Watching Women & Girls
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- Create Date：2022-08-23 08:53:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Danielle Pender
- ISBN：0008472467
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Summary
“Every aspect of her body or personality was up for inspection: too big， too small， too available， too hidden， too much， not enough。”
A wedding day brings back memories of sisterhood and betrayals; a motorway service station is the site of explosive violence， but also strange bonds; a trip home forces a reminder of a life-changing， lost friendship; a woman confronts her own infidelity; an artist celebrates a life spent in observation。
This debut collection movingly explores how women and girls are looked at， look at one another， and look at themselves， and how living as an object can shape their passions， fears， and joys。 With a clear eye and dark humour， Danielle Pender considers sex， parenting， grief and class as lenses for the ways in which the world watches women ― and how women are always watching back。
A wedding day brings back memories of sisterhood and betrayals; a motorway service station is the site of explosive violence， but also strange bonds; a trip home forces a reminder of a life-changing， lost friendship; a woman confronts her own infidelity; an artist celebrates a life spent in observation。
This debut collection movingly explores how women and girls are looked at， look at one another， and look at themselves， and how living as an object can shape their passions， fears， and joys。 With a clear eye and dark humour， Danielle Pender considers sex， parenting， grief and class as lenses for the ways in which the world watches women ― and how women are always watching back。
Reviews
Suzy
，
4。5
Sophie
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4。5
Caoimhe
，
So， I have a thing about rating short story collections。 Why？ Because sometimes you get one or two in the collection that you love， but there’s a few stories that aren’t your cup of tea。 However， this wasn’t the case with Danielle Pender’s offering。 Pender gives us insight to objective feelings of a variety of emotions in her stories- from the loss of a friend， love of a daughter or anger at a sister。 These stories weave a conscious reflection of femininity at its core， showing us strong women， So， I have a thing about rating short story collections。 Why？ Because sometimes you get one or two in the collection that you love， but there’s a few stories that aren’t your cup of tea。 However， this wasn’t the case with Danielle Pender’s offering。 Pender gives us insight to objective feelings of a variety of emotions in her stories- from the loss of a friend， love of a daughter or anger at a sister。 These stories weave a conscious reflection of femininity at its core， showing us strong women， women who aren’t afraid to be themselves， women who dare to defy society’s standards。 Of course， there are a few male characters that do spring up in separate stories; a man who submits to a woman in a bizarre dominatrix sex call exchange， a man who leads one character on in the false promise of a future together， a father who belittles his daughter’s appearance。 The interaction between these two spheres of gender norms make this collection so compelling and thought provoking。 Pender dares to step outside the box， inspecting the deep layers of engrained societal standards and what it means to us all today。 This collection will make you stop and reflect on our world and what it means to be a living person， particularly a woman。 What really makes these stories so great is Pender’s humanising storytelling that draws you in。 We see stories of loss， friendship and the disarray of motherhood that will gather in your stomach and catch your breath。 Particular stories that stood out for me were ‘Three Sisters’， ‘The Cat’ and ‘Women of Pret’。 Not every story did have me gushing， but they all still served a purpose to this collection which as a whole makes it memorable。I don’t think I’ll go on more but honestly， if you haven’t picked this up yet， please do。 It is worth the read ❤️ 。。。more
Allison Sylviadotter
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Fantastic insight into the minds and lives of women。
Evie Gower
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i am a converted short story girly
Tutankhamun18
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An accomplished debut， beautifully written and crafted stories with characters that feel three dimensionally real。 Little happens in these stories and yet they reveal so much of women’s and girl’s lives。 These characters struggle with the personal lives they have and yet it also depicts universal ways that women experience the world。 Ranging from stories about young women， mothers to old women and death， I think this will have a story for every woman。My favourites were Three Sisters， Paper Dolls An accomplished debut， beautifully written and crafted stories with characters that feel three dimensionally real。 Little happens in these stories and yet they reveal so much of women’s and girl’s lives。 These characters struggle with the personal lives they have and yet it also depicts universal ways that women experience the world。 Ranging from stories about young women， mothers to old women and death， I think this will have a story for every woman。My favourites were Three Sisters， Paper Dolls， Next Gen， Single Serve and Self Portrait。 This stories are haunting in the best way， their characters living on in my mind like aquaintances。 The Cat I did not enjoy that much， but it felt incredibly real and true to me in an almost frightening way。 The other stories I really fidnt like that much。 But this is unsuprising for a collection of short stories。 I look forward to reading anything else from Pender。 。。。more
Nahla
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This one wasn’t for me。
A
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Wow。 Favourites （it's a short story collection） are Three Sisters， Single Serve， and Self Portrait。 They're all self contained worlds， very cool to peek in。 Wow。 Favourites （it's a short story collection） are Three Sisters， Single Serve， and Self Portrait。 They're all self contained worlds， very cool to peek in。 。。。more
Toni 🌸
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Loved this！ There were a few stories I found kind of boring but they all provided an intriguing glance into the complex and often relatable lives of women and girls from varied backgrounds。 I love that the stories were grounded in England， as the author is British， which added an additional layer of familiarity for me。 My favourite stories were Bar Italia， Paper Dolls， and Self-Portrait。 I’d love to see screen adaptations of these！
Iona
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I’ve never really dipped into short stories before， but this was very enjoyable！ Though part of my brain wanted to dive deeper into the characters， this is only a positive of how intimate each character was。 I looooovveed the chapter paper dolls！
Harriet
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💬 “Every aspect of her body or personality was up for inspection: too big， too small， too available， too hidden， too much， not enough。”💬 “Women are supposed to be the ones who uphold the morals of society and we face the harshest judgement when we reject what is apparently good for us。”💭 Watching Women and Girls is an incredible set of short stories， each exploring what in means to be a woman， how women are perceived， and women perceive others。Pender expertly interweaves other Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💬 “Every aspect of her body or personality was up for inspection: too big， too small， too available， too hidden， too much， not enough。”💬 “Women are supposed to be the ones who uphold the morals of society and we face the harshest judgement when we reject what is apparently good for us。”💭 Watching Women and Girls is an incredible set of short stories， each exploring what in means to be a woman， how women are perceived， and women perceive others。Pender expertly interweaves other themes into that stories， such as sexuality， grief， friendship， motherhood and class， whilst maintaining a detailed exploration of womanhood throughout。 I cannot fault any story; each was truly unique， unpacking different sets of ideas， expectations and rules around how women should exist among others。 It not only explored the pressure women often feel from the male gaze， but also how woman look at themselves and each other， with many women often becoming their harshest critics。I don’t want to delve too much into the individual stories themselves， but I will say that although they are seemingly based around rather mundane， day-to-day activities， they still pack a punch。 If I had to choose， my favourites would be Lego， Junction 64 and Look At Me Mummy， however they are all amazing- bold， thoughtful and， at times， amusing。Watching Women and Girls deserves all the praise it’s getting and more。 Each story offers up something new to consider， providing a sharp and poignant assessment of the shared experience of what being a woman means in the modern world。 It is a powerful and thought provoking collection which I highly recommend to everyone。 I cannot wait to see what Pender writes next。 。。。more
Hannah
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I recently read ghost lover and found this to be quite similar but on the whole a lot more accessible。 I liked the stories set in the uk best and really enjoyed how the author captured elements of ordinary life and what it’s like to be a woman。 The characters were generally quite relatable too。 Some of the stories I struggled to see the point to and at times the book felt a little meandering rather than purposeful。 On the whole though， would recommend。 Read through netgalley for an honest review
Sarah
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A brilliant collection of stories focusing on young women and their relationships with themselves （particularly their bodies） and others。 I feel like this brief synopsis could describe a whole host of short story collections I've read in recent years， so believe me when I say that this one felt so bang on （at least for me， anyway） in respect of how it feels to be a millennial woman in the UK in 2022。 Pender articulated feelings I hadn't even been able to put in to words myself， and when that hap A brilliant collection of stories focusing on young women and their relationships with themselves （particularly their bodies） and others。 I feel like this brief synopsis could describe a whole host of short story collections I've read in recent years， so believe me when I say that this one felt so bang on （at least for me， anyway） in respect of how it feels to be a millennial woman in the UK in 2022。 Pender articulated feelings I hadn't even been able to put in to words myself， and when that happens in fiction you know something pretty great has taken place。 Highly recommended！Thank you Netgalley and 4th Estate for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alice
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A mother contemplates the implicit and seemingly inherent imbalance of knowledge between man and woman as she eavesdrops on a couple at the table across from her; a teenage girl salivates at the edge of a boxing ring as two men beat each other until they resemble only pieces of mouthwatering meat; three sisters fall and then come back together as they grow and change both within and outside of their skin; and an elderly artist finds acceptance in her final form。 A scathing and bold collection of A mother contemplates the implicit and seemingly inherent imbalance of knowledge between man and woman as she eavesdrops on a couple at the table across from her; a teenage girl salivates at the edge of a boxing ring as two men beat each other until they resemble only pieces of mouthwatering meat; three sisters fall and then come back together as they grow and change both within and outside of their skin; and an elderly artist finds acceptance in her final form。 A scathing and bold collection of stories that both confront and show our complicity in the male gaze， Danielle Pender’s Watching Women & Girls is brilliantly compelling and incredibly validating。 Each story packs a punch and nails themes of grief， friendship， mother and sisterhood， sexuality， and class through the lens of constantly being watched by men， by each other， and by ourselves。 I was enraptured by every one of these stories and by Pender’s sometimes cynical， often galvanising writing。 It was cutting and reassuring， often beautifully and aptly putting into words the shared experience of what it is to be a girl and a woman constantly under scrutiny。 Capturing， too， the moments we are sometimes able to slip under the barbed rules and run wild and free and embrace our innate， animalistic side。 A standout short story collection I wanted to do the impossible of somehow drenching myself in。 。。。more
nelly
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i loved this！ my fav stories were three sisters， junction 64， paper dolls and look at me mummy！
ink
，
it’s like i actually wrote this myself
Lavelle
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Sharp， darkly humorous， and utterly enthralling， there wasn't a single story I didn't enjoy in this collection。 While they just focused on normal， everyday women and their normal， everyday lives， Pender's wit and storytelling was truly captivating， and really stuck in my mind。 And if there were any repeated themes/plot points， these completely escaped my notice; everything felt so fresh and unique in their own right， and I was so sad when it was all over。 Sharp， darkly humorous， and utterly enthralling， there wasn't a single story I didn't enjoy in this collection。 While they just focused on normal， everyday women and their normal， everyday lives， Pender's wit and storytelling was truly captivating， and really stuck in my mind。 And if there were any repeated themes/plot points， these completely escaped my notice; everything felt so fresh and unique in their own right， and I was so sad when it was all over。 。。。more
PrudencePrescott
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I received a digital copy of this book as an arc via Netgalley。 Thank you to 4th Estate Publishing for this。Pender writes a book of short stories， each an exploration into the lives of women of varying ages， backgrounds and ethnicities。 She delves into the good， the bad and the ugly， with insights into the dark inner lives， and unique relations in the lives of women today。I really enjoyed this read。 Each short story was different and intriguing。 Fans of Sally Roony will enjoy this。
Rachel
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an exemplar exploration into both the perception of women and the female gaze， i can still hardly believe that watching women and girls is a debut collection。 in her remarkable short story collection， pender reminds us that we ourselves， are most often the biggest perpetrators of observation。 how many women have been conditioned or adapted to carefully examine their surroundings， quietly absorbing the conversations around them？ how many times a day do we catch glimpses of ourselves and subsequen an exemplar exploration into both the perception of women and the female gaze， i can still hardly believe that watching women and girls is a debut collection。 in her remarkable short story collection， pender reminds us that we ourselves， are most often the biggest perpetrators of observation。 how many women have been conditioned or adapted to carefully examine their surroundings， quietly absorbing the conversations around them？ how many times a day do we catch glimpses of ourselves and subsequently allow the runaway train of our consciousness to run away with thoughts we try so hard to bury？in watching women and girls， pender puts us in the drivers seat once again， stealing glances into a bevvy of deliciously varied， highly relatable and delicately thought through short stories that are guaranteed to leave you astounded at how universal some experiences of womanhood really are。 there are very few gaps in pace or plot throughout the collection， each story holding its own against the tide of those that follow。 opening with “window display” pender plays on the age old trope of younger woman / older man， recounting one woman’s experiences in a controlling， first relationship as she watches on whilst another takes place before her。 followed by “three sisters，” we dive headfirst into a family saga contained to a mere twenty or so pages， as a family wedding brings out the best and worst of the relationship between three sisters。 as each story progresses， there is no end to the scope of themes they encompass: queer love， drug addiction， motherhood， violence。 each story feels like a jab to the heart， but there is a comforting familiarity to every blow。 my favourite stories were “lego，” in which a professor who struggles to come to terms with the reality of his divorce， seeks sexual comfort from an online dominatrix specialising in humiliation。 I loved how certain stories crossed into the culture of today， be it through the normalisation of sex work or the deadpan humour that carries throughout each story。 I also enjoyed “single serve，” following a woman with obsessive compulsive tendencies working in a cinema。 the snippets of routine and structure， contrasting with the dank， sometimes rotten environment of a cinema felt ingenious to read。 in fact， watching women and girls is one of the best short story collections I’ve read。 I would put money on the fact it’ll feature in a lot of top reads for many by the end of the year。 from the profoundly human language and tone throughout， to the intricate pacing and fully realised stories， there is very little to criticise。 a big thank you to @4thestatebooks for my proof copy！ 。。。more
Karina Webster
，
depressing
David Michelson
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My favourite is Paper Dolls。。。 then Single Serve！ What an amazing diverse collection of short stories， about such a variety of lives and moments， acutely described。
leah
，
rtcbut my favourite stories were: window display， bar italia， next gen， the cat， and self-portrait
Ellis （whatellisreadnext）
，
This collection🙌 I am obsessed。 Every single story in here was an absolute gem。 Sometimes， I struggle with short story collections because the narratives are so fleeting， but this felt effortless to read。 Pender knows exactly what she's doing and saying in these little snippets of life。She establishes characters and their personalities so quickly， from just the first few lines of every story， these women came alive on the page， all with their own quirks and viewpoints。 I went through a right ran This collection🙌 I am obsessed。 Every single story in here was an absolute gem。 Sometimes， I struggle with short story collections because the narratives are so fleeting， but this felt effortless to read。 Pender knows exactly what she's doing and saying in these little snippets of life。She establishes characters and their personalities so quickly， from just the first few lines of every story， these women came alive on the page， all with their own quirks and viewpoints。 I went through a right range of emotions reading this one， and the final story even made me cry。I felt so seen by certain stories in this book， but even enjoyed reading about the women who's views or lives were different to mine。 I want more of this please。 Petition for Danielle Pender to write stories about all sorts of different women until the end of time💁🏻♀️I think a lot of people are going to love this one， and if you're eyeing it up， I promise you， you will not regret it。 What a book。 I can just feel myself going into a major book hangover now， somebody send help。Watching Women & Girls is out on the 23rd of June！ That's in just 3 days👀 （AD-PR Product） Thanks so much to 4th Estate for the gifted copy 🧡 。。。more
Chloe Newman
，
4。5？？ another anthology to add to my special short story hall of fame。this was truly brilliant。watching women & girls is a collection of twelve stories， seemingly mundane in nature but every time I finished one it really stuck with me。reflecting on them all today， the account of a day's work in a motorway services fast food chain， a woman's affair with a man in Italy， and a woman's remembrance of her deceased childhood best friend。。 they're all so simple but so powerful I can't stop thinking abo 4。5？？ another anthology to add to my special short story hall of fame。this was truly brilliant。watching women & girls is a collection of twelve stories， seemingly mundane in nature but every time I finished one it really stuck with me。reflecting on them all today， the account of a day's work in a motorway services fast food chain， a woman's affair with a man in Italy， and a woman's remembrance of her deceased childhood best friend。。 they're all so simple but so powerful I can't stop thinking about themI would go into this with minimal expectation， and take each story as it comes， but pender is definitely one to watch and I can't wait to read what she puts out next！my favourites were: bar Italia， junction 64， paper dolls， the cat and single serve。thank you 4th estate ！！ this book is out 23rd June。 。。。more
Jade Marshall
，
When I tell you this debut short story collection is sublime， magnificent， phenomenonal， please understand that I mean it is perfection。Watching Women & Girls is a comprehensive reflection on the female experience which examines friendship， sex and relationships， family， work and gender dynamics in contemporary society。 Every story holds a recognition， a commiseration， a lesson， and my heart hurtled between soaring at the tender joys， and aching at the familiar injustices。I can't say that I have When I tell you this debut short story collection is sublime， magnificent， phenomenonal， please understand that I mean it is perfection。Watching Women & Girls is a comprehensive reflection on the female experience which examines friendship， sex and relationships， family， work and gender dynamics in contemporary society。 Every story holds a recognition， a commiseration， a lesson， and my heart hurtled between soaring at the tender joys， and aching at the familiar injustices。I can't say that I have a particular favourite among them， but the directness of Window Display is an exquisite introduction。 It establishes Pender's voice， and the tone of the collection， beautifully。 I will say that my favourite quotes came from Window Display， Bar Italia， Junction 64， Look at Me Mummy， Single Serve and Self-Portrait （swipe for the ones that are still dancing around my mind）。I feel the need to express my sincere thanks to Danielle Pender for this bittersweet ode to modern womanhood。 Our female bodies are held hostage by the observation of a thousand critical eyes， but often the harshest are our own。 These stories have challenged me to take a longer look at the way I see and think of myself， as well as the ways I engage with others。More than anything though， this incredible collection has made me even more appreciative of all the kind， courageous， resilient women in my life。 It's not always an easy thing to be a woman in this world， but the world is a little easier to bear with their companionship。This is definitely a new favourite for me and I can’t wait to read it again and again and again over the years。 。。。more
Halle Kirby
，
this book covers a lot， including （but also not limited to）; grief， sex， class and age divide， family relationships， parenting。 etc。 pender achieves these concepts beautifully， with so much detail and attention， I felt every part of the book deeply。 the stories are unflinching and raw but delivered with subtle humour and compassion in parts。 it is a real ode to girlhood and womanhood in britain。 love。 I love that this is a debut because it perfectly showcases pender’s writing and skill。 my favou this book covers a lot， including （but also not limited to）; grief， sex， class and age divide， family relationships， parenting。 etc。 pender achieves these concepts beautifully， with so much detail and attention， I felt every part of the book deeply。 the stories are unflinching and raw but delivered with subtle humour and compassion in parts。 it is a real ode to girlhood and womanhood in britain。 love。 I love that this is a debut because it perfectly showcases pender’s writing and skill。 my favourite stories in particular were; three sisters， paper dolls， look at me mummy， single serve and self portrait。also special shout out to the stories in Newcastle， the local dialect that I miss so much ！！！ howay man ！！！ also shout out to bar italia in soho being literally a whole story title （one of my favourite bar/cafes in london and if you don’t know you need to！） I will now be recommending this book to every single one of my girlfriends and anyone that will listen to me tbh。 I am obsessed。 can’t wait for what danielle pender brings out next ！！ 💘 ‘watching women & girls’ is out 23 JUNE ！！thank you so much @4thestatebooks for gifting me this advanced copy 。。。more
Mariana Vaz
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Loved this collection of short stories！ Favourites were: The Cat and Self-Portrait！
Beth
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I thought this collection of short stories was wonderful。 Pender writes with such talent that each main character is relatable， despite the vastness of their stories。 I often found myself wishing each story had been much longer， but， in retrospect， I was simply being greedy; these stories are perfectly formed。 As with all collections like this， some stand out more than others。 My personal favourites were 'Junction 64'， 'The Cat'， 'Single Serve' and 'Self Portrait'。 Bonus points for the Laura Cal I thought this collection of short stories was wonderful。 Pender writes with such talent that each main character is relatable， despite the vastness of their stories。 I often found myself wishing each story had been much longer， but， in retrospect， I was simply being greedy; these stories are perfectly formed。 As with all collections like this， some stand out more than others。 My personal favourites were 'Junction 64'， 'The Cat'， 'Single Serve' and 'Self Portrait'。 Bonus points for the Laura Callaghan cover！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
Thank you to 4th Estate for an advance e-copy of this title。A strange， unsettling， yet ultimately enjoyable collection of short stories。 I was drawn into each one， and appreciated that none were so convoluted or complicated that I forgot or muddled up the characters。 Pender's choice of subject matter is often brave， as she addresses taboos and explores the depths of people's psyche， habits， and actions。 I got many Ottessa Moshfegh vibes， and am interested to see what Pender's first novel might l Thank you to 4th Estate for an advance e-copy of this title。A strange， unsettling， yet ultimately enjoyable collection of short stories。 I was drawn into each one， and appreciated that none were so convoluted or complicated that I forgot or muddled up the characters。 Pender's choice of subject matter is often brave， as she addresses taboos and explores the depths of people's psyche， habits， and actions。 I got many Ottessa Moshfegh vibes， and am interested to see what Pender's first novel might look like。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Watching Women & Girls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Watching Women & Girls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft