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Bad Dreams and Other Stories
Bad Dreams and Other Stories | Tessa Hadley
11 posts | 16 read | 17 to read
In these short stories its the ordinary things that turn out to be most extraordinary: the history of a length of fabric, say, and a forgotten jacket. Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby; a child awake in the night explores the familiar rooms of her home, strange in the dark; a housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. The first steps into a turning point and a new life are made so easily and carelessly: the stories focus in on crucial moments of transition, often imperceptible to the protagonists. A girl accepts a lift in a car with some older boys, or a young woman reads the diaries she comes across when shes housesitting. Small acts have large consequences, and some of them reverberate across decades; things fantasised in private can reach out to affect other people, for better and worse. An older woman recovering from serious illness speaks to a lonely young man on a train; an old friend brings bad news to a dinner party; a schoolteacher in the throes of a painful affair in 1914 has mixed feelings about her pupils suffragette craze. The real things that happen to people, the accidents that befall them, are every bit as mysterious as their longings and their dreams. Bad Dreams shows yet again that Tessa Hadley is a master of her art, one of the very finest writers at work in Britain today.
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LaurenKnighton
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Great

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AnneCecilie
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I loved this short story collection. The stories are about women, ranging from teens to middle age, that are facing changes in their life.

This was the first I read by Hadley, and I will definitely read more by her.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraBB Sounds good. I recently read her for the first time too and really enjoyed her writing. 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great review!!! 4y
AnneCecilie @BarbaraBB I‘ve been looking at that one too. I‘m trying not to buy too many books, and the library doesn‘t have her newest one, but several from her backlist. I will probably continue there. 4y
64 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

I finally finished these stories. (I‘m not driving as much anymore.) They are uneven, but none of them are bad - it‘s a pick. I would definitely read more by her.

Lcsmcat @DivineDiana How‘d you like it? 5y
DivineDiana I read it years ago, so it is not fresh in my memory. Rated it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on Goodreads, but there were many positive reviews! 5y
Lcsmcat @DivineDiana I‘ll check it out. 5y
51 likes4 comments
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Lcsmcat
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Of course I listened to a few more stories as I did the grocery shopping this morning. Emma Gregory‘s narration is very good. She almost sounds like she‘s whispering, drawing you in. Like an excellent bedtime story, but not soporific, if that makes sense.

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Lcsmcat
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I started this on the drive to Chapel Hill this morning. The first story is excellent.

37 likes2 stack adds
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tholmz
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There are some truly excellent sentences in this book. I loved it.

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JoeStalksBeck
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IamIamIam Such a cool picture! 7y
JoeStalksBeck @IamIamIam thanks!💕💕 7y
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KikiLovesBooks
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I enjoyed these short stories from Tessa Hadley. I've read a couple of her novels, and especially loved The Past which I've recommended to many customers at work. It seemed a natural transition from Hunt's The Dark Dark to these more grounded but equally meaningful stories of women of all ages and walks of life. Both collections hold a truth at their kernel that life is often dangerous for women.

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TrishBovell
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Very good

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EvieBee
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It felt like these books would never arrive! Guess who left the cold recesses of her house to face the 103 degree afternoon to pick up these holds?! 🙋🏽 Now which to read first?! #libraryhaul #bookhaul #librarystack

vivastory Life with Bob is one of my favorite books about books 📚 📚 7y
MicheleinPhilly When I get a nice big stack that, I like to start with a couple of the shorter ones so I can knock them out quickly. Then I feel a little less stressed about trying to finish them all in 3 weeks. 7y
EvieBee @vivastory That really is my favorite subject, and it's little. 👍🏼 7y
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EvieBee @MicheleinPhilly That's such a good strategy! Feel like you're moving those books around. Thank you! ❤️ 7y
batsy Chemistry is wonderful and short! ☺️ What an exciting stack. I've got the tagged book, Life with Bob and The Fact of a Body all on the TBR! 7y
EvieBee @batsy Thank you, Batsy! All the podcasts I've been listening to have been making my TBR pile swell, lol! Can't wait to read Chemistry! 7y
101 likes6 comments
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Maude
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I am quickly changing my mind about not being a short story person and this book has a lot to do with that ☺ The stories felt so complete, they didn't feel like short stories at all. I haven't read anything else by Hadley but I want to.
#goodreadsgiveaway

28 likes4 stack adds