You Think It, I'll Say It

Stories

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Emily Rankin, Mark Deakins

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

“Every bit as smart, sensitive, funny, and genuine as her phenomenally popular novels,”* a dazzling collection from The New York Times best-selling 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 x Hello Sunshine Book Pick)]

Named one of the 10 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 10 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)

Long-listed 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)

©2018 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The two narrators, Emily Rankin and Mark Deakins, are a credit to the audiobook.... Both narrators capture the timely, relevant, and humorous nature of these darkly observant stories." (AudioFile)

"Sittenfeld makes writing lively and diverting fiction look easy, though each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted.... Witty and buoyant, Sittenfeld delivers her characters to her audience with bemused perspicacity and above all affection.... Sittenfeld proves adept at quickly establishing characters in whom the reader feels inclined to invest immediately." (Chicago Tribune)

"Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing.... Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we'll read it." (People)

Ignore the bad reviews

I’m not sure why this collection of novellas has garnered such appalling reviews! The only thing I can think of is the political nature of some of the stories.

If you like character dramas, you will love this! This book is visceral, the characters and all of their flaws are laid before the reader like a jumbled and unfinished puzzle. Each character has both good and bad traits.

This collection focuses on growth of people. From the woman who wants to ruin someone’s life to the bully in high school; from one night stands to committed, albeit unhappy marriages... this book underlies the darkness of human nature while also shedding light on each individual’s goodness.

I found these novellas easy to listen to but hard to digest. It’s a book I will think about for many years to come.

So fun to listen to!

These stories were smart without being pretentious. Well written and excellent narrations! I had been looking for some modern short stories—these were great!

choppy, but interesting

choppy, but interesting. Not sure about the overall theme or idea, but mini stories were interesting.

Interesting!

This was an oddly refreshing during a month off w/ the family! Lol - Peers into various lives and streams of consciousness.

Thought provoking

Really interesting stories and relatable. I listened to the whole book in one sitting, really kept my interest.

I want more!

I didn’t want this book to end. The stories were complex and the characters were developed very well. The stories felt so real. No fluff and stuff here. The narrators were both fantastic. More, please!

thumbs up

I liked this one. good stories. characters resonated with me. thumbs up.
readers made story very relatable.

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of our top writers now

The nuances of well-crafted literary fiction applied to modern life, including relationships, success, failure and the points in between.

A bunch of short stories

Compilation of a bunch of short stories which I didn’t know going into the book so if felt a little confusing. The short stories were good but I would have liked them better if they were longer novels. Stories felt real and not overtly fictionalized.

pretty good

pretty good little stories. little tid bits into others lives. no beginning or ending. nice read