This collection of short stories from a society so vastly different from that of our own left me feeling a tremendous respect for the authors, producing literary works of art in a country where women's freedom is limited, as well as the characters they created. I want to point out that this is NOT a "male-bashing" book. Although the authors are all women, the editors and translators are 2 men and 2 women, and characters of both genders are portrayed as a mixture of good and bad, i.e. human. The characters are to an extent a reflection of their society, but they are dealing with problems (alcohol, drugs, divorce, child abuse, etc.) that are not unique to any society. The stories show great sensitivity and compassion and in addition reveal more about life in a country that many Americans know little about.

This collection of short stories from a society so vastly different from that of our own left me feeling a tremendous respect for the authors, producing literary works of art in a country where women's freedom is limited, as well as the characters they created. I want to point out that this is NOT a "male-bashing" book. Although the authors are all women, the editors and translators are 2 men and 2 women, and characters of both genders are portrayed as a mixture of good and bad, i.e. human. The characters are to an extent a reflection of their society, but they are dealing with problems (alcohol, drugs, divorce, child abuse, etc.) that are not unique to any society. The stories show great sensitivity and compassion and in addition reveal more about life in a country that many Americans know little about.