How to Breathe Underwater

View other editions of How to Breathe Underwater.
View books by Julie Orringer.

Childhood Traumas - Rated
An extraordinary collection of short stories filled with tragedies and traumas that the book's young characters endure, such as tales of a drowning, a premature baby and a cancer sufferer. They make for quite a disturbing read but are very well written and will definitely stay with the reader. This book is packed with emotion and even though the subject matter isn't light-hearted it is superbly written.

Much more than a collection of embarrassing moments.... - Rated
Whatever you want to call it: teenage rebellion, sibling rivalry, first love, growing pains.... it is a popular source for American literature (films, songs, etc.). These stories are tinged with a deeper theme of death which gives then a poignancy and a touch of horror. In some, religion has a baring - it too acts as a weight of constraints and expectations. To my reckoning only one of the stories has a happy ending - there is none of the resolution or acceptance (or forgetting) that time might bring.

The stories are all immediate and raw, and to some extent compelling. The writing is great, an excellent portrayal of American youth with something on its mind. Bit it is hard to draw any conclusion, other than a negative one - the more minutely you examine this subject, the more intensely painful it looms!

So glad it found me! - Rated
I probably wouldn't have bought this had I known it was a short story collection but I'm SO glad I did.

As with any short story collection, there are highlights and lowlights, but in this one there are very few lowlights and the vast majority of the stories are 4 and 5-star reads.

Highly recommended.

A real find - Rated
I intially chose this book because the cover appealed to me. This novel was dark in places and leaves you wanting to read more to understand the outline of the short stories quicker. The stories address age old issues, but in a non- direct way, but its honesty and juicy secrets, could be compared to a good Judy Blume novel.I thought this book was a quick, easy read and a real page turner.I really enjoyed this book and would very much recommend it. I personally would recommend it for people aged 18-30.

Well-written, beautiful stories - Rated
I came across this book while browsing in a local bookshop, and later picked it up on 3 for 2, more or less on impulse. I have to say, I'm really glad I did; it's a wonderfully written collection of short stories by a first-time author.

I don't normally read short stories, but each of the ones in this collection is a gem; while there are certain similarities between them (among others: a female narrator/main character, often set against a Jewish background, featuring someone who is somewhat of an outsider), they're far from 'samey'. Each is a distinctive portrait of fundamental human emotions or conditions: grief, loss, jealousy, childhood, adolescence...

I couldn't believe this was written by a first-time published author; the stories are so descriptive, without being heavy-handed. You really feel like you're watching the story unfold naturally; the characters and situations are so lifelike and real, it almost seems like she's reporting rather than making things up.

Lovely stuff.