Spoiled

By Caitlin Macy

Book Overview

A young woman does a good deed for her nanny, only to have it go horribly wrong. A newly married woman struggles to gain the upper hand with her self-assured cleaning woman. An anxious woman desperate for an authentic experience makes a rash decision to leave the grounds of her Moroccan luxury hotel. In this sophisticated and provocative story collection, acclaimed author Caitlin Macy turns her unsparing eye on well-heeled thirtysomething women who, despite their education and affluence, struggle to keep their footing in their relationships with their friends, spouses, and children--not to mention their help. Full of surprising, sometimes shocking insights and brimming with outrage and compassion, Spoiled is a remarkable collection from a boldly talented writer.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812971728
• ISBN13: 9780812971729
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Writer's envy, reader's delight.

This collection is, in short, flawless. Tight, beautifully constructed, poignant, witty stories. As a writer, I'm filled with admiration for how sharp and well-crafted this book is -- there's not one extraneous sentence -- and as a reader, I couldn't put it down. Spoiled: Stories

THERE'S NOTHING "SPOILED" ABOUT CAITLIN MACY'S WRITING.

Caitlin Macy's new volume of short stories is a delight not only for Upper Eastside yuppies but for anyone who values beautiful, incisive writing. She has a rapier wit cushioned by a human understanding and compassion.

Deadly true stories about women you and I know (and may even be).

I loved this book. The title of _Spoiled_ perfectly expresses in one word the deleterious effects of modern-day preoccupations with social status among women of a certain class. These women are the socially insecure who want and have been raised to expect a certain level of social attainment but seem to fall short by their own measures. I enjoyed immensely these acerbicly funny, thought-provoking stories and find that these stories bear re-reading to savor Macy's nuanced descriptions and layers of meaning. These stories are devastatingly true to life. Macy writes with shocking clarity and accuracy of the mean, pathetic, even cruel things women think, say, or do. If you think you do not like the characters in these stories, could it be that you are a woman who denies the person looking back in the mirror? I cannot believe that any woman can fail to recognize some aspect of herself in these characters. Recognizing oneself in these stories of social insecurity can make one feel uncomfortable and even sad, but there is beauty in the truth of Macy's writing.

Cheated...

I felt "cheated" after I read the short stories in Macy's book. "Cheated", because, as with all finely written short stories, I wanted more. I wanted to know more about the characters, I wanted to keep reading and know more about the lives Macy created. Almost every short story in the book could be expanded on to a full-size novel. Read "Spoiled" and enjoy.

Absorbing, thoughtful, observant

This is a superb book of stories. My favorite aspect of the writing is the insightful explanations of all the unspoken undercurrents among people -- the things that you think that no one has ever noticed, except for you. I'm going to suggest it for my book group, because there is so much to discuss. I love writers like Roxanna Robinson, Laurie Colwin, Louis Auchincloss, J.P. Marquand, Edith Wharton...SPOILED is part of that tradition.