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Honeydew  By  cover art

Honeydew

By: Edith Pearlman
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
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Publisher's summary

A new story collection from Edith Pearlman, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and finalist for the National Book Award for her last collection, Binocular Vision. From the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Binocular Vision, Honeydew further solidifies Edith Pearlman's place among the likes of all-time great story writers such as John Updike, Alice Munro, Frank O'Connor, and Anton Chekhov.

Pearlman writes about the predicaments of being human. The title story involves an affair, an illegitimate pregnancy, anorexia, and adolescent drug use, but the real excitement comes from the intricate attention Pearlman devotes to the interior life of young Emily, who wishes she were a bug. In "Sonny", a mother prays for her daughters to be barren so they never have to experience the death of a child. "The Golden Swan" transports the listener to a cruise ship with lavish buffets-and a surprise stowaway.

In prose that is as wise as it is poetic, Pearlman shines light on small, devastatingly precise moments to reflect the beauty and grace found in everyday life. She maps the psychological landscapes of her exquisitely rendered characters with unending compassion and seeming effortlessness.

Both for its artistry and for the lives of the characters it presents, Honeydew is a collection that will pull listeners back time and again. These stories demonstrate once more that Pearlman is a master of the form and that hers is a vision unfailingly wise and forgiving.

©2014 Edith Pearlman (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Pearlman's economy of language creates imagistic prose that feels like poetry. It's especially effective on audio, thanks to Suzanne Toren's artistry.... The cast is large and memorable, the stories piercing and perceptive, and Toren's performance puts a unique stamp on each remarkable piece." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Honeydew

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each story a joy

each story a fully explored and a well expressed in a language i loved thanks

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Better of read

I love short stories. This was my first experience listening to them rather than reading them and I don't believe I'll try it again. Perhaps it was just the narration, but I couldn't tell where one story ended and the next began. I stopped listening about an hour in--couldn't get into it at all.

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Nice stories, suboptimal narration

These r lovely stories but I will read them old fashioned way. Narration was uber-annoying. Possibly sound quality but voice sounded like a robot, almost computer generated. Not a good audio experience. Too bad.

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1 person found this helpful