My god, do I love Emma Cline’s writing. I’m not sure I can even articulate why, but these short stories completely captivated me and left me wanting more. There’s a cast of interesting (and often supremely unlikeable) characters, found in a variety of situations that stretch from the mundane to the extraordinary. Each story is unravelled slowly and tantalisingly, which makes it hard to put the book down once you have started one! I’m not normally a fan of short stories but I loved these - although I do hope that Cline might develop one or two of the ideas into a novel.

.ARC review.

Summary:
A collection of short stories based on flawed relationships with fathers, father figures, or men in positions of power.

Pages: 272

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full disclosure I only requested this book because I thought the cover art was cool and looked like something I would read. I usually don’t like short stories so I wouldn’t have requested it if I’d known what it was. But I’m so glad I did.

Cline makes you invested in her characters from the first page. You see them in their most private and intimate moments as they reflect on the choices that have led them there. They are all flawed individuals who feel like real people. There’s also a good mix of male and female POVs and Cline does them both exceedingly well.

The stories are unique and deal with different aspects of human relationships. From a woman who sells her underwear to seedy men on the Internet, to a man who feels his relevance fading through his son’s indifference, Emma Cline weaves in and out of these stories masterfully, giving thoughtful insights into each.

There were a couple stories at the end that didn’t interest me as much but were still worth reading once. But my favourites were: what can you do with a general, Los Angeles, son of Friedman, and the nanny

This book has made me a short story convert! And I am so looking forward to reading Emma Cline’s other work.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEopEPqA1sH/?igshid=mo4byd5b24tx

I enjoyed this collection of dark and gritty short stories. The stories offer a glimpse into the lives of a varied set of characters from teenage girls to older men, all of whom are troubled in some way. The narratives cover engaging themes such as broken relationships, regret, guilt and addiction. Cline is very talented in leaving a lot unsaid about the details of her characters’ lives which is incredibly powerful. My only criticism is that I wanted to stay with some of the characters for longer!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for this ARC.

Cline is a wonderful writer and these stories exploring female identity, the male gaze and societal attitudes towards women and girls are deeply affecting. With each story, it's as if she turns over a new stone and shows us the murky world beneath. They're not always easy to read, inviting observation of the generally 'unspoken' which can be unsettling. But they are important. And they are also beautifully written.

I thought The Girls was brilliant, and love short story collections, so I was really excited to read this! Although I read the synopsis, my expectations were off so I was less slightly disappointed. I was definitely expecting more stories about sex and romantic relationships, as opposed to the majority being about families or random friendships.

Some of the stories were top notch, such as the story about an aspiring actress selling her used underwear and then realising the consequences; a woman hiding from the paparazzi after having an affair with a famous actor; and two women in a rehab centre becoming fascinated with a male celebrity who checks in. However many of them I did not find that interesting or they fell flat and ended just as I was getting interested.

If you like short stories and it sounds like something you'd enjoy then definitely pick it up, it just didn't tick all the boxes for me.

I was looking forward to reading this collection of short stories but, sadly, I was rather disappointed.. I felt that some of the tales could have benefitted from being a bit longer as they seemed unfinished.

This was my first Emma Cline book, and sadly I wasn't a fan.

I could tell that she is a fantastic writer, but none of these short stories seemed finished somehow. They were like a slice of each story and I just wanted more which i didn't get.

I first came across Emma Cline in the winter's issue of the Paris Review and loved her short story "Nanny", so I was excited to read her collection Daddy [that includes that story too]. Daddy is a series of ten short stories that examine masculinity, male relationships, as well as male-female and parent-child relationships. The atmosphere is glum, the stories are dark, and the prevailing theme for me was alienation. "Nanny", "Marion" and "a/s/l" were the stories that stood out for me. There were a few stories where I felt like something was missing and the ending was abrupt and a bit unsatisfying, but overall it's a really nice collection of stories. I also like the fact that a female writer takes the challenge of writing from a male perspective. Men are normally free to write about women, but women are often criticised when they write about men, so unfortunately it does take courage to do this. ⁠Thanks for gifting me this copy, I enjoyed reading it.

[Also reviewed on my Instagram account].

Emma Cline is one great writer. Her style is flowing and flawless. Having read Girls, I loved it and got lost in it completely, I was very excited to read Daddy.

This is a collection of short stories, all of the stories portrayed some sort of unreturned love, a sad and dark atmosphere hovers silently above all of them. I do love short stories in general but I have to say that I was a little disappointed in this book.

First, it took me quite a long time to read it because at no point through this book was I hooked. But also there is no link or fluidity between those stories, I find it hard to understand what is going on at the start of each stories, and then nothing really happens. When I say that, I am someone who loves reading stories when nothing much happens but it’s all in the emotions and depth. I didn’t really feel much pleasure in reading those stories.

Saying that, she has a talent for writing and just for this I’m glad I have read it. Thank you Net Galley, the publisher and the author for letting me read an advance copy.

Emma Cline’s collection of short stories capture the mundane and uncomfortable moments of human experience that are often left unwritten.

I powered through half of the stories as if they were chapters, wanting some way to connect the disparate characters. There is no linear narrative connection, other than that they all in some way are coming to terms with the failure of themselves, or the discomfort or hurt they have caused in others.

It was interesting to see how many of these stories centre on men. Even the stories that appear to discuss female experience see women acting as accessories to male desire. Cline depicts a world in which her characters must develop strategies against their weaknesses in order to survive, be it emotional, apologetic or financial. Cline’s subjects are submissive to the greater expectation held by society that they must continue the ruse of normality despite their various hurts.

This might sound vague, but truly that’s what these stories are. Vague fragments of many lives that have undoubtedly played out in some corner of the each American state.

Cline works with language and tone in a special way to create an uncanny, somewhat Gothic feel to this work. There were moments where I felt I was reading an updated version of Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’, which is a testament to my limited experience of provocative short stories, and the tension they can build in just a few pages.

Many readers, myself included, find it hard to totally immerse themselves in short stories, as they can sometimes feel directionless. Yet, something was different this time with Emma Cline. She touches on some part of our emotional psyche that resonates, regardless of whether or not we have had the same experiences as her characters. It’s an emptiness, bodies and minds bereft of their former glory, as they try to navigate their current path. It’s disappointing and unexpected, and people make mistakes.

I’ve read a few disappointed reviews of this work, but I encourage the reader to put aside their preconditioned ideas of what the reading experience should be. Instead, embrace this disappointment, as I believe that is exactly what Cline has planned for us. Showmanship is undoubtedly present in the skill with which Cline writes, as to begin a story in medias res (in the middle of things) suggests a faith in both character and reader that immediately creates tension. But to be able to transfer the same bemusement and frustration from the situations of her characters onto the reader, to keep them hankering after an ideal in their life that no longer exists, what could be more disappointing than that?

A good, quick read for anyone looking to expand their reading experience of short stories, as well as those who want to mildly experience subversive mind control.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus/Vintage books for approving me to read Daddy by Emma Cline.
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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦
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The stories and characters depicted by Cline are truly excellent. It is rare for someone to capture people in such a way that their very nature is so exposed to the reader.
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𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧
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The depictions of individual characters was interesting. Although this was a collection of short stories, the characters were fully formed enough that you could envision the sphere of their lives outside of the captured snapshot.
Some of the characters I liked, and could empathise with, and some I loathed.
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𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫... 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦?
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I especially liked the parallels throughout the book, where some stories were shown from the perspective of parents/the older generation, and some were told from the perspective of their children. I found these polarising viewpoints very realistic.
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲
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Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though it did at times make me feel uncomfortable.
Even the title is fairly provocative, and the reflections at times a little too honest.
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𝐇𝐞'𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 - 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫
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I would highly recommend Daddy by Emma Cline, and would certainly read more of Cline's work.

This collection of short stories didn't really entice me in. The first story I enjoyed and was expecting it to continue as I started what I thought was the next chapter, having forgotten that it was a short story. The other stories I felt left me wanting more. Emma Cline was able to explore human emotions and writes well, but the collection as a whole felt lacklustre. I wanted more development of some of the stories, others could have been omitted. . It didn't live up to the hype for me.

From the author of ‘The Girls’, Emma Cline, comes a collection of short stories. These are a varied group of short stories examining relationships and power struggles between men and women, parents and children and old friends. Despite them being short stories, each character Is fully formed and comes alive. I particularly enjoyed ‘Los Angeles’, the story of a wannabe actress working in a trendy clothing store and what she does to make extra money. I am not a huge fan of collections of short stories but I did enjoy these as they come from a very accomplished writer.

Daddy, from the writer of The Girls, Emma Cline, is a collection of short stories looking at the darker corners of society, considering the power dynamic and the relationships between men and women, parents and children.

Over the course of the book, we meet a film director disillusioned with fame, an absent father dealing with the fallout of a violent event at his son’s school, and the young survivor of an ambiguous sexual assault as Cline explores the frailty of human relationships and the consequences of the choices we make.

I often find that a collections of short stories can be a bit hit and miss. Some authors struggle to find the correct balance between plot and brevity. Not so for Cline, who hits her stride with the stories in this collection, every story in the book was just as captivating as the last.

Cline has a subtle and deft touch as a storyteller, showing a real understanding of the complexities of human behaviour through focusing on the intimacies and emotions of her characters. These short stories are never predictable, often occurring in the prelude or aftermath of a traumatic event, the narratives are all the more powerful for avoiding the obvious drama.

The end result is a ceaselessly fascinating book that was utterly unputdownable.

Having read Emma Cline's debut novel, The Girls, last year, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her new short story collection. I am not always a fan of short story collections, and am trying to read more of them. This one did not disappoint.

The stories all detail the lives of a variety of complicated and flawed characters: a father unable to see the damage he has caused to his children, a young woman taking risks to obtain additional money, a woman vilified and in hiding after a scandal. So much of the specifics of these stories are left unsaid, waiting to be interpreted and yet as a reader you get to learn so much about this characters and the lives that they have lived. Not all of the characters are sympathetic, but that only makes them more realistic.

The collection is 9 stories in total, all dark, well thought-out and clearly written. The stories all feel thoroughly developed despite their length, and I feel this is a real skill from Emma Cline. My favourite stories in the collection are The Nanny and Marion, and this book has made me excited for any future work from this author.

This collection of short stories by Emma Cline was well written, but ultimately for me fell depressingly flat. Many of the stories featured unpleasant, violent or abusive men and many arrived in the life of the characters immediately after they had done something dreadful but ended before there was a resolution.

Each story was a well-drawn glimpse into the life of the characters, but they were so miserable and/or horrible that I didn’t really enjoy the experience of reading the book. Three stars for the writing, but I need to read something more hopeful now.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

While I cannot deny that the writing and prose are absolutely beautiful, there was just something about this short story collection that I couldn't connect with. None of the characters we encounter are likeable or interesting, and for most of them it feels like a slice of a bigger story. Maybe I just don't 'get' them, but for the most part I didn't really understand the point. Nothing happens, and there's a definite air of sadness and depression that seeps into the words. These aren't happy people. They're not even well developed sad people.

Unfortunately this really wasn't for me. I don't mind unlikable characters in stories, but I at least need a reason to dislike them. And some semblance of a plot would have been beneficial.

Emma Cline delivers another brilliant, timely book. The stories in this collection navigate the intricacies and boundaries of relationships deftly, and investigate the more uneasy corners of human nature with subtlety and wit. Cline's prose is beautiful; she is an expert narrator with an instinct for unearthing and exposing, through her characters, uncomfortable truths.

I read this in a day, and am left (much like after finishing her debut) immediately eager to read more.

There's no denying that Emma Cline is an incredibly gifted writer, and I loved 'The Girls'; unfortunately, for me, 'Daddy' didn't have quite the same impact.

While the prose is beautiful and rich in wonderfully observed detail, I was consistently dissatisfied with the stories themselves, which feel more like random chapters lifted from a series of different novels than complete fictions in themselves. They often start halfway through a moment or situation, and the reader is forced to assume a knowledge of characters and their lives that they neither have to begin with or become privy to later. In addition, the stories - without exception - end abruptly, leaving the reader to imagine their own ending. While I don't mind this as an occasional device, when it's employed in every story in a collection it leaves me feeling frustrated and dissatisfied.

I gave this a three because the writing itself is exceptional, more akin to poetry than prose at times. But sadly the stories themselves felt empty to me,

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for granting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Cline is a great writer of pacy, intelligent thrillers, and this is no exception. I think this will be a huge hit.