Books Pilgrims
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - A Fine Collection
Elizabeth Gilbert is a talented writer and some of these stories in this collection are absolutely terrific. These stories will capture your imagination. There were several that I wished Gilbert would have made into novels. I really enjoyed reading these stories, but I did read Stern Men, her novel, first and as strong as these stories are, Stern Men is even stronger, so I was a little disappointed. All in all, however, this is a terrific collection by a very talented writer and I look forward to seeing more of her work.

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Rating: - Really Quite Good
After always looking forward to reading Ms. Gilbert's funny/intellegent/quirky articles in SPIN magazine (who she sadly doesn't seem to write for anymore) the high quality of this book wasn't much of a surprise. The charaters are well formed and easy to empathize with. The fact that all the stories dwell on the same theme of lonliness and searching for connection, it reads more like a novel than a randomly selected set of stories. If you liked this, read her articles on Chinese Dams, Feminist Pornography and Renesance Faires in SPIN, or her essay on Buckle Bunnies in the KGB Reader. I can't wait for her novel to come out.

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Rating: - Nearly flawless, always gorgeous
It's rare that I like the majority of stories in a short story collection. In this case, all but one are perfect, and even the imperfect piece -- the last in the volume -- is pretty damned good. Buy this book: you won't regret it.

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Rating: - A fascinating collection!
"Pilgrims" is a fascinating work - like a vice slowly tightening, Gilbert clamps on to the reader and never lets go. My personal favorite story is the gentle beautiful narrative about 15 year old Denny Brown. Gilbert balances the innocence and naivity of youth with the hidden lustiness that every teen encounters.