Seasonal Work - Laura Lippman

I've read every one of Laura Lippman's books. But what I haven't read are any of her short stories! I was eager to listen to Seasonal Work - Lippman's newly released collection. These stories have been published previously in various compilations but the last one is new, novella length and set in these Covid times.

What I love about short stories is an author's ability to introduce characters, a setting, a plot and a satisfying ending - all in a short space of time. They're like mini getaways. Now, some short story lovers are purists - listening in the order presented. Me? I hop around, picking a tale on it's length and how much time I have to listen. 

I enjoyed each and every story. There's a broad selection of tales, all quite different. What they do have in common are strong female protagonists, varying in ages and mind sets. They're not all nice...

Lippman brings life into her tales, with all the joy and hurt that living brings. Some of them were just desserts in my opinion, others were the inevitability of society and those who prey on others. And yes, there's some good mixed in as well!

It's hard to pick favorites, as I truly did enjoy them all. I was very happy to see Tess Monaghan (a series character) in two stories that were new to me. And surprised by the story inspired by Tess's parents as newlyweds. Book Thing was an ode to books in a novel situation. (yes, pun intended ;0) ) The title tale, Seasonal Work, was a great leadoff and ended with a lovely twist. And the last one - Just One More - had a great gotcha at the end as well. There's no repetition here - each story is fresh, different and and satisfying.

I chose to listen to Seasonal Work. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find I become much more immersed in a book when I listen. Seasonal Work had a stellar list of narrators that I was looking forward to. Each only read one story. And each turned in an excellent performance. I do have my favorite readers and was happy to see many familiar names. And the opportunity to discover new narrators. Each performance was clearly spoken, the speed was right. And each interpreted the story they were presenting very well, capturing the tone, emotions and action. I enjoyed the author's comments about her work and inspiration for the stories.

Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Seasonal Work. And if you've not read Lippman before, this is a great way to experience her very talented writing. 

There are twelve tales ranging in length from twenty four minutes to an hour and ten minutes. Total run time is 8 hours 56 minutes.