Because They Wanted To: Stories

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Reading a Mary Gaitskill short story is like getting into a no-holds-barred fight: mean, raw, and dangerous. She's fond of portraying characters who seem strangely comfortable living in emotional extremity. She never takes the safe route through a story; in fact, she'll choose the low road every time. The title story places a runaway girl in care of abandoned children. Where many writers would seek out some faint ray of redemption or hope, Gaitskill concentrates on the grime in the cracks of the linoleum. In "The Girl on the Plane," a bitter man confesses his participation in a brutal act to a stranger, but the confession brings no solace. These stories practically shake with tension. In the final long story of this collection, "The Wrong Thing," Gaitskill picks up the tale after the breaking point, as she gracefully illuminates the life of a woman piecing together the fragments of her sexual and emotional history. Because They Wanted not only fulfills the promise of her previous short-story collection Bad Behavior and the novel Two Girls, Fat and Thin, it takes us to a higher place.

Customer Reviews:

A strange jangling beauty.......2005-06-11

Some readers may argue that Gaitskill's characters merely resist growing up, and it's certainly true that their lives are much more in an uproar, much more in flux than the lives of their peers who are married with children. And yet to dismiss them as piquant malcontents seems unfair--they are, after all, after a more profound and dangerous intimacy than the intimacy that might be found in more stable relationships. Gaitskill has also managed to achieve, in this third book, a moving away from the voyeuristic; this has made the work inevitably quieter, and has even made some of the characters seem almost "normal".

In Tiny, Smiling Daddy, the opening story in Because They Wanted To, a sexually prodigal daughter discharges "her strange jangling beauty" into her father's house, "changing the molecules of its air". In another story (Processing), a waitress, "vibrant with purpose" pours water for her dinner guests "with a harried rattle of ice". At a party in Palo Alto, light "runs and flirts on silverware". All of these glimpses into Gaitskill's latest stories illustrate how charged her language can be, and how much it is animated (in spite of its dark themes) by both boldness and joie de vivre.

In other Gaitskill stories, many of the characters act as impish raconteurs of narratives that reveal their own pain or shame. Their audience is made up of a sort of floating opera of fast friends, scoffers, and therapists manque. Privacy is sacrificed to get at "the truth" about both intimacy and the potential that life has for the playful (and in particular for the sexually playful) to be extended into adulthood. But sex, in Gaitskill's world, is mischievous, cerebral, brutal, or even described with an almost dainty candour, the one thing it is not is sexy.

There are also exquisite moments of non-sexual tenderness. In one of the final stories, a poet who teaches at Berkeley says of one of her students: "He didn't write very well, but he was a passionate student and so was a favourite of mine. He took me in with a wistful, subtle movement of his eyes. I felt him accept my fondness and shyly give it back. Without knowing it, he comforted me." But then Gaitskill's theme is (and always has been) intimacy: how to find it, create it, retrieve it, bestow it. And also--and this is where the tragedy in much of her work locates itself--how it's only longed for, squandered, or lost.

Stunning Stories!.......2005-04-11

Mary Gaitskill's second story collection, "Because They Wanted To," seemed to me just as fresh as her first, with a quieter, deeper reflection on the human condition and dazzling gems of insight imbedded in its rich foundation. Each of the twelve stories (eight stories and four connected stories within a novella) is a tale of unrequited love in varying forms and degrees. In "Tiny, Smiling Daddy," a father discovers his lesbian daughter has published an article about their relationship; in "Because They Wanted To," a destitute runaway agrees to baby sit a stranger's three children for an afternoon while the woman hunts for a job, and reflects on the past that drove her to Canada; and in "The Girl on the Plane," a man is seated next to a woman that reminds him of a woman he once gang-raped and when confronted with the brutality of the act, desperately searches for ways in which he could excuse or explain his behavior. I most admire Gaitskill's incredible ability to pin down the nuanced behaviors and thoughts that make us all paradoxically universal and unique.

Brilliant!!!.......2004-12-06

BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO is an absolute masterpiece of literature! Gaitskill's ability to describe the most complex and dark human emotions is stunning; each story is well-written down to the smallest detail, and you are able to relate to the pain of the characters--even if you have never experienced the things that they are going through yourself.

"The Wrong Thing," a four-part story of one woman's inability to find a meaningful romantic relationship, was my favorite one in the book. The main character, Susan, is presented in a way that allows readers to feel her pain and to sympathize with her as she goes through various struggles. This story was the last one in the collection, and its ending was also a great ending for the entire book.

The other stories are also good: from a woman who is obsessed with her dentist, to a 16-year-old runaway who is just trying to find ways to support herself, to a woman who realizes that she just might love a much younger man...these stories all touch the soul. This collection is in some ways lighter than Gaitskill's gritty BAD BEHAVIOR, but it is still full of complexity and people who display extreme examples of human emotion.

Highly recommended!!!

Because it has a pretty cover........2004-03-29

I basically agree with everyone's criticism. Gaitskill harps on a point till you want to say, "Shut up already! No one CARES." Which I'm sure is counterproductive to her artistic crusade. I typically don't mind authors breaking from the beginning-middle-end formula if they do it well, or at least intend to do it well. If they fail miserably, then they deserve to be panned. Gaitskill fails miserably. It's like she didn't even care for her stories by the time she got to the end of them. She could have written one novella with all these crappy stories and still come out behind, but should could have saved a little face that way.

Thought-provoking piece of work!.......2003-11-10

Having read Bad Behavior, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Mary Gaitskill's newest collection of short stories. Because They Wanted To is everything I'd expected. The stories are beautiful and lyrical in a profound way. My favorite ones are "Orchid," "Because They Wanted To," "Comfort," and "Turgor." However, "The Girl on the Plane" is the one that spoke to me the most. The story of how a married man stumbles upon the woman he'd raped years ago was food for thought. I was duly impressed with Gaitskill's disarmingly perceptive takes on male and female relationships in Bad Behavior, and she has outdone herself with this effort. The characterization and story development are second to none in this book. Are you in the bargain for thought-provoking stories? I suggest you pick up this wonderful piece of modern literature.

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Because They Wanted To - Stories
Mary Gaitskill
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IW8U5W

My Vietnam Conflicts: A Story About Real People Who Were Soldiers, Not Because They Wanted to Be, but Because They Were Called

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My Vietnam Conflicts
you will want to read it several times

My Vietnam Conflicts: A Story About Real People Who Were Soldiers, Not Because They Wanted to Be, but Because They Were Called
Paul A. Letourneau
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

My Vietnam Conflicts.......2006-02-11

This book should be required reading for those who have been to war, those who have not, and those who have sent young men
and women to war.A moving, first person account of the sac-
ifices made, and both physical and pyschological burdens
carried.Heroes are not the people you read about in the news,
but they are each soldier who went did his duty, to the best
of his ability, under the most difficult of curcumstances.

you will want to read it several times.......2006-01-24

I've read the book three times, it really puts me right in the middle of the action much better than any movie or TV documentary I've seen. It's a down to earth account of what goes on in a war, from the frightening combat scenes to such everyday activities such as eating and personal hygene,to how one soldier misses his home and family, his fears and hopes. Every American should read this book to better understand what a debt we all owe our men and women in uniform.

Book Description

Miami is still freakin' humid. The nights are even hotter. And there's a body on ice. And that's just the beginning of this adrenaline-rush of a hot-wired ride from phenomenal number one New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

A woman with a taste for speed and a talent for breaking the rules, Barney also knows a little too much about cheating. First there was Hooker and that salesclerk. Now she's convinced one of the competitors is up to no good on the track. Snooping to find evidence, Hooker and Barney "borrow" a NASCAR hauler. Turns out, the hauler is carrying two race cars and a dead guy. It looks like Barney and Hooker are facing multiple counts of grand theft auto and homicide.

So buckle up as Barney, Hooker, a 150-pound bundle of Saint Bernard love named Beans, and the Super Cigar Ladies Felicia and Rosa shift into gear on a wild race around South Florida and Concord, North Carolina.

Everything you always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eighteen-wheeler, and sex in the fast lane.

Customer Reviews:

Another good series by Evanovich.......2007-09-28

The motor series, is another good series. Janet Evanovich is a great writer. I love the Plum series, so I tried these, and I really like them too. Looking forward to another one in this series. Good fast read.

I really appreciate the humor of this book.......2007-09-07

I found the book hillarious and again I laugh out loud. I truly enjoy the crazy circumstances that she gets herself into. Such loyalty and humor. I can't wait to read another.....

Just One More Time.......2007-08-19

"Motor Mouth" begins with a great racing scene with Alex "Barney" Barnaby, serving as a spotter for Sam Hooker. The race doesn't go as planned and another wins. But did the winner have a little more help than usual from his sponsor?
Sam has been a stinker as he drifted into other arms, but "Barney" still earns her pay when she discovers hidden computer signals on a rival car, takes off in a hauler with a shrink wrapped body, Sam and their dog, Beans.
New characters enter the story to help may cling to your affection as Stephanie's grandmother.
Moves fast, stays on track and delights fans while over indulging in the term "Nascar Man." After a while one gets the picture that Sam drives for Nascar.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

It is what it is..........2007-08-13

This book is mind candy - nothing more and nothing less. It is a pool or beach book, it can be read while the t.v. is on or during some sport practice. It is the literary equivalent of Desperate Housewives, only less annoying. Personally I like Barney and Hooker but I'm a southern girl and I get their vibe more than that produced by the Stephanie/Ranger/Joe love triangle. I get the same pleasure from this series as I do the Plum novels - they all are what they are...a guilty pleasure. Don't expect too much.
And to reviewers who don't like Hooker because he cheated - do you still like Stephanie? She cheated on Joe remember. Let's not be hypocrites here and think that girls can cheat but hang the guys for doing the same. Those who don't like Beans obviously never loved a big ole' stinky dog. He reminds me of all the St's I've ever known - too bad it you haven't had the pleasure.
Lighten up on this series and it's characters folks - don't expect every female character to be Stephanie (thank goodness they aren't), every hot guy to be in the ethnic Joe/Ranger mold. How confining!
And by the way, I'm from NASCAR territory and believe me when I say that there are some scary smart good ole boys trolling these parts that most folks would think are dumb as dirt if they didn't know better. Hooker's character is based on these very sexy sly-as-a-fox guys that southern girls have loved for a long time. Kudos to Evanovich for putting one in print.
Mind candy...guilty pleasure...gotta love it

A great light read!.......2007-08-08

Evanovich has a light quick moving style all her own. If you have ready any of her works, and liked what you read, you will not be disappointed. I thought this book was a nice sequal to the first book involving these characters, "Metro Girl". There is some good humor spread throughout as well. Happy reading!

Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series, No. 2)

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Funny & Fun
If you like cheating boyfriends, dog poop, annoying characters and drivel this is the book for you
Wonderful Narration, Great Story
HUMOR AND HIGH JINKS PLUS FIRST-RATE NARRATION

Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series, No. 2)
Janet Evanovich
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0060825588
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

It's the last race of the season, and the wheels are smoking and the temperature is rising at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Alexandra Barnaby is NASCAR driver Sam Hooker's raceday spotter, his eye-in-the-sky, telling Hooker when to pass and when to get off the gas. From her vantage point high above the grandstand she's also seeing things going on in the infield that will change her life. Things that will lead to a stolen racecar hauler, a kidnapped Saint Bernard, a bizarre murder, some restless nights under the covers with Hooker, and a reunion with super cigar roller Rosa Florez and the queen of wholesale fruit Felicia Ibarra.

From Miami, Florida to Concord, North Carolina and back to Miami this is an action-packed multi-car crash of shady dealings, stolen technology, drive-thru windows and destruction of personal property. Everything you always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eighteen-wheeler, stashing a dead body, and sex in the fast lane.

Performed by C.J. Critt

Customer Reviews:

Funny & Fun.......2007-03-13

This was the sequel to Metro Girl. I enjoyed listening to this book. It is about a Nascar Driver and his ex-girlfriend/mechanic/spotter for his races. The action picks up quickly and is basically non-stop! Some of the situations the characters get into are pretty hilarious. There is a little romance/history between Hooker and Barney, but that is not focused on too much. At first Hooker and his friend Gobbles voices annoyed me very much... but if you can get past that part... the book is actually very good! I don't follow Nascar and was still able to enjoy the story. Each of the characters was funny and different. The descriptions of Miami were awesome (made me wish I was there!) but the descriptions of the murdered people were a little too much... it is hard to be completely amused with a story while picturing some of the scenes. Overall, enjoyable story, fun and funny to listen to, and a good sequel to Metro Girl. If there is another book after this one, I'd love to read it or listen to it.

If you like cheating boyfriends, dog poop, annoying characters and drivel this is the book for you.......2006-12-28

If you like juvenile gags and the same lame jokes over and over, you get plenty of that in Motor Mouth. Anyone with a smigden of intelligence will want to put it through the shredder. I think Evanovich was aiming for madcap, but instead Motor Mouth was simply maddening. Weak characters, ridiculous storylines, hackneyed over-used childish pranks and pratfalls.

Hooker, who was so annoying in Metro Girl, was even worse in this book. He actually cheated with on Barney with another woman, but improbable as it may seem for a woman supposedly as strong as Barney, she didn't drop him like a stone. The guy has no integrity, treated Barney like some track bimbo and she still goes ahead and hangs around and sleeps with him. What is it with Janet Evanovich and cheating? She had Stephanie Plum showing no remorse when trying to cheat on Joe in Twelve Sharp. Is she such a fan of infidelity she now considers it second nature?

This book didn't work on any level. The way Barney and Hooker could steal cars, locate microscopic chips and evade the baddies was completely off the credibility scale. The violence was over the top.

It was repetitive, non-stop garbage. The dog poop stuff, especially the bag of dog poop, was disgusting and anyone feeding their dog that rubbish should be sued by the Humane Society. It is as JE thinks her readership are 12 year boys who like vomit and poop.

The NASCAR stuff was boring.

JE churns her books out too quickly, pushing out at least two books a year. This shows as the quality of her work as gone down as the quantity goes up. I would much rather she spend more time on her books like other authors. Let's hope she dumps the Alex Barnaby books and spends more time improving the Plum series.

I only finished this book because I had nothing else to read on a trip. I got this book out the library as I would never buy another Evanovich book after Metro Girl. I wouldn't read another in this series, even a library copy.

Wonderful Narration, Great Story.......2006-11-17

I bought this book on audio and Full Scoop on audio at the same time. Unlike the latest Full book, this book is a great example of why I buy Janet's books rather than go to the library for them. I will keep this audio book in my own library to enjoy over and over again. CJ Critt does a fantastic job with the voices, I laughed so hard when I heard her do Nascar Guy, Hooker. The story is original (if a little far fetched) and fun to listen to. If you are looking for something to make you smile, this is the book.

HUMOR AND HIGH JINKS PLUS FIRST-RATE NARRATION.......2006-11-01

"Motor Mouth," the second in The Barnaby Series, is every bit as exciting and danger packed as the first, "MetroGirl" (2005). There's never a dull moment in the life of Alexandra Barnaby who spends her time at NASCAR races in Florida and North Carolina. There's also never a dull paragraph for listeners as this tale is spun by the very gifted C. J. Critt. One of Evanovich's favorite performers, and for good reason, Critt is well remembered for her narrations of "Back to the Bedroom," "Four to Score," and others.

She knows how to capture a listeners attention and she deftly does it when we hear these first words: "Sometimes there's a decision to be made between winning fairly and cheating for a good cause. And sometimes, in the heat of competition, I've slipped south of fair. So I understand the temptation. But here's the thing about cheating ...don't cheat me. I take it personally."

It's established early on that if Alex Barnaby takes anything personally - look out! The setting is Miami and the scene is the last race of the season. Alex, a spotter for NASCAR driver Sam Hooker, is on task - looking through her binoculars high above the infield. In this case, she's seeing things she may later wish she had not - sightings that soon involve her in mayhem and murders. Of course, Sam is right along with her and there's time for them to connect. (What's a good story without a touch of romance?)

Leave it to Evanovich to provide surprising plot twists including a purloined pooch, and over the top characters such as the redoubtable Felicia Ibarra. This author is a pro at combining humor and high jinks. Highly enjoyable listening!

- Gail Cooke

2 HBs by Janet Evanovich: Motor Mouth & Metro Girl (First Editions)

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2 HBs by Janet Evanovich: Motor Mouth & Metro Girl (First Editions)
Janet Evanovich
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000USQXV2

Product Description

Hardbacks

Brain and Oral Functions. Oral Motor Function and Dysfunction

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Brain and Oral Functions. Oral Motor Function and Dysfunction

Manufacturer: Elsevier Science Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Hardbound. In recent years, great progress has been made in both basic and clinical research of dentistry. It is a good time, therefore, for both the basic and clinical sides of dentistry to integrate recent advances in these fields of oral motor functions. The above mentioned symposium was held in Osaka in order to meet such requirements. 30 oral and 66 poster presentations were given at the symposium, on which this book is substantially based. Dentists of the next generations will be required to understand recent advances in brain research because their work is profoundly related to nerve function. Owing to space limitations, only a selection of the published papers are listed hereunder.

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Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series #2)
Janet Evanovich
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series #2)
Janet Evanovich
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYB6P8

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Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series #2)
Janet Evanovich
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SEDDI4

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Motor Mouth (Alex Barnaby Series, No. 2)
Janet Evanovich
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum Novels)

ASIN: 0739474766

Mouth Madness: Oral Motor Activities for Children

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Great Book!
Fun for all preschoolers
Great Book!

Mouth Madness: Oral Motor Activities for Children
Catherine Orr
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Audiology & Speech Pathology | Allied Health Professions | Medicine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0127850287

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2005-05-05

My son is 28 months old and has very little speech. He also has a problem sticking his tongue out and using his lips. It was if he just couldn't figure out how now matter how hard he tried. We tried practicing in a mirror and many other things. I didn't have much hope for this book but I figured it was worth a try. Well when we got it he began trying to stick out his tongue to the side just like the picture of the boy on the cover! I think the pictures of other kids help to motivate him and because the pictures don't change like a video. This enables him to be able look at the picture and try to mimic no matter how long it takes him. GREAT BOOK!

Fun for all preschoolers.......2003-04-01

This is a great book for all preschool kids whose oral motor skills are still developing. I am a teacher and a mom with a son who has articulation problems. We do the games and activities as a family and all of my kids ( ages 1, 3, 5) enjoy doing them. Speech therapy is really expensive and I was happy to get this guide to augment what the therapist is doing. I'm sharing the info with my son's preschool teachers and they love it too. The activities are simple, easy to understand, and use things you have around the house. Hats off to Ms. Orr. This is a must have for all preschool teachers, and the parents of any child with even mild articulation problems.

Great Book!.......2000-04-02

This book is excellent! It is especially suited for both preschool teachers and teachers who deal with smaller children with mental disorders. I reccomend this book to any teacher of small children, as well as intersted parents.

Oral-facial sensory and motor mechanisms

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Oral-facial sensory and motor mechanisms

Manufacturer: Appleton-Century-Crofts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0390276480

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