The Color Master

Stories

By: Aimee Bender

Narrated by: Various

The bestselling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake returns with a wondrous collection of dreamy, strange, and magical stories.

Truly beloved by readers and critics alike, Aimee Bender has become known as something of an enchantress whose lush prose is “moving, fanciful, and gorgeously strange” (People), “richly imagined and bittersweet” (Vanity Fair), and “full of provocative ideas” (The Boston Globe). In her deft hands, “relationships and mundane activities take on mythic qualities” (The Wall Street Journal).

In this collection, Bender’s unique talents sparkle brilliantly in stories about people searching for connection through love, sex, and family—while navigating the often painful realities of their lives. A traumatic event unfolds when a girl with flowing hair of golden wheat appears in an apple orchard, where a group of people await her. A woman plays out a prostitution fantasy with her husband and finds she cannot go back to her old sex life. An ugly woman marries an ogre and struggles to decide if she should stay with him after he mistakenly eats their children. Two sisters travel deep into Malaysia, where one learns the art of mending tigers who have been ripped to shreds.

In these deeply resonant stories—evocative, funny, beautiful, and sad—we see ourselves reflected as if in a funhouse mirror. Aimee Bender has once again proven herself to be among the most imaginative, exciting, and intelligent writers of our time.

Big fan of hers

Big fan of hers. Wonderful person, but still I was generous with three lonely stars...

Not Miss Bender's Best

What disappointed you about The Color Master?

Not as exciting or surreal as in her previous collections of short stories, such as Willful Creatures and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. The stories in this new collection seem like something from a stream of conscious writing exercise…rambling that goes nowhere.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The Red Ribbon had a ring of Miss Bender's daring style.

Any additional comments?

I have enjoyed all of Miss Bender's books and have given them out as gifts. I hope this was a small dip in the road of her writing career.