You Think It, Ill Say It, Curtis Sittenfeld
You Think It, Ill Say It, Curtis Sittenfeld
6 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

You Think It, I'll Say It
Stories

Author: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrator: Emily Rankin, Mark Deakins

Unabridged: 7 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/24/2018


Synopsis

“Every bit as smart, sensitive, funny, and genuine as her phenomenally popular novels,”* a dazzling collection from the New York Times bestselling author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible

“I really loved all the characters in this book. They’re so complex and interesting, and in every story, you’ll find them going through these pivotal moments in their lives.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND USA TODAY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • Financial Times • San Francisco Chronicle • New York Public Library • Refinery29

A suburban mother of two fantasizes about the downfall of an old friend whose wholesome lifestyle empire may or may not be built on a lie. A high-powered lawyer honeymooning with her husband is caught off guard by the appearance of the girl who tormented her in high school. A shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.

Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her “astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers’ heads” (The Washington Post) is showcased like never before. Throughout the ten stories in You Think It, I’ll Say It, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided.

With moving insight and uncanny precision, Curtis Sittenfeld pinpoints the questionable decisions, missed connections, and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up a life. Indeed, she writes what we’re all thinking—if only we could express it with the wit of a master satirist, the storytelling gifts of an old-fashioned raconteur, and the vision of an American original.

*Booklist (starred review)

LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN FICTION

“At once psychologically acute, deftly crafted and deeply pleasurable.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Witty and buoyant . . . Each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted.”—Chicago Tribune

“Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing. Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we’ll read it.”—People

“Razor-sharp, often hilarious . . . [Curtis Sittenfeld] is a sharp observer of human nature and human relationships. . . . A witty, breezy, zeitgeist-y collection.”—USA Today

About The Author

Curtis Sittenfeld is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible, and the story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It, which have been translated into thirty languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post Magazine, Esquire, and The Best American Short Stories, of which she was the 2020 guest editor. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Vanity Fair, and on public radio’s This American Life.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Roxane on May 17, 2018

Solid collection. Sittenfeld is an excellent writer. These stories are all beautifully composed and they draw you in. I am impressed by how engaged I felt with each set of characters in each stories. There is a mean undercurrent in many of the stories. Some might call it honesty. The way her charact......more

Goodreads review by Emily May on November 15, 2018

You Think It I'll Say It is fairly typical of short story collections in that there were a couple of stand-out stories, but most of them hovered around okay/not bad. None were terrible, at least. Everyone raves about the first story "Gender Studies" and it's hard to argue with the hype on this one.......more

Goodreads review by Felice on February 12, 2020

I’m relieved to have aged out of that sense that my primary obligation is to be pretty, relieved to work at a job that allows me to feel useful. Did I used to think being pretty was my primary obligation because I was in some way delusional? Or was it that I’d absorbed the messages I was meant to ab......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on June 11, 2018

I received this book for free through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers. This collection of short stories was so amazing! I’ve only ever read Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel, Prep. I read that a long time ago (like around 10 years ago) but I do remember that I enjoyed it. I’ve never read any of her short stor......more

Goodreads review by Danielle on July 10, 2021

I almost gave up on this one. I’m not typically a fan of “short story” books. 🤨 Really, the only reason I had this on my list was because of Reese. There just isn’t enough there for me to care about any of the characters or stories. ☹️ So, yeah, this just wasn’t a good match for me.......more


Quotes

“I really loved all the characters in this book. They’re so complex and interesting, and in every story, you’ll find them going through these pivotal moments in their lives.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick)

“At once psychologically acute, deftly crafted and deeply pleasurable.”San Francisco Chronicle

“Sittenfeld makes writing lively and diverting fiction look easy, though each deceptively simple and breezy story is masterfully paced and crafted. . . . Witty and buoyant, Sittenfeld delivers her characters to her audience with bemused perspicacity and above all affection. . . . Sittenfeld proves adept at quickly establishing characters in whom the reader feels inclined to invest immediately.”Chicago Tribune
 
“Perfectly paced, witty and laced with unexpected twists: Every story here sticks its landing. . . . Whatever [Sittenfeld] writes, we’ll read it.”People
 
“Razor-sharp, often hilarious . . . [Sittenfeld] is a sharp observer of human nature and human relationships. . . . A witty, breezy, zeitgeist-y collection.” USA Today
 
“Magnificent . . . brilliant . . . Sittenfeld is an astute observer.”Houston Chronicle

“Cathartic fun . . . Sittenfeld here confirms an ability to mine the casual cruelties and quiet furies of the elite for comic gold.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“Sittenfeld’s new story collection is brutally, beautifully human.”Entertainment Weekly
 
“Sittenfeld proves once again why she’s one of the finest observers of human nature writing today with a collection of potent pieces as funny as they are literary.”Glamour

“Empathetic imagination is one of the defining features of Sittenfeld’s fiction.”—NPR

“Sharply observed and unforgettably crafted stories . . . The sheer power of Sittenfeld’s storytelling talents will leave you breathless.” Southern Living

“Deeply relatable characters interacting in deeply human ways.” HuffPost

“[Sittenfeld] brings her unflinching eye, piercing wit, and storytelling gifts to everything she does, making this collection a series of perfect gems.” Nylon

“Sittenfeld is always a treat. This collection of short stories is smart and funny and honest.”PopSugar

“Sittenfeld spins magic. Reading these consistently engrossing stories is a pleasure.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sittenfeld’s first story collection takes no prisoners . . . Brilliant.”Library Journal (starred review)

“Every bit as smart, sensitive, funny, and genuine as her phenomenally popular novels.”Booklist (starred review)