What do You think about Mendocino: And Other Stories (2003)?
I want to write like Ann Packer. I want to perfectly infuse a story with such brilliant little nuances of character and relationship. But alas... I don't write anywhere near as well as Ann Packer. Fortunately, I got to read this intimate collection of stories, many of which teased my brain after I'd finished them, challenging me to put the pieces together to reveal a greater theme and making me wonder what would become of the characters' lives beyond the page. Some of the stories struck me more than others, but that's to be expected with shorts, right?
—Danie
Mendocino (and other stories) has ten stories that take place in different cities and on different subjects but they are all connected by the theme of family. My favorite three in the set are the title story, "Babies" and "Lightning". "Mendocino" follows an ex girlfriend as she visits her boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Clearly he has met his soul mate and she must decide how best to maintain the friendship with him that she wants which means including the new girlfriend. The other two favorit
—Sarah Sammis
Good stories, good characters, well written. I liked that these characters were normal people. there didn't have to be quirky characters or unrealistic scenarios. But, and it's an interesting but, I found most of the stories utterly lacking in the ending category. I recently published a couple of short story collections. A number of co-workers and friends who have now read my stories for the first time complain that they are too short (which they probably are) and the endings just leave them wanting more. I felt the same way reading most of the stories in this collection in a very real way. I don't have any specific examples from the stories, but the stories frequently seemed written towards the resolution of problem X and would end before X was resolved. Very frustrating.
—Mark
