PositiveThe Chicago Tribune... lively, insightful ... Phair’s portrait of the artist as an older woman who has accumulated much perspective and wisdom yet remains frustrated that even after one marriage and other ill-fated relationships, she still wants a boyfriend ... the \'Horror\' of most of Phair’s \'Stories\' isn’t the type to generate headlines ... The book’s subtitle could be Tales of Empathy ... As is typical of Phair, she doesn’t gloss over details or spare herself in the telling; she conveys the adrenaline rush that comes on strong and the shame and regret that follow more forcefully ... gets messy at times. One chapter recounts a terrifying break-in at her Oberlin College house, after which she feels reluctant to describe the perpetrators because they are black...That chapter feels like an overreach, an attempt to make a grand race-relations statement amid a simple tale of revenge vandalism ... reminds us of something gratifying: Liz Phair can write. She does so with engaging candor and a terrific eye for detail, whether evoking an ill-conceived trek through a New York blizzard, a childhood climb up a spider-infested tree or therapeutic adventures on a surfboard ... She still is speaking her truth, with a generosity of spirit and willingness to dig into the thorniest aspects of what it means to be human right now. Twenty-six years after Exile in Guyville, it turns out, Liz Phair is rewarding our expectations after all.
