I feel like Emma Cline is such a beloved author, and so although I didn't fall in love with The Girls like many others did, I wanted to give Daddy, her collection of short stories, a try. I liked her writing style much more this time around, as it felt more concrete even in a shorter form. However, I think the classic pitfall of a short-story collection, of some stories just being so much more stronger, or at least personally preferred, to some others, definitely happened here for me. Towards the end, they all seemed to blur into one for me, which is interesting considering the fact that the stories didn't seem to be connected to one another in any way, and I found it hard to find any distinguishing features each story may have to separate it from all of the others. I might give her latest a go but I just don't think Cline is a standout author for me.

As a huge fan of Emma Cline's work, I was eagerly anticipating this release, the short story collection Daddy. And it certainly didn't disappoint.

From the very first page, it's clear that Cline is a master storyteller, with a talent for crafting richly-drawn characters and evocative settings. Her writing is vivid and immersive, drawing the reader in and holding their attention throughout each of the book's 10 stories.

What's particularly impressive about Daddy is the range of themes and styles that Cline explores. From the dark, eerie atmosphere of "Son of Friedman" to the nostalgic, bittersweet tone of "Los Angeles", each story is its own self-contained world, with its own distinct voice and atmosphere.

But what really makes this collection stand out is the emotional depth and complexity of its characters. Whether it's the young woman grappling with the aftermath of a sexual assault in "Marion", or the teenage boy struggling with his feelings for his best friend in "What Can You Do With a General", Cline's characters are always fully-realized and nuanced, with all the contradictions and complexities of real human beings.

As someone who still counts Cline's debut novel The Girls as one of my all-time favourite books, I can say with confidence that Daddy is a worthy follow-up. It's a beautifully-written and deeply affecting collection that showcases Cline's incredible talent as a writer. Highly recommended.

A collection of stories about the power of masculinity, the break down of relationships and the miscommunication between couples.

This was a strong collection of stories. Cline has the ability to tell even the shortest of tales with so much depth. Each individual and usually flawed character has their own voice. It is a talent.

A short story collection by the author of The Girls, some of the tales are a bit hit and miss. I was left wanting more from the storytelling but I could not fault the writing.

As someone who admittedly doesn't love short story collections but thinks Emma Cline is excellent, I didn't have particularly high hopes for this one. Of course, though, I was proven completely wrong. The way Emma Cline understands humanity, and can translate that understanding to a page, has made her an author I will automatically read, and this collection surprised me so pleasantly.

I read Emma Cline's debut novel, The Girls, when it came out and really enjoyed it so I was intrigued to read her short story collection, despite not being a massive fan of short stories.
There was a lot to like in these stories, Cline's writing is sharp and insightful. She really knows the Californian setting well. However a lot of the stories were a bit forgettable and seemed to blend into each other a bit.
I'm interested in what she comes out with next.

A stunning collection of short stories. With the ethereal quality of Cline's previous novel. About people going nowhere in nowhere places, content to sit and rest uneasy with the world they have been dealt. A deft work. And I look forward to her next book.

I loved Emma Cline’s debut novel ‘The Girls’, so I was excited to read this short story collection, and it didn’t disappoint. As I expected, the stories were sparse, like brief snapshots of peoples lives, and explored families, lovers, relationships and human frailties. There is a filmic quality to Cline’s writing, that I really like, and although some stories ended quite abruptly, as if there was a jump shot, it was a style that fitted in with the overall tone. She is a great writer, who understands human behaviour and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

I really enjoyed Emma Cline's novel The Girls and so I was excited to see the release of her new short story collection, however whilst the stories had an interesting premise they did not live up to the heights of The Girls. Cline's writing is incredible and it cannot be in doubt that she is a master story teller but I felt the ending of these stories vague and struggled to understand what I had just read which isn't a feeling I usually enjoy in literature.

I enjoyed The Girls and that was largely due to Emma Cline's hazy, lyrical writing style. But I struggled to connect with this short story collection. There was a pervasive bleakness and I felt removed from the characters, a distance which prevented me from really engaging with their stories. Short stories need to be immediately compelling, and that was missing here - despite some intriguing premises.

I thought The Girls was a fantastic book, unnerving and unsettling as hell so I couldn’t wait to see what the author came up with next. Daddy is an impressive collection of short stories. I really enjoyed them all. They have some similarities with The Girls in that they are set in similar urban landscapes and feature often complex, difficult relationships. The stories are all different yet have essentially the same core – to show how fragile humans are and how quickly everything can changed and be stripped from us. The stories are all very rich in detail.

I had really high hopes for something dark and gritty. While this was interesting and thought provoking, it also wasn't quite what I was expecting from Emma Cline. Still definitely worth reading but not as shocking or as riverting as I was expecting.

Much preferred this to The Girls. The short stories were perfect for my limited attention span thanks to Covid. Cline's prose was sharp and the characters were interesting.

A few summers ago I was entranced by Emma Cline's The Girls, as was almost everyone else. I then followed the news of her ex trying to claim the success for himself and hoped it wouldn't stop any further releases from Cline. So I'm very happy to say that here we are with Daddy. It came out while I was in the midst of a necessary transcontinental move mid-pandemic, but nonetheless the review is here. Thanks to Vintage and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is a sense of humiliation to every story in Daddy. Although this might not sound like fun, it is a fascinating reading experience. All of the characters feel like they're on the defensive, trying to shield themselves from the (occasionally righteous) accusations from the people around them. But they are unable to shield themselves from the reader and, with razor-sharp attention, Cline opens them up for us. Nothing is quite hidden, we see their shame, their sadness, their anger, their inability to understand. And it is all so painfully human! And that, I guess, is what I enjoyed about Daddy. We're a flawed bunch, but somehow everyone in Cline's stories is still, kind of, trying to understand why, to figure out if there's something they can do about their circumstances. This may not be the right collection for everyone, even if you loved The Girls. Despite its heavy topic, Cline's debut novel had its light, beautiful moments and there was some solid hope here or there. The stories in Daddy are different. They are bleak and misery isn't just around the corner, it is also with you right now. In the year that 2020 was and in the year that 2021 is shaping up to be, that may not be the mood you want to go for. In that case, I'd recommend waiting for brighter skies but not forgetting about Daddy. It is a great collection and once you're ready, there will be plenty for you to gain from reading it.

The collection starts with 'What Can You Do with a General' in which an elderly father reflects on family as his grown children return for the Christmas holidays. Cline slowly but surely reveals the fractured family dynamics at the heart of his discontent. In 'Los Angeles' a young woman, hoping to be an actress, ends up disenchanted and, while trying to earn money, finds herself in dangerous situations. Next is 'Menlo Park', a truly fascinating story. We meet a man who has lost seemingly everything to abuse allegations, editing the biography of an eccentric billionaire. 'Son of Friedman' is a heartbreaking tale of a father and son, utterly disconnected as the latter tries to follow in his father's directorial footsteps. 'The Nanny' is a tale you'll recognize very quickly from the tabloids and a summary is almost not necessary. Cline manages to get into the nanny's mind and show both the confusion and warped sense of hurt that drives her, how her own

In 'Arcadia' we switch to farm-life, where a young man wonders how much longer he can continue life at the farm of his pregnant girlfriend and her brother. Things are changing around him, not for the better, and, just like his girlfriend, he is now stuck. In 'Northeast Regional', perhaps the story that most set me on edge, a father hurries to his son's private school to address an incident, while confronting issues in his own life. The image of privilege and lack of accountability was horrifying and Cline doesn't shy away from revealing it in its full horror. 'Marion' was probably my favourite story, perhaps because it slightly reminded me of The Girls. Barefoot and wild, Marion and our protagonist spend their childhood summer running around the countryside, until the first stirrings of puberty bring it all to an end. The collection ends with 'Mack the Knife', which follows a woman entering rehab and continues her obsession once a male celebrity enters after a Weinstein-esque reveal.

What to say about Cline's writing that hasn't already been said? Daddy is a moody collection, but the stories will capture you from the very start. Rather than "complete" tales, the stories in Daddy felt like vignettes. We pop in to characters' lives and Cline presents them sharply and vividly. Whether it is the nature in 'Marion' or the paranoia of 'Menlo Park', Cline puts the reader right in the middle of it all. There are many instances from these stories that have stuck with me, whether it is particular settings or the moments on which everything depended. What Cline does with Daddy is make you wonder what regrets you're hiding from yourself, whether you've set yourself down a certain path that will end up in misery. That's not as gloomy as it sounds! In a way Daddy is like a reminder to check in with yourself, allowing you to course-correct while you still can.

The darkness of Daddy might not be for everyone, but it is a fascinating collection of stories. Emma Cline lays her characters bare before the reader, warts, mistakes and all. Even if right now isn't the time, keep this collection in mind for when you're ready for it.

I was a huge fan of Emma Clines debut novel “The Girls”. With Daddy, Cline is able to showcase her excellent catalogue of writing. With her first novel she was able to expose the power and dominance a cult leader can have over his victims. In this book the lead male roles do come a fatherly figures. Of course most have their flaws visererly exposed and shared. Ideas such as families and generational differences are interegated. Whilst I never quite got on board with many of the stories it is hard not to admire the style of writing even if the stories left me feeling a little flat

How do you follow a book like The Girls? Seriously?

Luckily, Emma Cline is just an excellent storyteller down to the bone. Probing the dark corners of human experience and treading the fault lines of power between many and much, it's able to spear right to the heart of humanity in subtle ways, nuance, and sheer talent.

I had such high expectations for this books. I, as I’m sure many others did, went into this with The Girls fresh in my mind. I absolutely loved that book with my whole heart. So this had big boots to fill.
And.. it had the same beautiful prose and was really well written. The characters, even in short stories, were well drawn and I took a lot from them. But.. it just wasn’t The Girls. And I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its predecessor but I just can’t help it! I’m definitely going to read Daddy again, because I know I certainly haven’t been fair to it this time.

I would absolutely recommend this book, just as long as you go into it with a fresh set of eyes and the author’s previous books way behind you - basically the opposite of what I did.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

I’ve been on a short story binge recently, so I immediately was so excited to pick this one up. Some stories are definitely more engaging than others, but ultimately I relished in glimpsing little, short intimate moments of these people’s lives, and Cline has an especially fine talent for creating interesting premises,

I admit some stories ended before I was ready, and I wanted to read more after, but I enjoyed how manageable it was to read little fragments in quick bursts. It really took me out of a huge reading slump!

It's difficult to keep momentum with short stories - and unfortunately this book didn't really leave me feeling any different. The only one that I found vaguely memorable was Marion.