Let's Do

by Rebecca Meacham and Cleo Qian

Winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, 2004. In the nine stories of Let's Do, various calamities strike ordinary Midwesterners, who cope with a mixture of good intentions and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574411853
• ISBN13: 9781574411850
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great for book clubs!

Our book club selected this book, and it contained a wealth of interesting topics to discuss. We had one of our best discussions yet! Rebecca Meacham is a fresh new writer with wonderful talent. I highly recommend Let's Do!

Great Book!

This author brings each character in each story to life. It was like I knew them myself. The book was great and I highly reccommend it to anyone. I can't wait to read more from this new author.

Beautiful characterizations, compelling stories

I am not normally a fan of the short story genre -- usually short stories are all about plot or Some Grand Idea, and you have to let them go just when you're starting to get interested. Rebecca Meacham's stories are full of beautiful, knowable characters who draw you in from the first sentence and allow you to sit down, stay awhile, and learn something about someone who is, at least a little bit, just like you. Each story is complete, complex and satisfying, if sometimes heartbreaking and even devastating. It's the details about the characters that make the difference...the wry humor of a pregnant art teacher trying to hide her growing tummy while fending off possessive parents, the woman who is so nervous about socializing with her neighbor who has just lost a child that she rationalizes fixing a "quick Beam and Coke" before the party starts, the awful detail of an anorexic teenager planning every minute of a day. Meachem's insight into such vastly different human beings is amazing. I can't wait for more.

Honest, Poignant, and Downright Hilarious

Let's Do is hands-down one of the best collections of short stories I've come across. The characters were described as people "we don't want to be" and yet, each of them evoked a measure of empathy as I read. The way they spoke and the things they thought were incredibly honest--a testimony to Meacham's talent. There is a frankness to her prose that is endearing. She isn't afraid to probe the raw spots of people's characters, however uncomfortable it may be. At the same time, the collection has its share of hilarious moments: thoughts and actions and mis-guided intentions that made me laugh out loud. This was a great holiday read. Enjoy!