Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories
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- Create Date：2021-08-28 18:21:06
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- Author：Hilma Wolitzer
- ISBN：1635577624
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Summary
The uncannily relevant， deliciously clear-eyed collected stories of a critically acclaimed， award-winning author who is ripe for rediscovery--with a foreword by Elizabeth Strout。
From her many well-loved novels， Hilma Wolitzer--now 90 years old and at the top of her game--has gained a reputation as one of our best fiction writers。 These collected short stories--most of them originally published in magazines including Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post in the 1960s and 1970s， along with a new story that brings her early characters into the present--are evocative of an era that still resonates deeply today。
In the title story， a bystander tries to soothe a woman who seems to have cracked under the pressures of motherhood。 And in several linked stories throughout， the relationship between the narrator and her husband unfolds in telling and often hilarious vignettes。 Of their time and yet timeless， Wolitzer's stories zero in on the domestic sphere and ordinary life with wit， candor， grace， and an acutely observant eye。 Brilliantly capturing the tensions and contradictions of daily life， Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is full of heart and insight， providing a lens into a world that was often unseen at the time， and often overlooked now--reintroducing a beloved writer to be embraced by a whole new generation of readers。
From her many well-loved novels， Hilma Wolitzer--now 90 years old and at the top of her game--has gained a reputation as one of our best fiction writers。 These collected short stories--most of them originally published in magazines including Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post in the 1960s and 1970s， along with a new story that brings her early characters into the present--are evocative of an era that still resonates deeply today。
In the title story， a bystander tries to soothe a woman who seems to have cracked under the pressures of motherhood。 And in several linked stories throughout， the relationship between the narrator and her husband unfolds in telling and often hilarious vignettes。 Of their time and yet timeless， Wolitzer's stories zero in on the domestic sphere and ordinary life with wit， candor， grace， and an acutely observant eye。 Brilliantly capturing the tensions and contradictions of daily life， Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is full of heart and insight， providing a lens into a world that was often unseen at the time， and often overlooked now--reintroducing a beloved writer to be embraced by a whole new generation of readers。
Reviews
B。S。 Casey
，
'Today a Woman Mad in the Supermarket' is an electric collection of short stories from Hilma Wolitzer， a name I was previously unfamiliar with but am now very happy to know。 Hilma， now in her 90's is a prolific writer and astounding fiction author， most of her work being published in the sixties and seventies in every magazine you could think of。 Most of these stories were previously published， so I was concerned they'd be dated but they have a classically timeless charm that was exceptionally e 'Today a Woman Mad in the Supermarket' is an electric collection of short stories from Hilma Wolitzer， a name I was previously unfamiliar with but am now very happy to know。 Hilma， now in her 90's is a prolific writer and astounding fiction author， most of her work being published in the sixties and seventies in every magazine you could think of。 Most of these stories were previously published， so I was concerned they'd be dated but they have a classically timeless charm that was exceptionally easy to love。 This collection of stories show several snapshots of the life of a married couple， Paulette and Howard， and a few other characters along the way。 We really get to know Paulette and her husband throughout different stages of their lives and it's amazing to see their lives change， especially in the most modern and updated addition to the saga。 These stories are about real life， the boring， the mundane， and how utterly absurd it all is if you look at it objectively。 From parenting， family and love， to depression， loss and lockdowns， this story collection looks at the world from a new lens and was a pleasure to read。"It would all go on forever in that exquisitely boring and beautiful way。 But of course it wouldn't， everyone knows that。 ” 。。。more
Peter
，
'Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket' is a terrific collection of short stories that hopefully will reintroduce Hilma Wolitzer to new readers。 Most of these stories were written and published in the '60s and '70s before she shifted to novels。 The remain beautiful drawn portraits of everyday people and lives rendered extraordinary by Wolitzer's prose。 The one new story updates the lives of Paulette and Howard， a married couple who are featured in some of the older ones， to reflect their liv 'Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket' is a terrific collection of short stories that hopefully will reintroduce Hilma Wolitzer to new readers。 Most of these stories were written and published in the '60s and '70s before she shifted to novels。 The remain beautiful drawn portraits of everyday people and lives rendered extraordinary by Wolitzer's prose。 The one new story updates the lives of Paulette and Howard， a married couple who are featured in some of the older ones， to reflect their lives today， as well as Wolitzer's own loss of her husband of 68 years in 2020 when both she and he contracted COVID。 I read this to interview Wolitzer and will post the story here when it runs。 Check back， she's great！ 。。。more
Louise
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Came for the Strout foreword，and stayed for the humour，warmth and relatable characters dealing with normal every day things。。。 haven't we all nearly had a breakdown in the supermarket？It's not all happy and uplifting，but it is all good。I'm not sure how I've never heard of Wolitzer，but I'm glad I have now。 Came for the Strout foreword，and stayed for the humour，warmth and relatable characters dealing with normal every day things。。。 haven't we all nearly had a breakdown in the supermarket？It's not all happy and uplifting，but it is all good。I'm not sure how I've never heard of Wolitzer，but I'm glad I have now。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
I liked all of the stories in this collection but I especially loved the stories that focused on Paulette and Howard。 Even though the stories were written in the 60s and 70s they were still relatable。 The final story， "The Great Escape，" which was written decades later was great and connected great with the others about Howard and Paulette。 It is sad though and discusses current events so be warned if you do not want to read about that。 I liked all of the stories in this collection but I especially loved the stories that focused on Paulette and Howard。 Even though the stories were written in the 60s and 70s they were still relatable。 The final story， "The Great Escape，" which was written decades later was great and connected great with the others about Howard and Paulette。 It is sad though and discusses current events so be warned if you do not want to read about that。 。。。more
Amna Waqar
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What a quirky collection of short stories！ Written over decades， they spanned from the 1960's to the present day。 Each story was unique and touched upon various subject matters such as mental health， pregnancy and marriage。 There were some laugh out loud moments， as well as moments of despair and sadness。 Wolitzer wove her charm， wit and magic into each story and left me wanting to read more。 NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 What a quirky collection of short stories！ Written over decades， they spanned from the 1960's to the present day。 Each story was unique and touched upon various subject matters such as mental health， pregnancy and marriage。 There were some laugh out loud moments， as well as moments of despair and sadness。 Wolitzer wove her charm， wit and magic into each story and left me wanting to read more。 NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lolly K Dandeneau
，
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨， 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨。Old stories don’t really exist， not when it comes to human relationships， responsibilities， the load we carry simply by being alive。 The space we inhabit whether we’ve abandoned someone or are a fixture in the landscape of their lives has a heartbeat， a life of its very own。 Some things never change， some aches are timeless， universal。 We via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨， 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨。Old stories don’t really exist， not when it comes to human relationships， responsibilities， the load we carry simply by being alive。 The space we inhabit whether we’ve abandoned someone or are a fixture in the landscape of their lives has a heartbeat， a life of its very own。 Some things never change， some aches are timeless， universal。 We can go mad in a supermarket or feel empathy for someone who does， so many of us have been there， or will be。 What makes Hilma Wolitzer a ‘masterful writer’ is her eye for all our little lives， pulsing into the universe with banal thoughts- we all have them。 No one escapes the stress of not being good enough， of having to keep your head up and keep on moving despite the burdens of our responsibilities。 We all have longings we cast out into the world， even a child who has grown up fatherless and envies all those other selfish girls who get to sit next to real fathers at the movies。 Life is unfair， we all know it！ Yet， there is strength and heart in the home with her mother and grandmother’s support， holding up her universe。 There are variations of family， then as now。Like the witness to the supermarket madness， sometimes we just can’t do anything but fill our role as spectator。 “Of course， I’m too sophisticated in things psychological （isn’t everyone today？） to think that one goes mad at a moment’s notice。 There are insipid beginnings to a nervous breakdown。” It’s the collection of failures， pressures， disappointments， wounds， that make one lose heart or mind。 Written in the past （60’s-70’s and currently as well）， how often were women and their little ‘episodes’ minimized， leaving them to feel ridiculous？ I’m fine， everything is swell， don’t mind the tears！ If there are great mysteries to solve， in being a human， no one has done it yet。 Each life is large to the person living it out。Here the theme is domestic life， plans that stretch into a million tomorrows， pregnancy， partnership， and like giving birth how we have to learn to ‘just breathe’ through it all。 Where do our dreams go， some so small we can keep them in our pocket？ How do we protect our marriage from threats， interlopers？ How do we measure happiness， what does it look like when you have children and not a moment of solitude to ponder it？ Isn’t it good to know we are all restless， how else would we find the energy to show up every single day？ Too， we drag our childhoods behind us， people growing up and learning to ‘get used to the ironies of life’。 Learning not just how to love， but to accept love and likely screwing things up。We all are tormented by the ‘minds mutterings’， hearts will be broken and mend， no one we love is a blank slate anymore than we ourselves are。 Through insomnia， outside threats （even sex maniacs on the loose）， ex-wives， an evil virus， death， grief， rotten childhoods and the bodies we occupy- these are stories most anyone can relate to。 Maybe our lives aren’t all great fodder for Hollywood movies， but it’s ours with all its mess and glory。 Nothing spectacular has to happen， the reward is in connecting。 It truly is， in the end， all the little things that make up a life。 How we betray our hearts and each other， what we do with our pain， how we can still be happy despite knowing the worst。 Time allows for so much forgiveness， and maybe time itself is the nourishment so many marriages require。 The final story is a last breath， and tender。 Yes， read it- this an intelligent collection。Publication Date: August 31， 2021Bloomsbury USA 。。。more
Kathleen
，
I am writing early about Hilma Wolitzer’s charming new collection of short stories， Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket。， which will be published next month。 Why？ I am bursting with enthusiasm over “The Great Escape，” the last story in the collection， a poignant， witty masterpiece about Covid-19。 The other stories appeared in magazines in the ’60s， ’70’s， and ’80s， and I love the wry voices of the women。 In the early days of Second Wave feminism， her characters cope with domestic overload， I am writing early about Hilma Wolitzer’s charming new collection of short stories， Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket。， which will be published next month。 Why？ I am bursting with enthusiasm over “The Great Escape，” the last story in the collection， a poignant， witty masterpiece about Covid-19。 The other stories appeared in magazines in the ’60s， ’70’s， and ’80s， and I love the wry voices of the women。 In the early days of Second Wave feminism， her characters cope with domestic overload， accidental pregnancies， touring model homes in suburbs （and making fun of them）， worrying about a “sex maniac” loose in the apartment complex， and witnessing a woman who has gone mad in the supermarket。 The stories are light， simple and graceful， fast reads， and I thoroughly enjoyed them。But “The Great Escape” is on a higher level， truly a great work of literature。 I am sure there are many Covid stories now， but this is the first I’ve read， and it is exquisite and breathtaking。 The narrator， Paulie， and her sexy husband Howard， whom we have met in previous stories， have grown old: they are now in their nineties。 They pop pills， squabble， and watch the news on TV， but are satisfied with their lives。 Paulie， though annoyed by the loss of her curvy figure and grieving the devastation of Howard’s looks， is spirited and funny about old age。We’d both become relief maps of keratoses， skin tags， and suspicious-looking moles。 “What’s this thing on my back， Paulie？” Howard would say， yanking up his shirt while I searched for my reading glasses。 “It’s nothing，” I’d tell him。 “I have a million of those。” Cheerleader and competitor at once。 And here’s another:There were running death jokes in our family。 My father， driving past a cemetery: “Everybody’s dying to get in。” My mother: “Death must be great—nobody ever comes back。” Howard’s mother: “When one of us dies， I’m going to Florida。” That would have been funny except that she actually meant it。 Now， none of them was laughing or ever coming back。 Then one day their anxious daughter calls to warn them about the novel coronavirus， which， as far as Paulie can tell， is only happening in a nursing home in Washington。 Eventually， Paulie and Howard are housebound in New York， wearing their “disguises” （surgical masks and vinyl gloves） on the rare exoduses from their apartment。 There is a hilarious segment when Paulie’s book club attempts to meet on Zoom。 Nobody can find the mute button， or the unmute button， and they are suddenly disconnected – after Paulie has actually raised her hand to talk。And then someone catches Covid。 Everything you have imagined or experienced， including separation from loved ones， is documented in great detail and with an admirable lack of sentimentality。 And yet while the plague rages， dysfunctional they may be， history holds them together。By the way， Elizabeth Strout wrote the preface to this wonderful collection。 Though England entertains us with Diary of a Provincial Lady， we have the witty Hilma Wolitzer。 。。。more
Angela M
，
As I I was reading this， I was very much reminded of what I love about the work of Alice McDermott， Anne Tyler， or Elizabeth Strout who has written an eloquent foreward full of praise for Hilma Wolitzer。 It’s the quiet ordinary lives we can relate to and empathize with even if the circumstances are not exactly like our own。 It’s about coping with the imperfections of our daily lives and in each other， in marriages and families and it’s filled with heart and humor。 I must have been living under a As I I was reading this， I was very much reminded of what I love about the work of Alice McDermott， Anne Tyler， or Elizabeth Strout who has written an eloquent foreward full of praise for Hilma Wolitzer。 It’s the quiet ordinary lives we can relate to and empathize with even if the circumstances are not exactly like our own。 It’s about coping with the imperfections of our daily lives and in each other， in marriages and families and it’s filled with heart and humor。 I must have been living under a rock for never having read anything by Hilma Wolitzer until now。 She’s 91 years old and while most of the stories in this collection were written several decades ago， they are so relatable even now。 She’s obviously still writing as the final story reflects recent events。 I’m glad to have discovered her writing now。 In all honesty， I was drawn to this book because of the title， thinking in a light hearted way that any day now I could go mad in the supermarket。 This title story， the first in the book， though， is hardly light hearted。 It’s sad and so realistic about how overwhelming life can be for women at times caring for small children， tending to a house with a less than understanding husband and how it can break a woman。 I wished I could help her。 That’s how real it felt。 Another that really touched me was “Waiting for Daddy”， a sad story of a young girl wanting a connection with a father she never knew。 In spite of some sadness and tough times， the stories are infused with such humor。“Photographs”， “Mrs。 X”， “Sundays”， “Nights”， “Overtime”， “The Sex Maniac”， “Trophies”， and “The Great Escape”， all center on a married couple， Paulette and Howard at various times in their lives， over the years raising their children， living in an apartment building in New York City。 What terrific characters， facing things that we could easily relate to or certainly understand - depression， boredom， sleeplessness， infidelity， forgiveness， love， and yes， the simple joys in life。 One of my favorites was the last story， “The Great Escape”。 This one brings Paulette and Howard to present day。 They have aged and the Covid virus is here。 Funny thinking back to last year and my own “stocking up” when their daughter tells them : “ Stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer， “ “Fill up your freezer。” Funny when her first Zoom meeting was a book club meeting when everyone had to be prompted to turn off the mute button。 My first zoom meeting was a telemedicine visit and my Doctor had to prompt me to unmute 。 But then Covid is not so funny， but so very realistically portrayed。 Paulette in this story talks about her favorite book “Mrs。 Bridge “ and it’s sequel， “Mr。 Bridge” - “ …I saw both novels as candid observation， leavened by the charity of humor and the imagination。” I could say the same thing about the writing I found here。 I’ll have to read Mrs。 Bridge one day as well as more by Hilma Wolitzer。 I received an advanced copy of this book from Macmillan through Edelweiss。 。。。more
Nina
，
This book is filled with gems of timeless insight and understated hilarity。 The writing is clean and precise。
Sean Loughran
，
Absolutely loved this！ An escape for the afternoon， these short stories were wonderful， and whisked me away to many places over the course of a few hours， where my emotions ebbed and flowed， like the waves of the sea。 Hilma’s prose is vividly descriptive and pulls the reader in immediately。 By the first page， I was hooked。 She doesn’t give much away， just enough for the reader to understand what’s happening， but leaving them desperately wanting more。 Every time I finished one of the shorts， I wo Absolutely loved this！ An escape for the afternoon， these short stories were wonderful， and whisked me away to many places over the course of a few hours， where my emotions ebbed and flowed， like the waves of the sea。 Hilma’s prose is vividly descriptive and pulls the reader in immediately。 By the first page， I was hooked。 She doesn’t give much away， just enough for the reader to understand what’s happening， but leaving them desperately wanting more。 Every time I finished one of the shorts， I would go to put the book down， then be tempted by the first sentence on the following page， becoming engrossed in yet another tale。 Wolitzer describes the scenes so skilfully。 She manages to capture the emotions of each character so accurately that they feel real。 I felt at times these characters could be friends， family members， or neighbours。 Truly timeless， this collection of shorts has proven to be。 How something published so long ago can still be so entirely relevant today。 A fantastic and gripping assortment of stories， Today A Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket， was absolutely splendid。 www。avocadodiaries。com 。。。more
Nancy
，
How have I gotten through life without having heard of Hilma Wolitzer？ The stories in Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket are so delicious！ I laughed even when I guiltily recognized the truthful honesty behind these stories which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post， Esquire， and literary magazines in the 1960s and 1970s。When I found the title story online， shared by The Saturday Evening Post on their website and first published in the magazine in 1966， I knew I had to read more。 A How have I gotten through life without having heard of Hilma Wolitzer？ The stories in Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket are so delicious！ I laughed even when I guiltily recognized the truthful honesty behind these stories which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post， Esquire， and literary magazines in the 1960s and 1970s。When I found the title story online， shared by The Saturday Evening Post on their website and first published in the magazine in 1966， I knew I had to read more。 A woman has a nervous breakdown in the grocery store， her son clinging to her skirts， her purse empty， while the pregnant narrator tries to help her。 “You can’t mother the whole world，” her husband consoles his sorrowing wife。 Oh， how many times have we seen a crisis and felt powerless？ But where better to lose it than food shopping？ Woman carry so much， especially in 1966， the family needing to be feed and the house cleaned and the dog walked and so on and so on。 It’s enough to crush any woman’s spirit。 The relentless need and the never ending futility of it all。The story of Paulette and Howard is told through the stories: their shotgun wedding， the struggles of marriage， depression and anxiety， in-laws and kids， and finally， old age in the pandemic and the losses it inflicts。I found myself glancing over to see if Howard was still alive， holding my breath while I watched for the shallow rise and fall of his， the way I had once watched for a promising rise in the bedclothes。The last story， The Great Escape， opens with Paulie watching Howard sleeping， reminiscing of the days when she would wake him up for a quickie before the kids woke up。 Now， she checks to see if he is still breathing。 It is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once。She captures the routine of old age， their days reduced to the same endless routine， “as if it would all go one forever in that exquisitely boring and beautiful way。”The kids order them to stock up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer and to fill the freezer， the book club switched to Zoom meetings （as did the bar mitzvah）， hair cuts are skipped， and masks and gloves became a part of their wardrobe。It is like the story of my 2020 life， down to the Zoomed bar mitzvah attendance！In the Foreword by Elizabeth Strout （Olive Kitteridge， My Name is Lucy Barton）， she writes that Wolitzer “is largehearted in her work， judging no none。” And I loved that about these stories。 Like Strout’s characters， Wolitzer writes about ordinary people， with great honesty and sympathy and insight。 I loved these women and I loved these stories。 Wolitzer’s brilliant writing is not to be missed。I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Amber
，