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alaiyo0685's review against another edition
5.0
So I wasn't expecting this, but I could barely put this book down. I've never read a collection of short stories that were linked in this way, with background characters who were mentioned offhand in one becoming main characters in another, or taking readers through snapshots of two different times in the same person's life. Add in the nuance, sophistication, and grit Schappell gives to the subjects of girl- and womanhood, and you've got a powerful little read.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
Monsters of the Deep - an interesting tale about a girl and a boy that are not sure what they are to one another. They are insecure and predatory and they both seem to like it.
A Dog Story - a couple struggle to conceive and so they get a dog to help bring them closer.
Are You Comfortable? - a young girl drops out of college and is home to help with her grandfather's care and attempt to navigate his dementia.
Elephant - two young moms meet at the park. Their daughters aren't really friends, but the two women find kinship.
The Joy of Cooking - a young girl calls her mom for directions on how to cook a whole chicken. As the conversation unfolds, we realize the depth of the daughter's eating disorder and her dependance on her mother.
Aren't You Dead Yet? - a young girl befriends a fellow artist, Ray. Ray becomes a mentor of sorts until Elizabeth gets a story published. He then walks away from the friendship without warning. Years later when Ray returns, Elizabeth uses his life story for her stories. The line between fiction and reality becomes blurred.
Out of the Blue and Into the Black - Bender is in college and she likes to take risks. Her friends often wake her up from drunken stupors. Her friend Andy is always her support, but Bender can't admit to having feelings for him.
I'm Only Going to Tell You This Once - Heather is the mother to teenager Sam. Sam has begun to date a woman older than him and as a cautionary tale, Heather tells her story of a love triangle she found herself in as young co-ed (only she doesn't admit the star role is her - she says it's a friend Jane). The Heather in this story is the Heather from the first story, so it's a nice way to bookend the stories in between.
All in all, I found this to be a fairly cohesive group of stories. You have women that are broken here (on all different levels) and that are trying to seek some type of step towards healing. Many of the women in the stories just want to find someone that understands what they have endured; they want a sense of sisterhood, which I think Schappell achieves well here.
Some stories are more memorable than others. I think Out of the Blue and Into the Black is a favorite from this collection.
A Dog Story - a couple struggle to conceive and so they get a dog to help bring them closer.
Are You Comfortable? - a young girl drops out of college and is home to help with her grandfather's care and attempt to navigate his dementia.
Elephant - two young moms meet at the park. Their daughters aren't really friends, but the two women find kinship.
The Joy of Cooking - a young girl calls her mom for directions on how to cook a whole chicken. As the conversation unfolds, we realize the depth of the daughter's eating disorder and her dependance on her mother.
Aren't You Dead Yet? - a young girl befriends a fellow artist, Ray. Ray becomes a mentor of sorts until Elizabeth gets a story published. He then walks away from the friendship without warning. Years later when Ray returns, Elizabeth uses his life story for her stories. The line between fiction and reality becomes blurred.
Out of the Blue and Into the Black - Bender is in college and she likes to take risks. Her friends often wake her up from drunken stupors. Her friend Andy is always her support, but Bender can't admit to having feelings for him.
I'm Only Going to Tell You This Once - Heather is the mother to teenager Sam. Sam has begun to date a woman older than him and as a cautionary tale, Heather tells her story of a love triangle she found herself in as young co-ed (only she doesn't admit the star role is her - she says it's a friend Jane). The Heather in this story is the Heather from the first story, so it's a nice way to bookend the stories in between.
All in all, I found this to be a fairly cohesive group of stories. You have women that are broken here (on all different levels) and that are trying to seek some type of step towards healing. Many of the women in the stories just want to find someone that understands what they have endured; they want a sense of sisterhood, which I think Schappell achieves well here.
Some stories are more memorable than others. I think Out of the Blue and Into the Black is a favorite from this collection.
rosalind14's review against another edition
5.0
This was shelved in the YA section of Barnes and Noble, and though it isn't a YA book as I originally thought, I think teenagers will benefit from reading Blueprints for Building Better Girls just as much as, if not more than, adults (speaking as a 16-year-old). I'm not normally a fan of short stories, but this book really worked; all of them were interconnected, even if by the slightest character. Each voice felt distinct and every story was touching and striking in a different way.
It's one of those books that can't really be fully conveyed over a review, so I won't attempt to do more than recommend it to all.
It's one of those books that can't really be fully conveyed over a review, so I won't attempt to do more than recommend it to all.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, thanks to the publisher and Good Reads for providing review copies to general readers. This is a great program and this book by Schappell was the first book I received through the Good Reads giveaways. I am not sure I would have picked this up on my own and that would have been my loss. I am off to a wonderful start with Blueprints and I can't wait for the next book I get.
This was a fun read. I am not sure what started the trend (which for me began with Melissa Banks)of linked, interwoven stories, but Schappell has done a good job with this genre. Each story does stand alone. Someone could read any of them and find them to be written well and interesting. But the added layer is great too. I found myself going back and forth among the stories, trying to make all the connections. I liked that aspect of this book a lot.
I do think the audience for the book might be women in their 20's and 30's, but I could relate to many of the characters. I would recommend this to readers of contemporary fiction; those people who like short stories and even fiction readers who don't always read stories. The interdependence of these tales might get short stories a new audience.
This was a fun read. I am not sure what started the trend (which for me began with Melissa Banks)of linked, interwoven stories, but Schappell has done a good job with this genre. Each story does stand alone. Someone could read any of them and find them to be written well and interesting. But the added layer is great too. I found myself going back and forth among the stories, trying to make all the connections. I liked that aspect of this book a lot.
I do think the audience for the book might be women in their 20's and 30's, but I could relate to many of the characters. I would recommend this to readers of contemporary fiction; those people who like short stories and even fiction readers who don't always read stories. The interdependence of these tales might get short stories a new audience.
megancrusante's review against another edition
1.0
So dumb. Don't read it. It was cool how the short stories were related but other than that, not much.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the dark writing and trying to discover where the characters intersections occurred. While I thought this book was interesting, there was one thing I thought it lacked -- the happy girl. I know first-hand that being a woman is hard and I appreciated this close examination of the thoughts and feelings associated with differing archetypes that are outside of my own experience.
But where is the confident woman, the girl who didn't leave her friend behind at the frat party, who gets riled up while reading articles about the current state of women's healthcare issues, who balances out these other characters uncertainty about their positions in life. Maybe I have just always been fortunate to surround myself with women of this caliber, but my own personal experience made the title seem like a call to action -- let these fictional examples show that we need to provide stronger blueprints for building better girls.
But where is the confident woman, the girl who didn't leave her friend behind at the frat party, who gets riled up while reading articles about the current state of women's healthcare issues, who balances out these other characters uncertainty about their positions in life. Maybe I have just always been fortunate to surround myself with women of this caliber, but my own personal experience made the title seem like a call to action -- let these fictional examples show that we need to provide stronger blueprints for building better girls.
nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, even though the characters are mostly unlikable. I could see the worst parts of me in most of them.
bbreads24's review against another edition
3.0
I liked some of the stories but I wish there was more of a through line and I found myself slightly confused and having to re-read pieces because I was trying to find the connection with the previous stories.
beyalibooks's review against another edition
5.0
If I weren’t so indecisive, I’d say this was my favorite book. In any case, it’s in the top three. It’s extraordinary It’s like… sitting on a bench and having a conversation about what really matters, what life is really like. This is an amazing book. Literally everyone has to read it.
jxg255's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the short stories were better than others. All of them deal with difficult issues women (hoepfully not many) encounter in their lives or know someone that has. These short stories were a little more interesting since a few of them were linked to other characters in previous stories, which helped see a different woman effected by the issue.