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3.5 

Natural History: Stories

By Andrea Barrett
Natural History: Stories by Andrea Barrett digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Finalist for the Story Prize
Longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
A BookPage and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

A masterful collection of interconnected stories from the "genius enchantress" (Karen Russell) author of Ship Fever, winner of the National Book Award.

In Natural History, Andrea Barrett completes the beautiful arc of intertwined lives of a family of scientists, teachers, and innovators that she has been weaving through multiple books since her National Book Award–winning collection, Ship Fever. The six exquisite stories in Natural History are set largely in a small community in central New York state and portray some of her most beloved characters, spanning the decades between the Civil War to the present day. In “Henrietta and Her Moths,” a woman tends to an insect nursery as her sister’s life follows a different path. In “Open House,” a young man grapples with a choice between a thrilling life spent discovering fossils and a desire to remain close to home. And in the magnificent title novella, “Natural History,” Barrett deepens the connection between her characters, bringing us through to the present day and providing an unforgettable capstone.

Told with Barrett’s characteristic elegance, passion for science, and wonderful eye for the natural world, the psychologically astute and moving stories gathered in this collection evoke the ways women’s lives and expectations—in families, in work, and in love—have shifted across a century and more. Building upon one another, these tales brilliantly culminate to reveal how the smallest events of the past can have large reverberations across the generations, and how potent, wondrous, and strange the relationship between history and memory can be.

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6 Reviews

3.5
“This was okay! I found myself thinking about re-reading Alice Munro a lot during this, but I would not compare Andrea Barrett's writing to Alice Munro, by any stretch!! It inspired me to revisit, on behalf of being a pale imitation (IMO). I liked Wonders of the Shore and The Accident. I liked parts - but not all - of The Regimental History. Henrietta and her Moths and Open House were misses for me, and by the time we got to Natural History, I had completely lost the plot. The family tree at the end just confused me even more!!!”
“a series of short stories about many different— although connected—characters, this book doesn’t really have a plot. instead, the narration flits around like a bee from character to character at different points in their lives, staying for a short while then moving on to a nearby character and exploring their experiences and dreams for a while. although some might not enjoy the lack of a strong plot line, i found this book to be very engaging and found myself very attached to some of the characters. i was a little bit dissatisfied with the ending, and i would have liked a little more closure about the characters we got to know from the first half of the book. overall though i very much enjoyed this book.”

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