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azadeh's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the first story more than the others but generally loved the book very much. I like how detailed he pictures the environment surrounding the characters and the characters themselves. Very tender stories around love of different types.
Have already ordered the next one from him, named "The secret lives of people in love".
Have already ordered the next one from him, named "The secret lives of people in love".
brittrivera's review against another edition
3.0
I think it would be easy to call Van Booy's writing pretentious, but it would also be lazy. This book of short stories is magical and captivating while also using extremely grandiose figures of speech. The story that gives this book its title "Love Begins in Winter" was by far my favorite; a beautifully slow building and sad tale about finding love. The other 4 stories never quite reached the height of the first. In order I would rank the stories:
1. "Love Begins in Winter"
2."The Comings and Goings of Strangers"
3. "Tiger, Tiger"
4. "The Missing Statues"
5. "The City of Windy Trees"
"I wanted to explain that trusting is harder than being trusted."
"If there is such a thing as marriage, it takes place long before the ceremony: in a car on the way to the airport; or as a gray bedroom fills with dawn, one lover watching the other; or as two strangers stand together in the rain with no bus in sight, arms weighed down with shopping bags. You don't know it then. But later you realize- that was the moment."
"Every moment is a paradox of now or never."
(All from "Love Begins in Winter")
1. "Love Begins in Winter"
2."The Comings and Goings of Strangers"
3. "Tiger, Tiger"
4. "The Missing Statues"
5. "The City of Windy Trees"
"I wanted to explain that trusting is harder than being trusted."
"If there is such a thing as marriage, it takes place long before the ceremony: in a car on the way to the airport; or as a gray bedroom fills with dawn, one lover watching the other; or as two strangers stand together in the rain with no bus in sight, arms weighed down with shopping bags. You don't know it then. But later you realize- that was the moment."
"Every moment is a paradox of now or never."
(All from "Love Begins in Winter")
nhelregel's review against another edition
4.0
Much like many other reviewers, I liked these stories immensely, except for the occasionally overly-poignant/sentimental moment or phrase. Very lovely language and especially loved the sense of longing/tension in most of the stories. A very lovely little collection.
earlyandalone's review against another edition
3.0
There are many pretty sentences in this book. I've found 3 of the 5 stories charming, but I wouldn't highly recommend the book.
exlibrisbitsy's review against another edition
4.0
This turned out to be a wonderful collection of uplifting stories about love, forgiveness, romance, family and hope. Each short story contained a character that had either given up hope or was at a crossroads in their life and had to make a decision or take a leap of faith or sometimes just open their eyes to see the love that was all around them and in some cases had been all along. They were all written wonderfully, very literary and lyrical with wonderful twists and turns that were at once completely surprising and then after some thought completely expected.
My favorite story in the collection would have to be the title piece "Love Begins in Winter". It was about two people who had each experienced a great loss in their life and who had only been existing in the years since as they dealt with the blow of it. Only to find at the end of it that they were still alive, that there were others that understood them and that life still went on and they could go on with it.
The one I didn't like, and the story that caused this book to lose a star, was the story "Tiger, Tiger". Mainly about a woman who loved a man but found they wanted to be together but remain unmarried for a variety of reasons culminated in his parent's failed marriage. The story talks about the work of a doctor who shared his experiences treating children who wanted to share their love with their parents in various forms of play. It also talks about how she plays by biting a boy she likes as a child so hard he bleeds and closes with her doing the same to her lover and causing him subsequently to drive off the road and into a ditch. I didn't understand that one at all.
The rest of the stories were wonderful to read about and talked about the pain and pleasure of love of all sorts, familial, romantic and friendship. It talks about the pain of loss and unfaithfulness, about forgiveness and healing, and about making all sorts of relationships work across all sorts of different family combinations and situations in life. Life is messy, and this book doesn't attempt to pretty it up and tie it with a nice little bow. It shows it for what it is and makes the love to be found there beautiful because of it.
My favorite story in the collection would have to be the title piece "Love Begins in Winter". It was about two people who had each experienced a great loss in their life and who had only been existing in the years since as they dealt with the blow of it. Only to find at the end of it that they were still alive, that there were others that understood them and that life still went on and they could go on with it.
The one I didn't like, and the story that caused this book to lose a star, was the story "Tiger, Tiger". Mainly about a woman who loved a man but found they wanted to be together but remain unmarried for a variety of reasons culminated in his parent's failed marriage. The story talks about the work of a doctor who shared his experiences treating children who wanted to share their love with their parents in various forms of play. It also talks about how she plays by biting a boy she likes as a child so hard he bleeds and closes with her doing the same to her lover and causing him subsequently to drive off the road and into a ditch. I didn't understand that one at all.
The rest of the stories were wonderful to read about and talked about the pain and pleasure of love of all sorts, familial, romantic and friendship. It talks about the pain of loss and unfaithfulness, about forgiveness and healing, and about making all sorts of relationships work across all sorts of different family combinations and situations in life. Life is messy, and this book doesn't attempt to pretty it up and tie it with a nice little bow. It shows it for what it is and makes the love to be found there beautiful because of it.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
3.0
It is impossible to read a book written by Simon van Booy without an arsenal of pens to underline all the beautiful sentences that he writes.
Also, the author biography cracks me up: "Simon van Booy was born in London and grew up in rural Wales and Oxford. After playing football in Kentucky, he lived in Paris and Athens."
One of these things is not like the other?
"I firmly believe that while lies and deception destroy love, they can also build and defend it. Love requires imagination more than experience."I'm not a huge short story reader, but I bought this collection because I loved his novel Everything Beautiful Began After so, so much. I liked these stories, too, but there was an element of...preciousness, maybe, to them that kept me from falling in love with them. It's essentially the same style he used in the novel, but it just doesn't hold the same magic for me in shorter form. It prevented the characters from really developing into something concrete, something multi-dimensional, and the reader is left instead with a lovely collection of delicate words that don't quite tell you the whole story.
Also, the author biography cracks me up: "Simon van Booy was born in London and grew up in rural Wales and Oxford. After playing football in Kentucky, he lived in Paris and Athens."
One of these things is not like the other?
murakamiangel's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read a lot of short stories. I tend to have a fondness for huge tomes that I strengthen my arms with by dragging them around with me wherever I go (they're too hard to read in bed, though - a problem). I like short stories, but sometimes they just end too fast and I want more. There are exceptions to this - I love Hemingway's spare stories and now I'm adding Simon Van Booy to this list.
At their core, these stories are about loneliness, the yearning for connection, the difficulty of making it and keeping it. In many ways these are people who can't quite remove themselves from the center of their own universe, can't quite let go and allow themselves to see what the world has on offer. Loneliness and longing define them and when they find a connection it is one of life's minor miracles for them.
All of this could be sentimental and sappy, but in Van Booy's hands it is not. Although at times it feels like he's trying just a little too hard, those moments are far overshadowed by his beautiful use of language. Most of all this reminds me of my Mississippi grandmother, Jesse.
My grandfather died relatively young and grandmother continued living her life alone - teaching and, after she retired, traveling all over. She used to always say that she "didn't need an old man to take care of." And then on one of her trips she met her second husband, Vernon. They were both in their seventies and had known each other in college - grandmother and grandaddy double dated with Vernon and his wife. Long story short they fell in love and had about fifteen glorious years together before Vernon died.
They were both amazing people - kind, loving, and giving. I can remember always thinking of them at times in my life when I was alone and lonely and felt like that would never change. I'd think, "Remember grandmother - it ain't over 'til its over." They taught me a lot about being open to love and connectedness and living in the joy of that. It's a lovely memory and was quite happy to read stories that evoked that for me. Thank you, Mr. Van Booy.
At their core, these stories are about loneliness, the yearning for connection, the difficulty of making it and keeping it. In many ways these are people who can't quite remove themselves from the center of their own universe, can't quite let go and allow themselves to see what the world has on offer. Loneliness and longing define them and when they find a connection it is one of life's minor miracles for them.
All of this could be sentimental and sappy, but in Van Booy's hands it is not. Although at times it feels like he's trying just a little too hard, those moments are far overshadowed by his beautiful use of language. Most of all this reminds me of my Mississippi grandmother, Jesse.
My grandfather died relatively young and grandmother continued living her life alone - teaching and, after she retired, traveling all over. She used to always say that she "didn't need an old man to take care of." And then on one of her trips she met her second husband, Vernon. They were both in their seventies and had known each other in college - grandmother and grandaddy double dated with Vernon and his wife. Long story short they fell in love and had about fifteen glorious years together before Vernon died.
They were both amazing people - kind, loving, and giving. I can remember always thinking of them at times in my life when I was alone and lonely and felt like that would never change. I'd think, "Remember grandmother - it ain't over 'til its over." They taught me a lot about being open to love and connectedness and living in the joy of that. It's a lovely memory and was quite happy to read stories that evoked that for me. Thank you, Mr. Van Booy.