most of the content, there are a few essays in this book that will stay with me, especially the one that has a character CLEARLY based on Jeff Bezos. Overall if you're a fan of her work or fall within the middle-aged mother/wife target audience, I'd recommend!

This is a book of short stories! Each story is completely unique and super layered. None of the stories or characters are interconnected and each story is super engaging, page-turning, and brings up different thought-provoking events of today that are so relevant and interesting! I love that each story touches on a different point of view, while essentially retaining the same theme of “f*ck the patriarchy.”

The stories reflect everything from the challenges of dating as a middle age divorcee to a school mom laying on the ground to engage a lost shitzu in order to ingratiate herself to the mom in-crowd after she was caught being racist in public, among many other hilarious, emotional, enthralling stories!

This book comes out next week and I highly recommend!

Curtis Sittenfeld has been one of my favorite authors since I read Prep many years ago and this was a solid example of her work. The stories in this collection were engaging, timely, and character-driven. The characters were messy and realistic and fleshed out well. The stories really felt like mini-novels in that sense. I didn't really have a favorite story, but it was fun to read the last one and get a glimpse at what Lee Fiora from Prep is up to these days.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This short story collection was definitely written for middle age women and millennials who enjoy reflecting on their paths in life. This seems like a meditation on “how did I get here?” Theres quite a bit of boarding school, divorce, and coming of age. Overall, I thought it was slightly profound, and mildly entertaining. I think there is definitely an audience out there for these stories, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

MY REVIEW: This is my favorite short story collection I have ever read! Each of the 12 stories has its own unique voice, showcasing the brief, yet meaningful moments and nuances of everyday life. The characters truly felt like friends you’ve known forever telling you about a pivotal, yet inconspicuous moment in their life that shaped them into who they are. Sittenfeld’s sharp wit and humor draw you in; no drama, no frills, just everyday scenarios, inter- and intrapersonal relationships.

This collection has something for everyone; marriage, love, fame, relationships, friendship, artistic ambition, neighbors and neighborhoods, parenthood, and more. Thought-provoking and hilarious, Sittenfeld expertly peels back the layers of our inner lives.

I loved all of these stories, but the ones that stood out among the rest are Show Don’t Tell, The Marriage Clock, White Women LOL, and Follow-Up.

5/5!!!!!!!