I'm feeling generous so I'm giving it 2 stars.
Partly it's me not being the biggest fan of short stories and partly it's the fact that most of the stories included in this book left me thinking "And???".

Like, what was the point? We moved nowhere duiring this story. The characteres moved nowhere. Nothing essential happened.

For example, the one about the house painting. They chose a color for their house. They didn't like it. They started choosing another one to repaint it. Apparently their painter knows their friend who is an interior designer. The end.
And????

Or the one about the dog lover. He loves his dogs. Treats them like babies. His parents don't approve. He goes to visit his parents, has a row with them, comes back home and is very happy to see his dogs again. The end.
And????

There's no.... anything. No point to those stories. No changing in the character's view of the world. No changing in our view of the characters. Nothing.

I liked a few, though. The one about a writer, the one about the gay boys, the one with the cat Cleopatra. But that's pretty much it.

P.s. I feel stupid naming the stories like 'Friends' episodes but I listened to audiobook and for the life of me I cannot remember what they are actually called. ( )

3-1/2 stars. While the stories were all good & the writing excellent, the general effect was spoiled for me by having the most fun, enjoyable story first; I kept waiting for more hilarity which did not ensue. ( )

A strong showing by the author of "Room" -- a collection of tales showcasing her uncanny ability to create an genuine and nuanced internal life for her characters, whether in mundane or extraordinary circumstances. These tales are immensely varied: they include narrators or every stripe and sexuality, settings in North America and Ireland, and personalities large and small. My favorite was is impossible to discuss here without a spoiler, so I will only mention that it involves love in an all-female co-op and a young anal retentive grammatically correct lesbian virgin who falls in love with a mysterious and unlikely figure. ( )

In my eyes, Emma Donoghue can do very little wrong. This themed collection (babies, domesticity, strangers, desire and death) feels like a chat with a good friend. Donoghue does great dialogue, and her situations are deeply realistic. I can see myself picking this collection up to return to a few of the stories again and again. ( )

Gave my copy to Sarah G. ( )