You Think It, I'll Say It
Stories
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3.8 • 335 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Every bit as smart, sensitive, funny, and genuine as her phenomenally popular novels,”* a dazzling collection from the New York Times bestselling author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible
“I really loved all the characters in this book. They’re so complex and interesting, and in every story, you’ll find them going through these pivotal moments in their lives.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND USA TODAY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • Financial Times • San Francisco Chronicle • New York Public Library • Refinery29
A suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. A high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. A shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.
Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her “astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers’ heads” (The Washington Post) is showcased like never before. Throughout the ten stories in You Think It, I’ll Say It, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided.
With moving insight and uncanny precision, Curtis Sittenfeld pinpoints the questionable decisions, missed connections, and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up a life. Indeed, she writes what we’re all thinking—if only we could express it with the wit of a master satirist, the storytelling gifts of an old-fashioned raconteur, and the vision of an American original.
*Booklist (starred review)
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION
“At once psychologically acute, deftly crafted and deeply pleasurable.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Witty and buoyant . . . Each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted.”—Chicago Tribune
“Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing. Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we’ll read it.”—People
“Razor-sharp, often hilarious . . . [Curtis Sittenfeld] is a sharp observer of human nature and human relationships. . . . A witty, breezy, zeitgeist-y collection.”—USA Today
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Curtis Sittenfeld just might be this generation’s John Updike, delivering a mischievous but relatable take on contemporary suburban America. Her first short story collection includes 10 witty, quietly poignant tales of people whose lives are never as rosy as their shiny surfaces. From the physical embarrassments of middle age to sly commentary on celebrity culture, Sittenfeld's dialogue crackles with kitchen-table authenticity. Her confused and frustrated characters always feel as real as our own neighbors.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her thoroughly satisfying first collection, Sittenfeld (Eligible) spins magic out of the short story form. Bookended by tales concerning the election of Donald Trump, the collection comfortably situates itself in contemporary America, focusing on female protagonists navigating friendships, family, politics, and social media. In "A Regular Couple," a semifamous defense attorney reconsiders her past after she runs into a high school frenemy also honeymooning at the same resort. In "The Prairie Wife," a woman contemplates whether to make public a bombshell revelation that would ruin the image of a lifestyle celebrity she dated as a teen. Another celebrity story, "Off the Record," places a small-time interviewer in the home of an up-and-coming starlet, with explicit instructions to leave her appointment with juicy details on the starlet's recent breakup. And in "Volunteers Are Shining Stars," perhaps the collection's best entry, a young volunteer at a shelter for mothers and children in Washington, D.C., develops a hatred for a new, bubbly volunteer. As in her novels, Sittenfeld's characters are funny and insightful. Reading these consistently engrossing stories is a pleasure.)
Customer Reviews
A bit too political. Otherwise good
As a disclaimer, the first and last chapter reveals author is an avid Hillary supporter. If you can get past that, most of the stories are written well. I can feel related to the characters. I thought I will be intimidated by privileged white female democrats. Now that Trump completed his term, I can read the book with somewhat outsider viewpoint and not intimidated.
Read it!
This collection of stories feels like being with a very best friend. I enjoyed every minute of it. It truly is exactly what the title conveys: the author is saying what people are thinking—and don’t we all want to know what’s really, actually going on in other people’s minds? The writing is also fantastic. I love how she layers bits of information so that you never know what she’s going to reveal next.
Amazing book!
This books touched on so many different topics through these characters that we all go through one way or another. It’s hard to not relate with at least one of the characters. The stories felt so real and I felt for the characters. I will read this book again.