A review by joshuamt
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel

4.0

This book compiles several of Amy Hempel's previously released collections of short stories. And many of these stories are very short, averaging a few pages. The first collection cast a spell on me- it reminded me of the first time I read Leonard Cohen's lyrics in an album's liner notes, feeling a thrill as I took in the words. Unfortunately, I felt like Amy Hempel's subsequent stories were a slow descent from that early peak, though there were bits of wonder scattered throughout. Still, beautiful writing.