Customer Reviews

Dead Girls

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My daughter kept insisting that I read this book. Her and I don't usually share the same taste in books -- she only reads books with ideas and social relevance, whereas I just like a good story. She won me over with this one though. I read the book in three sittings, which is quick for me because I have a very busy life. The stories were quite addictive -- it was impossible to begin one and not finish it. The characters were so memorable that I found myself thinking about them, worrying about them for days after. I had to tell myself several times, "Stop worrying about her, she's not even real." I'm not a big cryer, but I cried at the end of "Sally, In Parts" a story about a woman trying to connect with her father. I also had to fish out the kleenex for "Dead Girls" which was about a mother searching for her missing daughter whose a prostitute. Some mothers might be put off by the sex in the book, but none of it seemed gratuitous. I would say, don't be afraid of this book, although it goes to frightening places, it's a true exploration of the human condition. Especially the female condition.

Beautiful, sensual, erotic, intelligent. I'd recommend not reading all the stories in one go. Take some time with this one, it'll make the writing and images seem all more real and meaningful.

I'm not kidding when I say that. Other reviews have commented on how great the writing is, and I totally agree, but to me the most important thing about this book is that it's about real and authentic experience. The plights of the characters are portrayed so vividly, that you can't help but wonder if the author herself has been through these things. This book isn't sentimental and it doesn't dumb-down things to score easy emotional points. I think older teenage girls would REALLY dig this book, since it's very brave and edgy and several characters in the book are teenagers. Colleges/Universities should start putting this book on their reading lists, there are so many ways to approach it -- literature, womens studies, sociology. There aren't enough books like this out there!!!

I've read the other reviews of this amazing book & they're bang on. This girl can write & these stories will move you. My favourite is the first, Associated Press, which is both powerful & subtle in both the writing style & its approach to the subject matter. I felt both an incredible connection to the narrator & as though my way of looking at the world had opened up. All the stories are incredible in their depth, the layers of insight, & the writing style. I am yet unable to ge the last story "Sisters" out of my mind & think of the sisters of the title as two girls I once knew. I keep thinking of them & of all of these stories. I read the book in one sitting & will read it again & again, I'm sure.

I don't usually read short story collections, but I had read about the murders in Vancouver and so thought this book would be a timely read. If all short story collections are like this one, I've definitely been missing out! Ms. Lee writes with a maturity and grace that defies you to close her book. Each of her stories is brilliantly realized, full of tension and unexpected turns -- her characters are vivid and alive. The stories are linked by the event of the murders (you can probably read up on the Vancouver murders on-line), but the connection is very subtle, and not overstated. Though the stories are "joined", each stands on its own as a strong piece of fiction. Even if you think you only like novels, you'll find this collection satisfying because by the end, you feel as if you've read a novel.

It was a bit of a chore getting this book in my hands but so worth the wait. I was so deeply moved by the story Sally in Parts that I had to put the book away for a few days. Then I was hit with the story Dead Girls and once again had to remove myself once again.
After each story I would stop and think 'wow'.

I picked up this book because of it's gorgeous glossy cover and when I read the recommendation quote on the back, "you will wake from a slumber you did not know you were in" -- I thought, that's a pretty big claim for a book. But, boy, was it dead-on. These stories are chilling and gripping and full of amazing insight. This girl can write! My favourite stories were "Dead Girls" -- about a mother who searches for her drug-addicted, prostitute daughter and "Valentines" about three young teenagers who get into a whole lot of trouble -- I don't want to give anything away.

This book is so unlike anything I've read before. I'd recommended reading it from beginning to end instead of bouncing around from story to story because there's a sort of build that happens as you move through the book.

This book will make you think about stuff and people that you maybe haven't thought about before or haven't wanted to think about. I found myself wondering and worrying about the characters for a long time after finishing each story.

A truly fantastic book!

I picked up this book because of my interest in Canadian writers. I found my self engulfed from the moment I picked it up. Like a child at Christmas, looking at a tree full of presents, my eyes glistened and my curiosity grew immensely as I continued to read. Let me tell you, I was ecstatic with they way this book was composed. I can't wait for Nancy Lee's next piece of work. (Hopefully ready for Christmas time!?)

Nancy Lee has written one of the finest, most delicately balanced and dark collection of stories I've come across, and though I usually would never write a review of a book that I'd bought, I couldn't help it when I came to Amazon looking to see if she'd written anything else. This is just totally incredible, this book. If you are looking for something with edge, but an open heart and a strong mind, then look no further. Reading Dead Girls is the most blazing introduction to a writer you could hope for.

This book was recommended by several magazines so I picked it up. I wasn't sure what to expect, given the basis of the collection, but the stories are wonderfully written. I couldn't put the book down once I started, even though some of the stories are thought-provoking, even shocking. But none of the writing is contrived for shock. Nancy Lee handles her stories with sensitivity, her characters with tenderness. A great collection of stories that may be considered "gritty" and "urban" but manages to be universal and sympathetic. Dare I say a little bit of each of us in each story?