Some entertaining stories but all read like parables without resolution. Examples like Lemonmade begin strong but peter out by the end. Moreover, the edition I read was so riddled with typos (one characters name abruptly changed from "Purdy" to "Portly" rndomly throughout the text) it was badly marred. ( )

What's in those Irish waters that produces such marvelous creativity? I've only previously read Lavin's In a Cafe, so I was particularly excited to find and dig in to this collection.

These stories are remarkable because of how essentially centred on the experiences of womenhood they are. And that's not to say the people featured were epitomes of moral perfection. Petty and awful, the characters themselves are unforgettable. They're a study in contradictions in how they perceive themselves, and how others (other characters and the reader) perceive them. They are also often Irish ideas personified. I just love them!

For a prolific writer who had won "three Guggenheim Fellowships and a number of literary awards, including the Katherine Mansfield Prize, in 1961", and published regularly in The New Yorker, Lavin seems to have (unfairly) fallen out of favour with modern readers.. However, if you, a modern readers, are looking for a great short story writer, I highly recommend picking up a Lavin.

Extras: listen to Colm Toibin read and discuss In the Middle of the Fields on The New Yorker. Read Lavin's obituary in The New York Times. Read this fascinating paper analysing the essential Irishness of The Becker Wives. ( )