Come to Me: Stories

I found this collection by accident and didn't know what to expect. Short stories can be so good, or so bad. These stories are very good, consistently good. These are stories of people searching for something missing in their lives, well told stories with heart, soul and humor. Amy Bloom has quite a unique voice. The stories center on romantic love and family woes, but Bloom adds a spark of originality to otherwise common subject matters. My favorite stories are "Sleepwalking," "Henry and Marie," "The Sight of You," and "Semper Fidelis." If you're as enthusiastic about memorable, literary short stories as I am, then I recommend Come to Me most highly. Enjoy this collection.

Amy Bloom surpasses the majority of modern and postmodern writers in her ability to walk us along the thin line between bliss and sorrow, hope and despair, often tempting us to jump or fall, but ultimately maintaining her course and bringing us to the end where the line dissolves. Her language is sensual decadence for the reader, but her control and neutrality towards beauty enable her to escape the pitfall of sentimentality. _Love Invents Us_, a novel which she developed out of one of the stories found here ("Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines"), is certainly worth the read, particularly for fans of this book.

This is a superb collection of short stories, a genre of which I'm not usually very fond. But each story is a gem of one or more aspects of the human condition, which Bloom recounts with humor, understanding, and, most importantly, without judgement. Her voice is authentic and never disappoints.

Amy Bloom offers an insightful perspective into peoples' lives with this collection of short stories. She gives readers realistic & beautiful characters, unique plot lines, and lyrical writing. What amazed me most about this book was Ms. Bloom's willingness to expose her characters' emotions and flaws without explanation or apology. Through her wonderfully provocative writing style, Ms. Bloom allows readers to have their own reactions to her stories, and does so without judgment. Readers will appreciate the humanity in each of her characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed every single story as varied as they were, the author does not judge the characters and the different psychological aspects of each personality added alot of dimension to what could have been ordinary stories of love, passion and loss instead they are fascinating stories of LIFE! I also recommend Elizabeth Berg to readers who like Bloom. Thank you for introducing me to this author whom I could not even find at our large local book store. I will order her novel next "Love Invents Us"...