Review:
"Bender became a bestselling novelist with "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake", but her new collection returns readers to her real forte: short stories that combine gnomic postmodern prose with whimsical fairy tale reveries...[T]he best stories are mood pieces about the mysteries of female friendship ('Bad Return') and bittersweet pageants populated by mall-worshipping adolescents ('Lemonade'), still fanciful but so light on gimmick that the reader senses -- like the lovelorn atheist in 'The Doctor and the Rabbi' -- 'the realization that there were many ways to live a life.' Many ways to write a life too, and Bender colors them with a tincture out of dreams. The world is everywhere present in this collection, but it gets the moon in, too."
--"Publishers Weekly
"
"Stories that range from fairy tales to quasi-erotica, all showing Bender's versatility...Bender's gifts as an author are prodigious, and with each story, she moves the reader in surprising, not to say startling, ways."
--"Kirkus Reviews
"
"Aimee Bender is at her wickedly best in her latest short-story collection, with tales both dark and comic....Bender's work has never been the stuff of manic pixie dream-girl lit. Her fairy tales are dark and wicked, not hipster-precious and faux old-timey. Her sorcery altogether avoids the saccharine, and the thrills and chills of this sometimes sexual, often horror-drenched collection are completely adult. At a time when realism reigns supreme over the literary landscape, one can argue it is absolutely imperative that Aimee Bender be spotlighted for what she is: a vital MVP of modern letters, period...In our world of flash-and-trash insta-Internet-oddities and stranger-than-fiction social-media-bloopers, she will have surpassed the simple feat of inventiveness to own a most dazzlingly urgent relevancy."
--"Los Angeles Times
"
""The Color Master" offers 15 new tales that dazzle, confound, electrify, disturb, incriminate and empathize. It is sympathetic toward cake that cannot die and hopeful about the healing arts of darkness. It is absurd. It is remarkable. It induces mental whiplash...And it's so vividly imagined, so unusual, that those of us who read books with the hope of encountering language and ideas we haven't encountered before will feel -- well, we'll feel heard."
--"Chicago Tribune
""Full of humor, wit, and pathos, "The Color Master" is the work of a writer with a strong, distinctive point of view, and with enough confidence to let it lead her into fresh and exciting places."
"--The Boston Globe
""All these stories made my mouth water."
--Alan Cheuse, NPR's "All Things Considered"
"Bender became a bestselling novelist with "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake," but her new collection returns readers to her real forte: short stories that combine gnomic postmodern prose with whimsical fairy tale reveries...[T]he best stories are mood pieces about the mysteries of female friendship ('Bad Return') and bittersweet pagea
"Tales that dazzle, confound, electrify, disturb, incriminate and empathize. . . . ["The Color Master"]" "is absurd. It is remarkable. It induces mental whiplash."
--"The Chicago Tribune
"
"At a time when realism reigns supreme over the literary landscape, one can argue it is absolutely imperative that Aimee Bender be spotlighted for what she is: a vital MVP of modern letters, period."
--"Los Angeles Times "
" "
"Along with the idiosyncratic George Saunders, Bender now stands as one of the reigning masters of the eccentric American short story."
--Alan Cheuse, NPR
"""There are other writers working in this vein . . . but Bender may be the funniest and loosest of the lot and also, perhaps, the one most attuned to the poignant emotional distances between people (and ogres)."
--"The Washington Post"
"Each work is a jewel. . . . "The Color Master" is a treat, full of tales that are satisfyingly complete while over too soon, leaving the reader wanting more."
--"The Denver Post "
"Longtime readers will enjoy watching Bender get older and use her whimsical storytelling to address big issues."
--"The Forward"
"No one has updated the fairy tale quite like Bender."
--"The Toronto Star"
"This is Bender at her best, using her signature style to reveal (and perhaps overcome) the obstacles that keep us from understanding each other."
--"The Miami Herald"
"In Aimee Bender's short stories, the value of life is measured in terms of goodness, succulence and simplicity, all qualities that can be tasted, chewed and ultimately swallowed by the mouth or the mind."
--"The New York Times Book Review"
" "
"Readers of Aimee Bender's short fiction have come to expect the extraordinary--whether it's a tale's surprising premise or its masterful conclusions, Bender rarely disappoints. In her latest, she provides more of the unexpected situations and fast-paced eloquence of her previous accomplishments."
--"Time Out New York "
"Full of humor, wit, and pathos, "The Color Master" is the work of a writer with a strong, distinctive point of view, and with enough confidence to let it lead her into fresh and exciting places."
--"The Boston Globe"
"Dazzlingly dreamlike. . . . Savory and sublime. . . . So many of Bender's sentences both settle and unsettle, and deserve to be read aloud for pure pleasure."
--Oprah.com
"Aimee Bender shows off her skill in so many different modes of storytelling that the most prominent unifying element might be virtuosity itself. . . . "The Color Master" is a lesson in almost every mode of the short story and shouldn't be missed."
--"The Daily Beast"
"Finds something that touches true magic."
--"Entertainment Weekly"
" "
"Bender creates worlds that stretch human traits beyond their humanness, and in so doing, she shines light on our obsessions, our fears, and our desire to discover meaning in our own existence. . . . Full of joy."
--"The Rumpus "
"Compelling and provocative."
--"Bookreporter "
"Aimee Bender is one of the most original storytellers of our time. Her fiction resides in some sort of netherworld akin to the most profound Dali painting. . . . Sure to delight and devastate readers once again."
--"The Patriot Ledger"
"You know how some people feel about Neil Gaiman? Or Joss Whedon? Or Alan Moore? That level of evangelical-superchurch-backwoods-speaking-in-tongues fandom? That's how I feel about Aimee Bender and her short stories. They're the weirdest and most wonderful modern fables."
--Kit Steinkellner, BookRiot.com
Tales that dazzle, confound, electrify, disturb, incriminate and empathize. . . . [The Color Master]is absurd. It is remarkable. It induces mental whiplash.
The Chicago Tribune
At a time when realism reigns supreme over the literary landscape, one can argue it is absolutely imperative that Aimee Bender be spotlighted for what she is: a vital MVP of modern letters, period.
Los Angeles Times
"Along with the idiosyncratic George Saunders, Bender now stands as one of the reigning masters of the eccentric American short story.
Alan Cheuse, NPR
There are other writers working in this vein . . . but Bender may be the funniest and loosest of the lot and also, perhaps, the one most attuned to the poignant emotional distances between people (and ogres).
The Washington Post
Each work is a jewel. . . . The Color Master is a treat, full of tales that are satisfyingly complete while over too soon, leaving the reader wanting more.
The Denver Post
Longtime readers will enjoy watching Bender get older and use her whimsical storytelling to address big issues.
The Forward
No one has updated the fairy tale quite like Bender.
The Toronto Star
This is Bender at her best, using her signature style to reveal (and perhaps overcome) the obstacles that keep us from understanding each other.
The Miami Herald
In Aimee Bender's short stories, the value of life is measured in terms of goodness, succulence and simplicity, all qualities that can be tasted, chewed and ultimately swallowed by the mouth or the mind.
The New York Times Book Review
Readers of Aimee Bender s short fiction have come to expect the extraordinary whether it s a tale s surprising premise or its masterful conclusions, Bender rarely disappoints. In her latest, she provides more of the unexpected situations and fast-paced eloquence of her previous accomplishments.
Time Out New York
Full of humor, wit, and pathos, The Color Master is the work of a writer with a strong, distinctive point of view, and with enough confidence to let it lead her into fresh and exciting places.
The Boston Globe
Dazzlingly dreamlike. . . . Savory and sublime. . . . So many of Bender s sentences both settle and unsettle, and deserve to be read aloud for pure pleasure.
Oprah.com
Aimee Bender shows off her skill in so many different modes of storytelling that the most prominent unifying element might be virtuosity itself. . . . The Color Master is a lesson in almost every mode of the short story and shouldn t be missed.
The Daily Beast
Finds something that touches true magic.
Entertainment Weekly
Bender creates worlds that stretch human traits beyond their humanness, and in so doing, she shines light on our obsessions, our fears, and our desire to discover meaning in our own existence. . . . Full of joy.
The Rumpus
Compelling and provocative.
Bookreporter
Aimee Bender is one of the most original storytellers of our time. Her fiction resides in some sort of netherworld akin to the most profound Dali painting. . . . Sure to delight and devastate readers once again.
The Patriot Ledger
You know how some people feel about Neil Gaiman? Or Joss Whedon? Or Alan Moore? That level of evangelical-superchurch-backwoods-speaking-in-tongues fandom? That s how I feel about Aimee Bender and her short stories. They re the weirdest and most wonderful modern fables.
Kit Steinkellner, BookRiot.com"
Book Description:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake returns with a wonderful collection of enchanting, strange and magical stories.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.