Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Richard Ford’s short stories are not about setting off fireworks but more the slow immersion into the ordinary, and the gradual realisation the reader is engaging in something quite extraordinary through the protagonists’ personal interactions and their responses to their surroundings.
This is real life observed and meticulously reflected upon in a way which creates a resonance with the reader.
Ford does this through uncomplicated prose, sparse description, a sense of awkward silence in dialogue, and the position he places the reader in as an observer in the understated and yet significant dramas. It is a case of not so much existing within the character, nor as a voyeur observing the goings on from a safe distance, but somehow being intimately attached to the protagonists, having to move where they move, see what they see and feel what they feel, through a steady accumulation of their experiences.
Ford’s strength is his deep understanding of human nature and his meticulous winkling out of the intricacies of who we are, and that there are commonalities we can all relate to, no matter what our background or location.
Yet there is also much he allows the reader to fill in for themselves. It is what, despite the apparently matter of fact accounts, develops a great deal of poignancy in these stories of looking back of where things went wrong or trying to come to terms with life and how to move on.

Ford has taken a set of tales that get to the heart of the human condition. Each one is well-crafted and addresses different aspects of Americana. However I felt a little short-changed by the fact that these are short stories as several could have been expanded further. Ford is in excellent writer who understands the nuances of life.

A collection of short pensive stories about loss and reflection.

These centre around the sad topics of death, illness, divorce and suicide, with the advantage of a mature perspective. The stories show how people adapt, cope with trauma, how and if they are changed by certain life events.

​Reading these tales is a slow and thoughtful process. Being middle-aged helps to identify with some of the scenarios, certainly if you're a man, but sometimes it is simply to absorb the manipulation of the language and the clipped sentences. The 'winterage', a term one character uses for the weight his wife had put on, is an example of how many of the women are defined by their weight (and appearance generally) in all of the stories, which comes across as judgemental. 'She had a wobbly, knee-bent gait from a demanding life.'

The stories are of noticeably different lengths but the theme of dissatisfaction runs through them all so the tales appear a little repetitive. By the end of the book, the reader feels a little bit sad. The best of them though, is the final one, Second Language, about a couple who had married for a second time. Two very different people who enjoyed each other's company but had distinct ideas what marriage was about. Told equally from both perspectives, the woman said 'If you married a second time you had the right only to expect pieces of what the first marriage contained...' A fascinating depiction, one which I wished was a full novel replacing the reported text at the beginning.

A talented and insightful writer and a clever and moving book. Recommended.

I have loved this writer since The Sportswriter and rate him along with Richard Russo as amongst the best contemporary American authors around.

This collection of short stories and two novellas does not disappoint although I prefer novels to short stories.

They are rather sad in places but share Ford's mastery of characterisation and study of the dilemmas of the middle aged.

Something to dip into perhaps rather than read through but well up to his normal standard.

Early on in "Nothing to Declare", the first of the nine stories in this excellent collection, one of the two central figures says that "Good choices don't make very good stories ... Have you noticed that?". That sums up much of their detailed and engaging explorations of loss, the past, failing relationships and deaths in Maine, New Orleans and (surprisingly perhaps) Ireland. While you don't go to Richard Ford for experimentation, you know you're going to a consistent collection of carefully constructed, insightful stories which are as good as any. The two longest stories here, "The Run of Yourself" and "Second Language", are probably the best in their contrasting but complementary accounts of marriage and loss. But as in all of Ford's writing, there is lots here to enjoy - treat yourself.

I had Sorry For Your Trouble by Richard Ford on my wish list for quite a while so I was pleased to be given the opportunity to read it. I was not disappointed. Ford is a master at creating characters and stories you can immerse yourself in.

These short stories are linked by a sense of melancholy and loss, the latter primarily coming from the emotional upheavals of divorce or death. I found many to be too similar to each other which makes the collection repetitive, and the writing with its fragmented sentences didn't speak to me. Angsty and lacking in humour and variety, I'm glad to have experienced this taster of Ford but suspect I might prefer his novels for greater depth.

Unlike many professionals, writers often can and do get better in old age. They hone their style, pare down their peccadillos and relish their voice. Richard Ford has grown old magnificently and each and every one of these stories is a masterclass in writing and in life. I have read and read each and other one. They are a manual for living and loving, in elegant and sparse style and long before he’s come to the end of the road (please don’t let him) Richard Ford is haunting us. I bow down to the master in gratitude and in reverence.