Goodnight, Beautiful

Goodnight, Beautiful Women

---

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for making it available. It's amazing how much power a short story can have, how much emotion and plot and imagery and detail can be packed into a finite number of pages.

It's one of the things I love so much about short stories—while, obviously, I love reading novels, and have been absolutely dazzled and bowled over by many books I've read, I've Full disclosure: It's one of the things I love so much about short stories—while, obviously, I love reading novels, and have been absolutely dazzled and bowled over by many books I've read, I've had similar reactions to short stories as well. It's so gratifying to see the short form is still so popular, and that there are so many incredibly talented writers out there doing wonders with short stories.

Add Anna Noyes to that list. Goodnight, Beautiful Women , Noyes' soon-to-be-published collection of stories, contains some absolute stunners. As you might imagine, each of the 11 stories are about a woman or women or girl experiencing anguish, crisis, or uncertainty sometimes more than one. How they choose to confront these turning points—or avoid them—provides moments of turmoil, transformation, or, in some cases, great strength. While not every story in the collection worked for me, most of these stories moved and amazed me.

Some of my favorites included: These stories are at times funny, sad, thought-provoking, troubling, even sexy. Noyes has a true gift with language and imagery, and she really gets you invested in her characters within a few short pages. I love finding new, talented short story writers, and I look forward to seeing what is next in Noyes' career. She's definitely a writer I expect to hear more from in the future. See all of my reviews at http: View all 5 comments.

Jan 21, Jan added it Shelves: The first words that come to mind for what I've read so far are dark, heavy, depressing. Add that to the fact that the stories often ended rather abruptly, with no true ending or closure left me a bit unsettled.

I'm used to reading dark, suspenseful thrillers, but these stories just left me feeling deflated, so I'm moving on ARC provided by NetGalley Oct 08, Jenny rated it really liked it Shelves: She combed her hair until it sparked with static. It's a dark one, told with sparkling and lucid prose and not devoid of some - albeit desperate - humour. What these stories have in common are girls and women who struggle with their inner and outer shadows, with some dark stain that seems stuck on their lives.

They speak of the unreliability of love, about desire and abuse, about guilt and poverty. There's the story of the woman who shaves her head and drives off with her daughter in the middle of the night, instructing her child not to call her mom in an attempt to bring back the days in which she felt free and full of possibility. There's the title story, in which a woman suddenly decides to leave the man that's become a father figure to her daughter and the image of that man standing outside a gas station with two cups of steaming cocoa as mother and daughter drive off, his gray-blonde hair Some of these women seem to be a mystery to themselves, as if they were imposters in their own life, unable to trust themselves.

Like in 'Werewolf', one of my favourite stories in the collection, in which an innocent party game sends a woman down a spiral of guilt and doubt and all the way back to a lie she told as a child. Confused by the ease with which she lied, by the inability to explain her actions to herself and more and more unable to tell the truth from lie, she's spent most of her adult life trying to do penance, trying to do good. Yet there's a raw tenderness, a compassion to Noyes' voice that evoke a real sense of beauty.

And despite the sense of mystery in these stories she creates an intimacy between the characters and readers that I though was striking. I'm hoping for many more books by her. View all 3 comments. What a disappointment this collection of short stories was. It was macabre and I like macabre but in a very disjointed fashion.

Mostly I would get to the end of a story and wonder 'why? Anna Noyes would do well to take note of this advice. Althoug What a disappointment this collection of short stories was. Although all the stories are said to be set in Maine, most of them with the exception of "Homecoming" could be set in anywhere, USA, or for that matter, any country you fancy.

My favourite story in the collection was "Drawing Blood" in which two young women from vastly different backgrounds form a relationship. There were a few other stories which I would rate as 'okay', but in the main? Jan 08, Elvan rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a haunting collection of stories.

All are dark and speak of despair and struggle, of hope and endurance.

52 Inspirational Goodnight Quotes with Beautiful Images

As the title suggests, each story involves women at various ages and stages in their life. The writing is ri This is a haunting collection of stories. The writing is rich, powerful and raw. Her mouth tastes like pennies. I could have listed all of the stories as there is not a weak one in the collection.

Good Night, Beautiful Women is a beautiful, often tragic and always thought-provoking book and its author, Anna Noyes is one to add to your must read list. Feb 21, Sofia rated it liked it Shelves: Noyes gives these Snapshots of Women in Crises which made me sad and wishful that I was also getting snapshots of these women in happy moments so that I get a more complete picture, otherwise I might get the idea that Noyes' women are always sad and always in crisis. And I know from being a woman yes - awe please that aside from our dark moments, we also have our light ones.

Noyes writing reminded me of Adam Johnson so I was a more than happy girl. Sadly the themes explored reminded me of Raymo Noyes gives these Snapshots of Women in Crises which made me sad and wishful that I was also getting snapshots of these women in happy moments so that I get a more complete picture, otherwise I might get the idea that Noyes' women are always sad and always in crisis.

Sadly the themes explored reminded me of Raymond Carver and these themes ill health, depression, abuse, seperation are sad and dark. I'm looking forward to read more Noyes in future. Aug 07, Barbara rated it really liked it Shelves: Bleak, sad, depressing, and hopeless are some of the emotions one feels reading these beautifully written and crafted stories. This is NOT that. Yet, the writing is magnificent and the stories are alluring, although gloomy. All stories are women centered. Each character is either born in 3. Each character is either born in an unfortunate situation that seems impossible to overcome, or is knowingly making bad choices like these choices are urges that must be followed.

This novel has been highly acclaimed and I understand the reasons as author Anna Noyes writing is superb. I initially passed on this, but GR friend Carol peeked my interest. Oct 20, Holly rated it really liked it Shelves: This collection started out innocuously enough with the first three stoic, elegant stories, but Noyes woke me out of my peaceful short-story slumber with "Drawing Blood. Her stories are almost like little games you're playing for the first time, figuring out the rules as you go.

Standouts i This collection started out innocuously enough with the first three stoic, elegant stories, but Noyes woke me out of my peaceful short-story slumber with "Drawing Blood.

See a Problem?

Oct 26, Lolly K Dandeneau rated it it was amazing. The women in this collection of stories are raw and believable. They aren't 'ideal' and that is why I loved Goodnight, Beautiful Women. Not at all the sort of stories you bury you nose in for a beach read, because you don't tread lightly here. It is a burden to carry and soap this creature body, all of its many parts. The first story Hibernation, still has it's soggy hands in me. It is disturbing and terribly sad. I felt the characters burdens and fears- the hungry needs. With gorgeous sentences like this " All my friends had straight white smiles.

It's unsettling- a beautiful young woman with a smile like a witch. Hard luck, indifference, abandonment, illness, abuse, toxic love Sometimes you find a collection that fits your mood and I hope Anna Noyes writes a full novel. Kept my shadow self at bay.

Сute Goodnight Text Messages and Quotes for Her

She was there, in the mirror. Frenzied and dangerous, her body a cloud of buzzing beetles. The reasons for this sometimes were in their pasts — mental or physical abuse, neglect or abandonment; other times it was the discovery of their own darker side which they struggle 3. The reasons for this sometimes were in their pasts — mental or physical abuse, neglect or abandonment; other times it was the discovery of their own darker side which they struggled to accept thus often becoming self-destructive, unable to connect with those who loved them.

I really liked how the stories were written, they were all absorbing. However, leaving the characters in the same or worse place than I found them felt unsatisfying.

And although each story had an individuality there was a repetitiveness that started to bug me in the second half of the collection. Feb 19, lisa rated it it was ok Shelves: These stories were just not that interesting. I found myself caring less and less about them as I struggled through the book. I couldn't tell if the author was going for magical realism, desperate characters, or both, or neither. She seemed to come close to some of these themes, but she never quite made it clear where here stories were landing.

I love short stories, but I couldn't tell exactly why These stories were just not that interesting. I love short stories, but I couldn't tell exactly why these were written. They didn't seem to have much to say, and the characters felt flat, and too unemotional for me, except when they did inexplicably bizarre things.

This was a miss for me. I probably won't recommend it for purchase. Oct 29, Tiffany rated it it was amazing. I insanely loved this book. Dark and sad yet beautiful writing. You know what is really hard and terrible? Also apparently living in Maine. Goodnight, Beautiful Women by Anna Noyes is a debut collection of eleven short stories featuring girls and women living in Maine. Most of the young women in this collection are doomed by circumstances or life or bad choices.

The tone of these stories is dark and melancholy - you will feel that failure and depression is seemingly just around every corner and no redemption is in sight. The quality of the descriptions and emotions of the women and girls portrayed is well done and notable. Most of th Goodnight, Beautiful Women by Anna Noyes is a debut collection of eleven short stories featuring girls and women living in Maine. Most of the stories end without a firm conclusion, denouement, or closure, which didn't work for me in every case.

There was a point where the stories began to meld together into an overarching pattern of damaged women and confused girls struggling against the odds which are never in their favor. A woman's husband drowns himself. A young woman's story is told after her father's suicide. A thirteen year old girl tries to process the fact that a girl was raped near her house. A young woman in the early 's begins an affair with the girl her family took in as a maid. Two sisters discuss whether or not they are white trash. A woman takes her daughter with her as she leaves her partner.

A teenager takes a road trip with her family during which her mother abandons her stepfather at one of their stops. A young woman looks back at a lie she told as a child. This Is Who She Was: A pregnant college student goes on vacation with her boyfriend's family. A woman on a bus trip thinks a woman might be the mother who abandoned her.

A woman feels hopeless when she moves back to her hometown with her husband. Jun 25, Kama Post rated it it was amazing. This is a book of vaguely interconnected short stories featuring women in varying stages of their lives, experiencing varying degrees of latent dissatisfaction. Many reviewers use the words "dark" and "depressing" in their reviews, but I deeply disagree. Noyes captures the undercurrents of life in a glass jar, pokes holes in the lid, and lets us peer in with one eye closed.

Romantic Good Night Quotes for Girlfriend:

There is beauty in every one of these stories. A profound beauty that could be mistaken for sadness because it is so close This is a book of vaguely interconnected short stories featuring women in varying stages of their lives, experiencing varying degrees of latent dissatisfaction. A profound beauty that could be mistaken for sadness because it is so close to the truth of the human spirit that it is almost hard to look at straight on. But Noyes does it with grace and care. I recognized myself in a lot of these women, and I believe that's a writer's job: She does this quite lyrically.

If each story is an ocean, each paragraph is a flowing current, each sentence a wave that washes over you, again and again. No drama, no tricks, no manipulation. A few of the endings left me breathless. Not because something astonishing happened, but because nothing at all really happened, and that was perfect.

Jun 21, Lara Ryan rated it it was ok Shelves: Then I started reading the book. I quickly learned that it was a collection of short stories. Stories willed with darkness. The writing is quite intelligent and more literary as most short stories are. Really, presumably, just a part of the middle. Just haunting, depressing, real life sadness. I got through this book much quicker than any of the most recent other books I have read. Perhaps it was because it was short stories, but I did not find the depressing nature of the stories a reason to stop reading.

Jul 01, Kirsty rated it really liked it Shelves: Dark and rather wonderful. Feb 23, Andy Miller rated it really liked it. This is an interesting collection of short stories about women who live in coastal towns in New England. They are "local" women often living hardscrabble contrasted with the women who vacation or summer in their towns. Some of my favorites: I read "Treelaw" twice, a testament to the story's nuance and twists. Early in the story the narrator takes her daughter to a country store and sees Mandy "When she spotted me, I looked quickly away so we had a chance to pretend we didn't recognize each other This is an interesting collection of short stories about women who live in coastal towns in New England.

Early in the story the narrator takes her daughter to a country store and sees Mandy "When she spotted me, I looked quickly away so we had a chance to pretend we didn't recognize each other. The story's flashbacks then tell how the narrator grew up with no mother and a neglectful, poor dad and how Mandy's family helped her throughout the years before paid back with betrayal. A similar story is "Drawing Blood" though this one is told by the daughter of the more well to do family who helps a girl of the same age from a dysfunctional family who lost their home.

The story is recalled many years after the two girls were somewhat sisters until there is somewhat of a love triangle and the other girl is sent away after the narrator's mother announces "Eva's not the kind of girl you marry. Sending heartfelt, inspirational and sweet good night quotes for friends and those you care about is as easy as 1 2 3. Below are some of our favorite ways to wish someone a good night. If you or those important to you are more visual share with them one of these extra special good night images with quotes.

Below are our top ones that you can easily share either by email, Facebook, WhatsApp or the method of your choice. If you are looking for something romantic, then this collection of love quotes is for you. Here you will find the best good night quotes for her or him. Give her the best winding down regimen with one of our romantic good night messages that will surely put a smile on his or her face. A little bit of silliness and humor is a good thing!

Funny GoodNight Text for Her:

Make them smile and chuckle with these funny good night quotes. Some of these are romantic, some are for friends. The family that wishes good night together stays together. Below are some of our loving and touching good night wishes for family members. We hope you enjoyed our collection of goodnight messages and good night love quotes.

There is nothing better than getting a peaceful and restful sleep and sending one of these wishes will surely help your loved one achieve that!

• Equilibrium
• The Holistic Nursing Approach to Chronic Disease
• John Calvin: Commentary on Psalms Volume 4
• The Long Way Home
• The Fall (The Rift Series Book 1)