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midici's review
5.0
This is an adorable, ridiculous, perfect Valentine short story. A waiter who works in the Chrysler Building at the Cloud Club is narrating the day, when the Chrysler gets tired of waiting and makes her way over to the Empire building she has fallen in love with.
I love the style, the tone, the vivid descriptions, the nonchalant “We shoulda predicted this, boss”, how all the city's buildings get into the act, the fact that he tightropes across while the buildings are getting busy in order to get with the singer in the Empire building - the whole thing is just great.
Read it here: https://www.tor.com/2018/02/14/a-valentine-from-maria-dahvana-headley-read-the-tallest-doll-in-new-york-city/
I love the style, the tone, the vivid descriptions, the nonchalant “We shoulda predicted this, boss”, how all the city's buildings get into the act, the fact that he tightropes across while the buildings are getting busy in order to get with the singer in the Empire building - the whole thing is just great.
Read it here: https://www.tor.com/2018/02/14/a-valentine-from-maria-dahvana-headley-read-the-tallest-doll-in-new-york-city/
badseedgirl's review
4.0
Welcome to Day 10 of my 2021 25 Days of Short Stories Christmas Advent Calendar. Each day I will be reading a short story from the collection of over 600 short stories and novellas available for free on Tor.com. This is a collection of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. I will be letting fate (and the random number generator) decide what I read each day.
Day 1: [b:The Art of Space Travel|30532462|The Art of Space Travel|Nina Allan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558040356l/30532462._SY75_.jpg|50826910] by Nina Allan
Day 2: [b:These Deathless Bones|35506557|These Deathless Bones|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498282454l/35506557._SY75_.jpg|56914935] by Cassandra Khaw
Day 3: [b:Swift, Brutal Retaliation|13169837|Swift, Brutal Retaliation|Meghan McCarron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541922428l/13169837._SY75_.jpg|18349137] by Meghan McCarron> (Trigger warning: Emotional abuse of children and women)
Day 4: [b:Freeze Warning|18489609|Freeze Warning|Susan Krinard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379900239l/18489609._SX50_.jpg|26172761] by Susan Krinard
Day 5: [b:Daughter of Necessity|23301706|Daughter of Necessity|Marie Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412347876l/23301706._SX50_.jpg|42376194] by Marie Brennan
Day 6: [b:The Girl in the High Tower|23257790|The Girl in the High Tower|Gennifer Albin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411351413l/23257790._SX50_.jpg|42798995] by Genniger Albin
Day 7: [b:Come See the Living Dryad|37856081|Come See the Living Dryad|Theodora Goss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558645604l/37856081._SY75_.jpg|55361917] by Theadora Goss
Day 8: [b:Black Friday|40230189|Black Friday|Alexander C. Irvine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532796086l/40230189._SY75_.jpg|62484577] by Alex Irvine
Day 9 [b:Up From Hell|31310480|Up From Hell|David Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470076505l/31310480._SX50_.jpg|51982538] by David Drake
Day 10: The Tallest Doll in New York City by Maria Dahvana Headley
Ok. That might be just about the weirdest short story from Tor.com I have ever read. It is a valentine read, but if you want a (blessedly) short story that will put a smile on your face but not overtax your brain, read The Tallest Doll in New York City by Maria Dahvana Headley here.
Day 1: [b:The Art of Space Travel|30532462|The Art of Space Travel|Nina Allan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558040356l/30532462._SY75_.jpg|50826910] by Nina Allan
Day 2: [b:These Deathless Bones|35506557|These Deathless Bones|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498282454l/35506557._SY75_.jpg|56914935] by Cassandra Khaw
Day 3: [b:Swift, Brutal Retaliation|13169837|Swift, Brutal Retaliation|Meghan McCarron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541922428l/13169837._SY75_.jpg|18349137] by Meghan McCarron> (Trigger warning: Emotional abuse of children and women)
Day 4: [b:Freeze Warning|18489609|Freeze Warning|Susan Krinard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379900239l/18489609._SX50_.jpg|26172761] by Susan Krinard
Day 5: [b:Daughter of Necessity|23301706|Daughter of Necessity|Marie Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412347876l/23301706._SX50_.jpg|42376194] by Marie Brennan
Day 6: [b:The Girl in the High Tower|23257790|The Girl in the High Tower|Gennifer Albin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411351413l/23257790._SX50_.jpg|42798995] by Genniger Albin
Day 7: [b:Come See the Living Dryad|37856081|Come See the Living Dryad|Theodora Goss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558645604l/37856081._SY75_.jpg|55361917] by Theadora Goss
Day 8: [b:Black Friday|40230189|Black Friday|Alexander C. Irvine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532796086l/40230189._SY75_.jpg|62484577] by Alex Irvine
Day 9 [b:Up From Hell|31310480|Up From Hell|David Drake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470076505l/31310480._SX50_.jpg|51982538] by David Drake
Day 10: The Tallest Doll in New York City by Maria Dahvana Headley
Ok. That might be just about the weirdest short story from Tor.com I have ever read. It is a valentine read, but if you want a (blessedly) short story that will put a smile on your face but not overtax your brain, read The Tallest Doll in New York City by Maria Dahvana Headley here.
gabrielavmarques's review
2.0
Nope.
Cheesy... waaaay to cheesy.
And I can't help but think: pointless.
Cheesy... waaaay to cheesy.
And I can't help but think: pointless.
ireeeeeene's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
amyotheramy's review
2.0
I’m at the bar mixing a Horse’s Neck for Mr. Condé Nast, but I’ve got my eye on the mass of members staggering out of the elevators with fur coats, necklaces, and parcels of cling & linger, when, at 5:28p.m. precisely, the Chrysler Building steps off her foundation and goes for a walk.
This really should have worked for me, but it really did not. I am great with the idea of architectural romance (although, for some strange reason,I found the sex bizarrely repulsive here, and anyone who knows my reading history knows I'm not particularly persnickety about sex in fiction ). Partly it was the language, which was very lingo, much more so than [b:Some Gods of El Paso|26199183|Some Gods of El Paso A Tor.Com Original|Maria Dahvana Headley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441023439s/26199183.jpg|46175661], so much so I had a hard time deciphering the first several paragraphs. Partly it was the perspective: how does the waiter know all this?
On the up side, I really loved the tightrope and its aftermath for the narrator.
Available free online from Tor: http://www.tor.com/2014/02/14/the-tallest-doll-in-new-york-city-maria-dahvana-headley/
This really should have worked for me, but it really did not. I am great with the idea of architectural romance (although, for some strange reason,
On the up side, I really loved the tightrope and its aftermath for the narrator.
Available free online from Tor: http://www.tor.com/2014/02/14/the-tallest-doll-in-new-york-city-maria-dahvana-headley/
heart1lly's review
5.0
It was the perfect time to read this, in lieu of Valentine's Day. This is a short story about two buildings falling in love. No joke. The Chrysler (one of my favorites in NYC) and the Empire go on a date. The story is told through the eyes of a waiter at the Cloud Club in 1938 on Valentine's Day. The story originally showed up on tor.com, a really nifty website for science fiction and fantasy lovers.
Highly recommend checking out the story on tor.com, or buying a copy for a buck. It was the worth the dollar.
Highly recommend checking out the story on tor.com, or buying a copy for a buck. It was the worth the dollar.
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