A jewel-like collection of short stories from Berg (Dream When You're Feeling Blue, 2007, etc.). Berg is skilled at depicting the subtle interplay among women, their friends, spouses and families. This collection focuses on quiet, intensely personal discoveries, many of which center on weight or food. In the title story, an unsuccessful dieter rebels against Weight Watchers for a daylong spree. Her activities include licking and eating donuts: "It was sexual in a way, but more yeasty and better." The epistolary "How to Make an Apple Pie," a sensual tale in its own right, concerns an aged correspondent writing to her young friend. More often the pieces are bittersweet, the liberation coming through pain. In "The Only One of Millions Just Like Him," a couple rediscover joy while mourning their aged dog, and in "Returns and Exchanges," the middle-aged protagonist comes to appreciate her husband when a long-lost love resurfaces--and fails to recognize her. Some of these stories chart hurtful revelations, as when a young girl realizes she is neither pretty nor her grandfather's favorite ("Full Count") or when (in "Rain") a woman contemplates paths not taken as a possible lover dies. Berg's writing is so gentle, her people so real, that even these sad stories generate warmth. Tales that highlight the bright sparks in everyday experience. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This is a collection of short stories celebrating characters who have the courage to change something in their lives. An undercurrent of food is a common thread, whether it's donuts, a dinner party, or apple pie. New York Times best-selling author Berg (Dream When You're Feeling Blue) uses her insight into human nature from her years as a nurse and a waitress to focus on the everyday challenges people face and how these are opportunities for courage and humanity to emerge. The author's narration is pleasant and at times wistful and nostalgic, providing a supportive atmosphere for the sometimes predictable story endings. Recommended. [Berg's Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY award in 1996; Open House was an Oprah Book Club selection in 2000.--Ed.]--Denise A. Garofalo, Astor Home for Children, Rhinebeck, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Food is the source of both solace and misery for Berg's smart, ticked-off, secretly dreamy yet demonstrably pragmatic women. Most are past 50 and less than happy with their altered bodies. They dutifully attend deadly Weight Watchers meetings, cheat wildly on their diets, then try, once again, to stay away from brownies and fast food. The binge story, The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, is matched by The Day I Ate Nothing I Remotely Wanted, and clearly the insatiable appetite for rich and comforting foods stems from a deeper hunger for enveloping and sustaining love. This is adored author Berg's second story collection, separated from the first, Ordinary Life (2002), by seven novels, and once again she makes striking use of the shorter form. Her stories are deliciously piquant and deceptively blithe, just as the respectable appearances of her women characters conceal fierce inner lives. Berg zeros in on the routine unfairness women face, and the anguish and irony of age and family relationships, as her bawdy, scheming, outspoken, and loyal women persevere, often finding the humorous side of difficult predicaments.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2008 Booklist

In this collection of mostly uplifting stories, Berg (Dream When You're Feeling Blue) explores the everyday challenges that women face. Whether teenaged or octogenarian, Berg's heroines brave the emotional landmines underlying domestic scenes (from holiday dinner parties to visiting family), navigate the slippery slope of constant dieting and address the process of aging. The title story features an unnamed, insouciant narrator who flees from a Weight Watchers meeting and allows herself to indulge her most fattening food cravings. In "Full Count," an introspective army brat begins to decipher what she looks like to others. The wistful and nostalgic "Rain" features a woman reminiscing about a good friend who dropped his successful corporate life to live closer to nature. Berg's men are surprisingly supportive and well behaved; it is often the women in these stories who manipulate and mistreat their partners. The protagonist of "Truth or Dare," for example, struggles to accept that her ex-husband moved on after she left him. Berg has a knack for sentimental but authentic stories about women who find affirmation in true-to-life situations, and if her endings are slightly predictable, it's in a good way, like comfort food that never disappoints. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved