Rating: 
Summary: Reads so fast, you might miss a lot of it
Review: This is a very interesting collection -- far deeper than I think it may first appear to many readers, simply because the extreme conversational style of the stories lends itself to so fleet a reading that it's easy to hurtle right over the nasty, scarring battle going on between despair and hope -- an underlying shadow largely revealed, I think, in words, turns of phrase, rather than whole plotlines. Doesn't the best comedy always spring from horror?For example, THE DAVES may at first seem like pure gimmick; then he calls her Jennifer and you realize that for all the quick witted comedy our heroine is trapped in a world of shallow relationships from which there is absolutely no escape -- a trap every bit a nightmarish as your favorite Twlight Zone episode. (I guess that won't make sense to those who haven't read it, sorry). Or take SOMETHING SHINY, in which your wildest dream -- a movie of your life! -- ends up proof that, as you'd always secretly feared, there's nothing to you at all ( no "there there" as they say of LA, which I think is a hidden joke in the story, since it's about the movies). In NORMAL, a description of someone else's bad behaviour takes a last-second turn to reveal that all the intellectual and moral disdain in the world doesn't stand a chance against the emotional, physical, sexual or psychic attractions we feel. We have met the enemy, and she is us yet again. Not for nothing is the seemingly positive note the very last -- and, significantly, the very shortest -- with GOOD FOR YOU! sounding a short and simple "I am not most people." Notice, though, that even that proud declaration only comes after misunderstanding, criticism and fear from the rest of the world. I look forward to watching Ms. Crane develop and I will certainly read her next book(s) with great interest, I think she has a tremendous talent. Don't miss MESSENGER -- but read slowly: it takes a volume of suffering to make a page of jokes.
Rating: 
Summary: When the Messenger is Elizabeth Crane
Review: This is a wonderful collection of stories, "The Archetype's Girlfriend" being my favorite. At first glance lighthearted, the stories carry a deeper melancholy as the narrators reveal they are all in some ways built on the same archetype. Is the similarity of the narrative voices a reflection of this? Is it just Elizabeth Crane with any number of names and guises? The questions proliferate as the stories progress and I became more and more certain it was the latter. One quick complaint: Too many of the narrators have that quirky-girl-in-NYC thing going on. Occasionally other locales show up, including my (and the author's) hometown, but too often it's as the not-New York and not a setting unto itself; "An Intervention" is the only real exception. Unfortunately it's been done to death and it no longer conjures up the city, but instead the endless bad TV shows and movies built around the quirky-girl-in/from-NYC concept. Why not give Pittsburgh a shake? Or Jackson? In any event, the moving stories are really very affecting and the amusing stories have a sincere, plain humor that is quite infectious. Highly recommended for reading on vacation or the plane if you want to keep your brain active and your smile slightly tempered.
Rating:
Summary: When the Messenger is Elizabeth Crane
Review: This is a wonderful collection of stories, "The Archetype's Girlfriend" being my favorite. At first glance lighthearted, the stories carry a deeper melancholy as the narrators reveal they are all in some ways built on the same archetype. Is the similarity of the narrative voices a reflection of this? Is it just Elizabeth Crane with any number of names and guises? The questions proliferate as the stories progress and I became more and more certain it was the latter. One quick complaint: Too many of the narrators have that quirky-girl-in-NYC thing going on. Occasionally other locales show up, including my (and the author's) hometown, but too often it's as the not-New York and not a setting unto itself; "An Intervention" is the only real exception. Unfortunately it's been done to death and it no longer conjures up the city, but instead the endless bad TV shows and movies built around the quirky-girl-in/from-NYC concept. Why not give Pittsburgh a shake? Or Jackson? In any event, the moving stories are really very affecting and the amusing stories have a sincere, plain humor that is quite infectious. Highly recommended for reading on vacation or the plane if you want to keep your brain active and your smile slightly tempered.
Rating:
Summary: humorous, yet thoughtful tales
Review: This sixteen story collection focuses on female (and the men either in, trying to get in, or formerly in) outliers of modern normalcy recovering, often poorly, from loss or betrayal. The stories are amusing yet serious as the audiences sees women struggling to regain equilibrium when reality is difficult to accept. Several of the contributions provide deep insight into the contemporary human condition, but some are mere soliloquies lacking a plot or theme. Title aside (it is only one ten page short story in the book), Elizabeth Crane displays her skill as a strong messenger of humorous, yet thoughtful tales with deep characters that overall this anthology achieves the author's usual acumen. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: When my mother was reading this book I decided to start reading it too. I fell in love with the collection of short stories right away. Usually books do not get me to laugh out loud,, but this one had me falling on the floor. This book is a fast and funny read.
Rating:
Summary: MORE!!!
Review: Why do women of culture and intelligence always fail in finding the "right" men? Smart women always end up with men dull in mind and poor in spirit. Most women-writers come up with books [complaining] about this pathetic reality. But unlike most books of the same genre, Elizabeth Crane's collections of short stories will leave you laughing. Women who go through the same experiences (as in Crane's characters), can look back, laugh and say "My love life is an award winning sitcom" like Sex and the City. Dating can always gives girls something entertaining to tell their friends about. For writers, real-life dating can offer a good slapstick material. Crane did a great job.
Rating:
Summary: MORE!!!
Review: Why is it that smart women, more often than not, fail in finding the right men? Elizabeth Crane writes about this universal question --or truth. Smart women always end up with men dull in mind and poor in spirit. Most women-writers come up with books [complaining] about this sad reality. But unlike most similar books, Crane's piece will leave you laughing. Women who go through the same experiences like the characters in the book do, can look back, laugh and say "My love life is a humurous literary piece" or "my love life is an award winning sitcom." The stories sound like Sex and the City, but Crane gave Cary Bradshaw a run for her money.
Rating:
Summary: In reply to "A reader from NYC"
Review: Yours has been the single negative review of this book that I have seen, among many highly positive ones. And the only review I've seen anywhere in a long time to use vituperative language. There's a new medication just right for you; ask your therapist for Bozoloft.
The stories are great, and the unique language has been much praised.
| 
