I'd probably give this book 3.5 stars if I could.

The first half, or so, of the book's stories are written in Enright's mature, sophisticated, painfully sharp, sarcastic, rare style. The women in her stories are never simple-minded or sentimental. But, they are always filled with feeling. I appreciate, as in, I understand, the view she gives of the underside of intimacy. She writes about the things we don't admit, to ourselves, partners, friends, family. I think most people are more or less oblivious to the repulsions, fears, jealousies, neediness, shame that move about in their intimate relationships, and I think this is especially true in our American culture. This is what Enright seems to do best. She writes these stories with what might be called a cold but tender compassion.

I think it's possible many do not like Enright's writing because she brings up uncomfortable, dark or complex subjects, many revolving around sex and marriage, infidelity and compromise in the face of shame and betrayal. What I don't believe is that her tone is negative, as I read in some reviews on GR. The negative feelings in some readers may be brought on because women, at least in the U.S., cannot afford to admit to these types of very personal and deep insecurities; to the weaknesses, the meanness, perhaps, of very strong, but feeling and feminine women. The combining of these seemingly conflicting forces cannot be tolerated. Enright's women are too strong, too honest and perhaps too crude in their sexual honesty. They are very sexual and intelligent. What they are not is innocent or saintly. Yet, they suffer. And they continue. They live on with their pain or loneliness. They start over again. What I find in her writing, her stories, is that she has a deep compassion for these suffering women. Most of whom seem to be some reflection of this writer's own deeper self. I most admire her honesty.

Of course, I get that perhaps many don't like her writing because, bottom line, her subjects are not "happy". Finally, I have to say that the final half of the book's stories are, for the most part well-written, with a few exceptions, but I found myself going into her younger writing with some impatience (the book is arranged chronologically reversed, her newer stories come first). Her voice and style change; the subjects are less personal, and her lines are a bit cloudy. At the end, I felt grateful to be finished. Her mature writing deserves its accolades. Gratefully, we do grow up. ( )

Nancy Petersen rec ( )

Yesterday's Weather: Storiesis Anne Enright's collection of short stories which were written over the course of 19 years. Enright, winner of the 2007 Man Book Prize for The Gathering (Man Booker Prize), is an Irish author and she writes melancholic stories very typical of many Irish writers. This collection includes 29 stories which are set in modern Ireland and tell mostly mundane tales of daily life. Enright skillfully creates stories with impact which is even more impressive considering the backdrop of everyday life against which the stories are set. The characters grapple with marital strife, infidelity, and the strain of motherhood and Enright's description of the small injuries suffered while shouldering these burdens is precise. The descriptions allow the reader to relate to the characters in an intimate way.

I enjoyed this collection of short stories due in large part to the author's writing style - her prose is beautiful and seems almost poetic. The stories were not, however, all consistently good. Some really stood out while others fell flat for me. The cumulative effect of the melancholy that pervade these stories also started to weigh on me as I moved through the collection. I found myself yearning for something hopeful or uplifting in the next story. Although I appreciate dark stories, I think I need them in smaller doses!

Anne Enright's beautiful writing style and her ability to convey so much with few words far outweigh the sometimes gloomy tone of these stories. ( )

This book is comprised of 29 short stories, all of them in chapter format. Somewhere along the line, I missed understanding this, so for the first 6 chapters, I could not find the connection between the characters. DUH! I went back and read the “inside cover” to discover that I was on the wrong reading path and needed to re-start the book.

I love short stories and usually devour a book that contains them. This book, however, I had a bit more trouble with. It’s almost as though a chapter, for me, is too short for a “short story.” I need, for my PERSONAL TASTE, more depths to the characters and the stories. Like, in Unaccustomed Earth, the stories were rich and just the perfect length for my taste. This book, however, the stories were too short. Now, this may be just me. I realize that.

Enright does a great job in her prose and her absurdly EXCELLENT writing skills. Her ability to describe a setting and its characters is WONDERFUL. I just didn’t get enough of the stories I liked… and wanted to skip the stories that held no interest for me. It’s almost as if I feel guilty about my reading or review of this book… like I need to take WAY MORE TIME and approach it with a different mind-set to fully appreciate this work.

This book may be up so many other’s alleys.. and, this may just be me. She, obviously, is an INCREDIBLE writer. I just couldn’t connect with Yesterday’s Weather, for the most part. There are some chapters, like “Until the Girl Died,” that I loved. And, others that were just outside of my realm of understanding and taste. But, do not let that preclude you from reading this book if you are interested in it. This book may be your favorite! Again, I think it’s just me. This writer seems to have the ability to look into the psyche’s of others unlike anything I’ve ever seen. So, give it a chance if you like short stories and interesting takes on the “norm.”

On Sher’s “One Out of Ten Scale:”
Like, Being Written, I don’t want to give this book a rating because it’s so different from the books that I normally gravitate torwards. This author is obviously SO TALENTED and, I’m sure it’s just me on this one. But, in my PERSONAL opinion, which others may plainly disagree with, I have to give this book a 5. Some chapters… a definite 8… but, overall, for me, a 5. There are just some of the short stories that left me thinking… “what?” or “what else?” I’m sorry Ms. Enright…. I really did look forward to this book and PAID FULL PRICE PLUS SHIPPING FOR IT. (Oh, the guilt over the 5). ( )