Property

Stories Between Two Novellas

By: Lionel Shriver

Narrated by: Lionel Shriver

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A striking new collection of ten short stories and two novellas that explores the idea of property in every meaning of the word, from the acclaimed New York Times best-selling author of the National Book Award finalist So Much for That and the international best seller We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Intermingling settings in America and Britain, Lionel Shriver’s first collection explores property in both senses of the word: real estate and stuff. These pieces illustrate how our possessions act as proxies for ourselves and how tussles over ownership articulate the power dynamics of our relationships. In Lionel Shriver’s world, we may possess people and objects and places, but in turn they possess us.

In the stunning novella The Standing Chandelier, a woman with a history of attracting other women’s antagonism creates a deeply personal wedding present for her best friend and his fiancée - only to discover that the jealous fiancée wants to cut her out of their lives. In "Domestic Terrorism", a 30-something son refuses to leave home, resulting in a standoff that renders him a millennial cause célèbre. In "The ChapStick", a middle-aged man subjugated by service to his elderly father discovers that the last place you should finally assert yourself is airport security. In "Vermin", an artistic Brooklyn couple’s purchase of a ramshackle house destroys their once-passionate relationship. In "The Subletter", two women, both foreign conflict junkies, fight over a claim to a territory that doesn’t belong to either.

Exhibiting a satisfying thematic unity unusual for a collection, this masterful work showcases the biting insight that has made Shriver one of the most acclaimed writers of our time.

©2018 Lionel Shriver (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Painful and drawn out

While the stories were somewhat entertaining, her narration was TERRIBLE!! Everything about her voice was annoying.. her attempts at accents, characters, pretty much every aspect of what you like when listening to a book, fell short. I finally just gave up on it and didn't finish. I found I was actually relieved to be done with it.

Another author who should not read her own work.

Authors rarely have the necessary performance skill to read their own work and, alas, Lionel Shriver is not among the exceptions to this rule. While her writing is very good, her performance was lacking in drama, good pacing and even good diction at times. The main complaint I have about the writing was that in the first novella she made the setting Lexington, Virginia, a city about which she apparently knows nothing, and used a travel guide to pluck details as needed for the plot. She refers to “William and Lee University” (apparently confusing William and Mary in Williamsburg with Washington and Lee in Lexington), describes the town as having colonial era buildings (again, that’s Williamsburg) when its historic architecture is antebellum and reconstruction, mispronounces Macado’s, a local restaurant, as “Mikados” (it’s MACK-a-doo’s), and generally gets the neighboring geography wrong. Of course, I know the town well, others who don’t wouldn’t notice, but it makes me question why the author wouldn’t use a setting she was familiar with (there was no reason it had to be Lexington — any small college town would do).

Property, an exceptional collection

I read every story with anticipation and appreciation. I also related to Lionel Shriver as she so skillfully narrated each story. I will new read another novel. I also took out the movie We need to talk about Kevin.

I especially enjoyed Shriver’s vovabulary and choices of words and conversations. She is insightful, creative, and an exceptional writer.
I have already recommended my discovery of her to others.

Carolyn Jacobson. [e-mail]

Another study of humans, predictable and complex

interesting, although author's Irish accent was a stretch. A nice addition to her novels which I enjoyed even more.

Save your credits.

In over 130+ novels I read in 2021, this was the worst. The story was dry, read poorly by the author, and was tough to draw lessons from that I could apply to my life (the worst sin of all fiction novels). Save your credits by not spending on the novel, I wish there was a refund option available.

Enjoyed this well written book

I bought this book, unsure of what to expect. I thought it had potential and I wasn’t disappointed. The writing style was witty and insightful. The characters portrayed were relatable to many people we encounter in life. The tales of “property” were well tied together and formed a cohesive narrative. My only complaint was that the chapter separations of the novella were confusing and not announced. The narration by the author was spot on but her different voices for characters was sometimes confusing. I enjoyed this audible book and would read or listen to this author again.