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Aug 01, 2014 Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing Some books give you so much more than just a
story - for me this was such a book. In the version I read there were four novellas. Three of them were essentially elements of the same story but cut into sections which overlapped and highlighted the plight of one or more of the central players. The fourth (but sequenced first) was a stand alone piece, albeit there were some common geographical references. At the centre of each novella was a relationship or a number of inter-linked relationships; ea
Some books give you so much more than just a story - for me this was such a book. In the version I read there were four novellas. Three of them were essentially elements of the same story but cut into sections which overlapped and highlighted the plight of one or more of the central players. The fourth (but sequenced first) was a stand alone piece, albeit there were some common geographical references. At the centre of each novella was a relationship or a
number of inter-linked relationships; each relationship was fractured and the various breakdowns, make-ups and recriminations were documented in forensic detail. I found the writing to be truly superb and found myself taking care to read very slowly, even re-reading sections to ensure I hadn't missed anything. At no stage did it feel that this was anything less than truly reflective of real life. Perhaps most don't think as deeply as the characters in this piece, but the feelings,
conversations, actions and reactions all had the ring of truth. It's a book that made me think deeply and I really believe I discovered things about myself as I followed the trials and tribulations of the various combatants. A laugh a minute it ain't, so pick you time to read this - but read this you must. A true masterpiece!
The four novellas are brim full of married people blowing up like powder kegs and falling in love with the debris / the nearest falling
objects, the victims, anything but themselves. They are thirty-ish, their hearts are cooling off, their love interests are more or less seasonal, they mourn the loss of the vigour of youth and they are hell bent on forgiving and repeating foolish acts. As a whole all that rather bores me The four novellas are brim full of married people blowing up like
powder kegs and falling in love with the debris / the nearest falling objects, the victims, anything but themselves. They are thirty-ish, their hearts are cooling off, their love interests are more or less seasonal, they mourn the loss of the vigour of youth and they are hell bent on forgiving and repeating foolish acts. As a whole all that rather bores me. The first novella 'Pretty Girl' is fantastic but maybe I like it because it ends decisively and reminded me just a touch of
Larry Brown. Here, Dubus's prose is smart, energetic and economical. This is the Dubus I want to read. 3.5 stars.
Ugh! He can write. I just find what he writes about hard to stomach. And he also intrudes his own writing process into the whole onus on top of it. Not that any of this misery is untrue or unreal. But writers writing
about writers' writing always loses an entire star for me. The novella of the title was too off-putting to want to continue the last few stories at the slower pace they deserved for the word skill Dubus holds- but I sped read them and am sorry I did. All are cored the same. Miserabl The novella of the title was too off-putting to want to continue the last few stories at the slower pace they deserved for the word skill Dubus holds- but I sped read them and am sorry I did. All are cored the same. Miserable unhappily married people who find monogamy and loyalty and much else of parental pleasures not only impossible, but nearly undefinable other than to escape
them somehow-the "other way". They try to define their "problems" by making more problems and hurting each other repeatedly. Friends are not friends by any definition I've observed for 70 years. Who has friends like this? Beyond pretentious friendship which isn't. This reminds me in skill and in subject matter very much a twin to John Updike's "eyes" and also his latter novels' choices for the male's narrator "voice". If you like Updike's males in general, you will find ones exactly like
them here in Dubus' world of stories. Oftentimes for the same time periods in the last century, as well. His women are whiny, manipulative, and in examples across the boards here in this particular literary work - lazy as sin. Inept too and undermining mildness demonstrated as an answer to resentment. Prose skills set for suffering and amoral misery- they excel. Men who are in prime, core and soul desires directed almost full time by their visuals. If you like to read about family misery, adultery, desertion of any spiritual or intellectual connections conducted as easily as joining a fantasy football play team- especially if that also contains 2 sex scenes a day per person- you'll like this choice. His writing skill is excellent in general and superb for expressing dissatisfaction in particular. ...more
Meh. I liked it, but thought it was only OK. Two couples that are friends cheat on each other with the other’s spouse. Everyone gets found out and one couple decides to stay together, while the other
tries to have an open marriage that ultimately ends up in divorce. The second two stories follow the characters from the open marriage/divorce. The ones that stay together are only mentioned less than a handful of times in the following two stories, and to be honest, that’s the couple I was more inter I liked it, but thought it was only OK. Two couples that are friends cheat on each other with the other’s spouse. Everyone gets found
out and one couple decides to stay together, while the other tries to have an open marriage that ultimately ends up in divorce. The second two stories follow the characters from the open marriage/divorce. The ones that stay together are only mentioned less than a handful of times in the following two stories, and to be honest, that’s the couple I was more interested in following. Four pages from the end of the book, we get two sentences of detail on the fate of that relationship, which I find
difficult to swallow, and in need of an explanation that we never get. The first novella had some promise. Although the situation with the chain-smoking adulterers seemed a little far-fetched, I guess it could (and probably has) happened in the history of failed marriages, so over-looking that, the writing was good (but not outstanding), the story was good, and we saw the emotions and self-justifications of the characters, which I thought was done rather well. The second novella lost
me. I understood where the author was going in having the woman in the open marriage date a dying ex-priest, but it made the story less believable, the story was dull, and once the ex-priest started expounding on his relationship with Christ and the Eucharist, I finished the rest of the story in a drool-dripping fugue. The last novella picked things back up just a little, with the post-divorce struggles of the man previously in the open marriage, who was the initial adulterer (prior to the
first inter-couple adultery), and the primary cause of the ruined relationships. We witness his catharsis, his emerging as a new man, the book ends with a scene between him and his 19-year old girlfriend, and I put the book down, and think to myself... Meh.
Nov 12, 2010 Amy rated it really liked it "There are two types of unhappy people in the world" Hank said. "Those who show
it and those who don't." I truly loved this book. I haven't seen the movie - and I think I could probably carry on living quite happily without seeing it - but the book felt rather astonishing to me. It's about the divides between love, sex and marriage, although it by no means offers guidelines to any of those. It did, however, feel full of small truths that struck me to the heart and often made me pause to think abo I truly loved this book. I haven't seen the movie - and I think I could probably carry on living quite happily without seeing it - but the book felt rather astonishing to me. It's about the divides between love, sex and marriage, although it by no means offers guidelines to any of those. It did, however, feel full of small truths that struck me to the heart and often made me pause to think about what I'd just
read. I love it when that happens. I can see Raymond Carver's influence heavily in Dubus' writing, but Carver's characters can sometimes seem repulsive and hopeless. For all of Dubus' characters failings - and there are many - they never turn into caricatures and they remain people to be interested in, whether you can sympathise with them or not.
There is no question that Dubus was a master craftsman of short fiction. It is difficult for me to read his work because so many of his male characters are pugnacious, unapologetic misogynists who very often wear
Catholicism on their sleeves. In one piece, a male narrator brags about the stink he leaves in the bathroom each morning so that his girlfriend might endure it while making up her face. Many of his male protagonists are woman-haters. Was Dubus making a statement about misogyny? Sadly, no Many of his male protagonists are woman-haters. Was Dubus making a statement about misogyny? Sadly, no. After reading interviews and biographical material, it seems that Mr. Dubus was very much akin to his male characters.
Apr 08, 2013 Brian rated it it was amazing Three novellas that can stand alone, but together their interwoven stories of thirtysomethings dealing with faithlessness, failing marriages and the specter of middle age looming ever closer make a rich story even greater than their parts (if that is even possible). Dubus
has an uncanny talent of writing simple sentences that say so much about his characters, and in turn, the human condition. You can't read one of his stories and not come away from the experience changed. Dubus has an uncanny talent of writing simple sentences that say so much about his characters, and in turn, the human condition. You can't read one of his stories and not come away from the experience changed.
Oct 15, 2017 Lesley rated it liked it so this is a book of novellas about relationships and friendships! I saw the movie before reading this but nice translation of the different overlapping character stories into the movie!
Apr 12, 2009 Kirstie rated it really liked it Recommends it for: people interested in traumatic relationships Very very bleak image of man and woman and what we do to eachother in terms of intimacy in relationships. There is a bit more to this than in the film, specifically one of the characters after the major tumultuous relationship rift. I think perhaps the most finely crafted aspect of it is how intellectuals fool themselves.
Dec 10, 2010 Kendare Blake rated it it was amazing Amazing. Masterful. A complex and nuanced look into the lives of people on the brink, people at odds with their existence.
I have the
Picador edition, 1984 Published in great britain. The cover picture is different to the one shown here. Andre Dubus, the master short story writer, toiled in relative obscurity during much of his lifetime. Though known primarily for his stories, Mr. Dubus also wrote essays and novellas. His only novel, THE LIEUTENANT, was published in 1967. Though publishers clamored for novels, Mr. Dubus wrote what his stories asked of him. Sometimes the story wanted to be seven pages, sometimes
twent Andre Dubus, the master short story writer, toiled in relative obscurity during much of his lifetime. Though known primarily for his stories, Mr. Dubus also wrote essays and novellas. His only novel, THE LIEUTENANT, was published in 1967. Though publishers clamored for novels, Mr. Dubus wrote what his stories asked of him.
Sometimes the story wanted to be seven pages, sometimes twenty; occasionally the story turned into a novella. In 1984 Crown Publishers issued a collection of four of Mr. Dubus's novellas titled WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. The novellas in the collection were originally published by David Godine. I like the way Dubus gets into the character's heads and writes what they are thinking.
Nov 28, 2011 Jessica rated it liked it I certainly prefer Dancing After Hours, but this isn't bad. The first two
stories are so... sad. I definitely don't want to see the movie if it's based only on those. The timing of the stories and the way each character changes made me think about how hopelessly we're all at the whim of other people's changes of heart. If only Hank had gone through what he goes through in "Finding a Girl in America" before he had met Edith. While I find his reaction to what Monica did rather appalling, if a radi The timing of the stories and the way each character changes made me think about how hopelessly we're all at the whim of other people's changes of heart. If only Hank had gone through what he goes through in "Finding a Girl in America" before he had met Edith. While I find his reaction to what Monica did rather appalling, if a radically pro-life
crisis is what it takes for a man like Hank to stop being a horrible asshole, I guess I'm for it. Reading so much Dubus in a row probably isn't a great idea. I'm getting sick of his obsession with the Eucharist, with referring to bodies as "meat," and with the omnipresent bourbon/gin and cigarettes. But I will return to him later - his writing is excellent.
Jun 28, 2008 Chris rated it really liked it This collection was excellent, and contained a really unbelievable number
of references to housecleaning. The characters in the title story and "Adultery" are Carver people living in Cheever's neighborhood, putting Dubus at a literary intersection where he may write more grandly than Carver does, and write about women far more perceptively than Cheever does...but only in regards to their behavior while drinking, being cheated on, cooking bacon in the morning and operating a vacuum. ...It should b ...It should be noted that the
latter two are what counts to a man.
Oct 27, 2015 Sarah rated it liked it The writing was poetic, but the author was a bit too misogynistic for my liking. His archetype of male protagonists are hard to be likable, which is intended, but their dedication to what is means to be a man, is a little unrealistic.
Jan 20, 2016 Damian Konopka rated it really liked it A masterful look at marriage, divorce, families, adultery, superfluous relationships, drinking too much, and what life is all about.
Feb 26, 2019 Susan Emmet rated it really liked it I was alternately weeping, disgusted and
energized by this collection of novellas. I know nothing of the film made from/about them.
Nov 04, 2018 Christine Fay rated it really liked it This guy is a masterful storyteller.
These three novellas intertwine and delve into the challenges facing men and women as they attempt a life of monogamy. Hank Allison is an author whose work at the local college makes it possible for him to engage in numerous affairs with young students – culminating in a life of adultery, whereupon his own wife then engages in her own adulterous affairs (first with his best friend, and then with an ex-priest), but at what cost to herself? Dubus’ writing style
This guy is a masterful storyteller. These three novellas intertwine and delve into the challenges facing men and women as they attempt a life of monogamy. Hank Allison is an author whose work at the local college makes it possible for him to engage in numerous affairs with young students – culminating in a life of adultery, whereupon his own wife then engages in her own adulterous affairs (first with his best friend, and then with an ex-priest), but at
what cost to herself? Dubus’ writing style is engaging, resonant, and merits a close read as he provides insightful glances into the hearts of men, and women! My favorite quote is about Edith. Dubus writes as one of the most difficult challenges for her experience was “The extreme loneliness of not being fully known.” A highly recommended read for the mature audience.
DNF on page 45. This is the 2nd Andre Dubus book I have attempted and it will be the last. I want to like his stories so much because I love his son's, Andre Dubus II, books. However, their writing
styles are very different and I'm not going to force it any longer. Dubus writes short stories and mostly about very troubled, disturbing relationships and I don't care for the characters. BUT the most annoying aspect is his overuse of pronouns. So much so, that I would lose track of who "him" and 'her Dubus writes short stories and mostly about very troubled, disturbing relationships and I don't care for the characters. BUT the most annoying aspect is his overuse of pronouns. So much so, that I would lose track of who "him" and 'her" were and who was narrating the specific paragraph. The first story is about 2 couples each of whom are having an affair with each other...so
the use of proper nouns would have been EXTREMELY helpful. Just my 2 cents!
Jul 19, 2017 Hananaki rated it really liked it This could have been a 5 star book but I felt it lost its
dynamic along the way.I liked the first two novellas much more than the third but still this book is shockingly good!
I have read his son’s work but this was my first reading of his. The son’s gifts came naturally. These were powerful, gut wrenching stories that, at times took my breath away with their raw beauty and emotion. Three of the novellas are an interwoven story of different times in the lives of two married couples. Dubus skillfully tells each party’s thread in the story with ease and the reader is carried along like the ebbing and flowing tide. Highly recommend
Man! He can write! A slow read, pausing to reread and digest passages. This was written by a person with a troubled soul, and yet a soul that understands that happiness is achievable. He portrayed all of the characters so well, without turning them into caricatures. This is a deep, thoughtful read and not for the faint of heart who walk a straight moral line.
Dec 07, 2017 Brandon rated it really liked it A lot of raw human emotion presented in these stories, and hard to feel happy after reading them. But the humorous, shredding, and heartbreaking nature of failed relationships is captured precisely. Good read!
Apr 05, 2020 Ashley Judge rated it it was amazing (spoiler alert) Great writing, but very flawed characters. I think of all the people in the story the one who I least feel deserves any happy ending would be Hank, and yet it all worked out for him. Book is intense, not boring, but you will need to come up for air after reading.
Jun 08, 2019 Jan Berry rated it did not like it I listened to this book on audiobook. I think the readers detracted from the stories - one man was monotone! Otherwise, this book is about adultery, divorce, death, and depressing!!
pretty pedestrian fiction.
Oh no, I got married too young so I’m cheating on my spouse who is also cheating on me. Fuck you.
Rather enjoyed this look into married life. Shows exactly why I am terrified of it. Great character building. Curious if the movie based on it is any good
“We Don’t Live Here Anymore” is a collection of three novellas written by Andre Dubus. The stories follow the
lives of two couples over the course of several years as they indulge in affairs both within their marriages and with others. The first novella, “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” is told from the perspective of Jack, a college professor who is married to Terry, who is a stay at home mother. Jack and Terry are best friends with Hank and Edith. Hank is a professor on the same campus, and also “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” is a collection of three novellas
written by Andre Dubus. The stories follow the lives of two couples over the course of several years as they indulge in affairs both within their marriages and with others. The first novella, “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” is told from the perspective of Jack, a college professor who is married to Terry, who is a stay at home mother. Jack and Terry are best friends with Hank and Edith. Hank is a professor on the same campus, and also a writer, while Edith is similarly a housewife. Jack and Edith
are having an affair, and in turn, the already chronically unfaithful Hank eventually has an affair with Terry. From there, the story charts the emotional fallout of their actions. In the second novella, “Adultery,” is told from the perspective of Edith after the events of the first novella. Edith and Jack are still married, but by mutual agreement, are carrying on with their own affairs. Edith is involved with Joe, an ex-priest who is dying of terminal cancer. The relationship affects Edith
deeply, and gives her a new perspective on her failing marriage with Hank. In the final novella, “Finding A Girl In America,” the perspective shifts to chronic womanizer Hank as he hits a crossroads in his life. No longer with Edith, he comes to regret his failures as a husband, and a new relationship offers to give him the stability he once disdained but now desperately craves.
Jun 14, 2009 Katy rated it really liked it This book was satisfying, if only because of Dubus's rich, engaging prose.
Every sentence sounds like poetry, yet the effect is not sappy or tiresome. It draws you in and introduces you to the book, and then carries you throughout the whole novel. I'm going to write my review by novella, because each one is so unique and fascinating, for a different reason. "The Pretty Girl" was the most depressing of the four, but all of them are dark, to say the least. The most interesting and therefore definin "The Pretty Girl" was the most depressing of the four, but all of them are dark, to say the least. The most interesting and therefore defining element
of it was the unique view of the abusive husband. When it begins, he is introduces in a way that makes him seem like the protagonist. However, as this portion goes on, we discover that he is not mentally well. At the end, we are left to decide if he really is a monster, or just a man misunderstood. (In my opinion, he was positively horrible.) "We Don't Live Here Anymore" was the title novella, and one that focused on a new family from "The Pretty Girl," the family of Jack and Terry. In the
beginning, their marriage is fraying. By the end, they have fallen apart completely. This novella questions the conventional American dream and the role of the housewife...and how it can go completely, horribly wrong. Terry is the dissenting housewife, who, instead of protesting or refusing her role, simply ignores what she has to do. In the background, adultery runs rampant for the both of them, most peculiarly with their family friends Hank and Edith. "Adultery" is about just what the
title says...adultery and the meaning of it. This novella explores the relationship of Hank and Edith (characters in "We Don't Live Here Anymore"). After years of marriage, and Edith waiting for their romance to take off, she discovers an unpleasant truth: Hank doesn't believe in monogamy. And so they delve into a dangerous romantic territory with no boundaries. "Finding a Girl in America" is the last novella, one that focuses on Hank, Edith's husband. The couple have split, and Hank is
adjusting to being middle-aged, and continuing to date young women he teaches as a college professor. He meets one special woman and we see where this takes him. If you're looking for a light read, with simpering, average characters and a conventional plot, avoid this collection. However, if you're interested in insightful characters who question society and the roles it places us in and a plot that twists and turns as you're dragged along, "We Don't Live Here Anymore" is for you. Review
to be continued
Aug 15, 2012 Brandee Shafer rated it really liked it Andre Dubus's work satisfies in that
the author clearly managed to write what he knew and where, in life, he struggled. These novellas are no exception; I felt a little uncomfortable, reading them, because I knew I'd entered someone's private pain and was experiencing his raw vulnerability. I've found Dubus's work a good place to turn since burning through Hemingway's. Same absence of fluff, same stark quality to the language. The big difference is Dubus's concentration not on physical landscape I've found Dubus's work a good place to turn since burning through Hemingway's. Same absence of fluff, same stark quality to the language. The big difference is
Dubus's concentration not on physical landscape and what happens in it, but, instead, on that of the heart and what happens in it. The characters in these novellas don't participate in high activity; they work somewhere off the pages, and--in front of us--they do little beyond drinking, making love, talking, and thinking. Dubus makes us believe this is enough: that we don't need to read a bullfight, fishing expedition, or war...that what happens inside of a person is fascinating enough. At
the end of the day, _We Don't Live Here Anymore_ is about love: how to find it, but, more significantly, how to keep it alive within both another and oneself, also how to recognize when it's dead and gone. Award-winning author Andre Dubus II (1936–1999) has been hailed as one of the best American short story writers of the twentieth century. Dubus’s collections of short fiction include Separate Flights (1975), Adultery & Other Choices (1977), and Dancing After Hours (1996), which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Another collection, Finding a Girl in America, features the story “Kil Award-winning author Andre Dubus II (1936–1999) has been hailed as one of the best American short story writers of the twentieth century. Dubus’s collections of short fiction include Separate Flights (1975), Adultery & Other Choices (1977), and Dancing After Hours (1996), which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Another collection, Finding a Girl in America, features the story “Killings,” which was adapted into the critically acclaimed film In the Bedroom (2001), starring Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei. His son Andre Dubus III is also a writer. ...more News & InterviewsNeed another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our... Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. |
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