A Kind of Dream

February 10, 2014
The 10 interconnected stories in this entertaining collection from Cherry (The Society of Friends) have in common quirkiness and loose-knit structures. The opener, “Prologue: On Familiar Terms,” introduces the reader to the family members of Nina, a writer who is the collection’s main linking thread, in entries similar to dictionary definitions. The stories also share a natural energy; Cherry, and her narrators, like to dive right in. In “The Autobiography of My Mother(s),” Tavy, Nina’s feisty adopted daughter, begins, “I’m no writer, so I’ll just stick to the facts.” And “The Only News That Matters” starts with, “Conrad looked up from his desk in the medical library to see Palmer Wright headed his way.” The shortest stories are the most nimble and lively, including, “On the Care and Handling of Infants and Small Children,” a list of loopy advice like “Don’t handle, dandle!” and “Do not squeeze the babies.” Sometimes the plot devices feel unconnected and a bit twee, such as “Shooting Star,” in which Nina’s niece, BB, deals with the death of a premature baby by going on a trip to Mongolia with her filmmaker husband, Roy. But even when Cherry rambles, she manages to engage.

June 1, 2014

Prolific award winner Cherry turns in a polished story collection featuring several generations of an artistic family going through what any family goes through. Nina, a writer, and historian husband Palmer adopt Tavy, whose biological mother has decamped to Ulaanbaatar; artist Tavy gets pregnant young with a musically inclined daughter. "Prologue: On Familiar Terms" introduces the family tree in sophisticated fashion. VERDICT Articulate, reflective characters for smart readers.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2014
The family starts with a boy and a girl from the South who each discover the beauty of violins as children. As adults they marry, and the chapters in this collection tell the stories of their children and grandchildren. One daughter is a novelist who is surprised late in life with a husband and child. One grandchild gives birth at 14, leaving the daughter with an aunt and running off to California with the father, where they become a famous actor and director. One son dies of alcoholism. A great-grandchild becomes a single mother in her late teens but keeps her daughter and finds a way to both make art and support her child. Kelly Cherry follows the characters' thoughts as they reflect on their circumstances and choices. Although the collection is somewhat uneven, fans of domestic fiction may enjoy this short volume. And the final chapter, which follows the thoughts of the novelist, Nina, as she lay dying of pancreatic cancer with her family and friends keeping watch, is quite beautiful and moving.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)