Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket

Stories

De: Hilma Wolitzer

Narrado por: Hillary Huber

Bloomsbury presents Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer, read by Hilary Huber.

An NPR Best Book of the Year * A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice * An Electric Literature Best Short Story Collection of the Year * Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize

The "often hilarious and always compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) collected stories of a critically acclaimed, award-winning “American literary treasure” (Boston Globe), now with a foreword by Elizabeth Strout.

From her many well-loved novels, Hilma Wolitzer—now ninety-one years old and at the top of her game—has gained a reputation as one of our best fiction writers, who “raises ordinary people and everyday occurrences to a new height.” (Washington Post) These collected short stories—most of them originally published in magazines including Esquire and the Saturday Evening Post, in the 1960s and 1970s, along with a new story that brings her early characters into the present—are evocative of an era that still resonates deeply today.

In the title story, a bystander tries to soothe a woman who seems to have cracked under the pressures of her life. And in several linked stories throughout, the relationship between the narrator and her husband unfolds in telling and often hilarious vignettes. Of their time and yet timeless, Wolitzer’s stories zero in on the domestic sphere with wit, candor, grace, and an acutely observant eye. Brilliantly capturing the tensions and contradictions of daily life, Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is full of heart and insight, providing a lens into a world that was often unseen at the time, and often overlooked now—reintroducing a beloved writer to be embraced by a whole new generation of people.©2021 Hilma Wolitzer (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Very entertaining!

The narrator is terrific. I have listened to her many times. She can make anything sound fun. The writing is smart. The stories are rich and poignant.
Very enjoyable way to spend 8 hours.

Dark with humor?

Don’t read if you are depressed. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Brutal. I couldn’t stop reading it.

Thoroughly Enjoyed!

Each chapter is a separate story about the life of seemingly different women. I love that many of the chapters are from the 60s and 70s. Thought provoking… sometimes sad, sometimes humorous. This book isn’t for everyone but I really enjoyed it!

Beautiful writing about banality

The writing is witty, but the character is not worth spending time with, living such a self-absorbed and narrow life with so little insight.

Beautiful words, narrator made in difficult

Ugh, this was a bummer. I'm familiar with Wolitzer's work and was interested in her shorts. Sadly, this narrator made it almost impossible for me to continue listening. I've encountered her work before (this narrator) and have had better experiences. She has a beautiful resonant voice but after a few minutes it became impossibly droning. She didn't vary her tone, her characters, her storytelling, her rhythm, like I've heard her do before. It honestly sounded a bit like listening to AI. She sounded bored and disconnected. It's possible someone directed her to perform it this way?? I truly hate calling out an individual like this but I just found it didn't serve the work at all--especially the short story form where it calls for variety. Very disappointing.

But Wolitzer is a real legend.