Amy Bloom's characters are flawed. They make mistakes; they use poor judgement; they are not beautiful or young or without fault. In other words, they are real. And her ability to introduce us to them with complete lack of judgement is a gift. Ms. Bloom worked for some time as a psychotherapist before devoting herself to writing, and she weds these two experiences in a way that offers us a unique and honest glimpse into the psyches of her characters. The result is captivating. I read somewhere that she puts more truth into one line than many authors do in an entire novel. I couldn't agree more.

Where the God of Love Hangs Out is a collection of short stories (several of which have appeared in other publications). There are two quartets, each connecting four short stories following the same characters. However, even in these mini-novellas, Ms. Bloom finds a way to add complexity and depth by telling the story from different points of view and in different periods of time.

I was lucky enough to see Ms. Bloom speak last week at RJ Julia Independent Booksellers in Madison, CT. She read from the stories of Clare and William, and it was a treat to hear the selection in her own voice. As a writer, it's a challenge to write in a way that conveys your voice, your inflection and emphasis. While I had read the story that Ms. Bloom read for us, it gave me a new understanding to hear her read her own words.

The NY Times Book Review of Where the God of Love Hangs Out is: here and it's a great, insightful review.

This was a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. ( )

I enjoyed this collection of short stories. Some stories were connected to the others, so almost like a small novel except they could stand alone. She did have some powerful sentences that were very descriptive and I always felt I was right in the story. ( )

Startling portrayal of later-life infidelity and the complicated web between friendship, marriage, sexual passion, and grief started this collection out with a bang. I thought the stories that followed lacked the strength of the first set of inter-related stories.

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Wonderful writing, interesting subject matter. The first four stories blew me away -- both in the quality of the prose and in the subject matter (old people with love lives!). The rest of the stories weren't so wonderful, but they were still quite good. I highly recommend this lovely little collection. ( )

I enjoyed the stories for the most part, but I listened to the audio version, and I honestly felt confused at times when one story ended and another began. I got distracted trying to figure out whether or not the stories were connected or who was narrating, etc. ( )