I received this book from LT Member Giveaways.

This collection of short stories showcases some masterful prose, and I really enjoyed that. I think the reviewers complaining about the ambiguous endings are missing the point - this is art. What fails for me, though, is how awful the dialogue is - completely unrealistic sounding, which really hinders the character development. If Cole can get that down, then she'll be a really powerful writer. Overall, though, I recommend this collection - there's a lot of heart here,and a lot to ponder. ( )

I won this book in a LibraryThing Member Giveaway.

Learning to Fly is a book of short stories with characters that are well developed, relatable and oh so real. They are stories that tell of a difficult moment in people’s lives. In Fallen Leaves, there is the widowed mother who must consider taking in a difficult, elderly in-law. The question is why? Listen to the Rain, is about a young pregnant couple that must learn whether it’s worth surviving past the chapter in their lives when neither of them say what they mean to and end the day in arguments. The character I related to most was the mother in Caring for Lily who is trying to find a daycare for her baby so she can return to work – truly that’s what she wants, right? Then there’s the blogger in For Good or For Bad with a good husband and two children, but who can’t stop thinking about the one who got away. Finally, there’s Is This Seat Taken? where a young pregnant woman at a bus station meets a young college guy. Are they both lost and looking to find their way?

As I stated above, the characters are real and the book is well written. What was most amiss for me was that to me they weren’t short stories, but excerpts of longer pieces, as none of them was a complete story. It seemed to be what the author intended, but I was always of the belief that a short story has a beginning, middle and end. These all lacked an ending, some more than others. The last story was the most mystifying. It was unknown what the conflict was and why the pregnant woman was at the bus station. At least with the other stories, you could think of how the stories could turn out and dream up possible endings. For the last one, however, since it’s unsure what the conflict was, you have no idea what might happen.

Still, Rachel Elizabeth Cole is a very good writer who is great at character development, something I admire in a writer. I would be interested in reading a complete novel by her to see how she does finalize stories. ( )

I received this book from Library Thing to read and review. This is a wonderful collection of short stories. In every case, though the story is short, the author pulls the reader right into the story. The characters and their stories are real ones abut everyday life and hardships. The author has managed to put forth a setting, develop characters and also insert in a plot in a short amount of time and space. This is the biggest challenge for the short story writer, and the author has met this challenge successfully. These stories are each separate and can be read separately, whenever the reader has a short spurt of free time. Since that is often my case, I welcome a book like this one. It is only an added bonus to find such good stories within the book. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys good writing and good short stories (or to anyone who even does not particularly care for short stories—these are good). ( )

It was good but I just hate it when they end like these did. ( )

I liked very much. Although the stories are indeed short, the truth is that I felt in them an extremely sensitive depth. I think each story has a story within that appeal to sentiment. Transforming everyday things into touching things is definitely a gift. ( )