Old Ladies: Stories

The stories in this collection center on women of a certain age. They are widows, divorcees, the happily married, an artist, a cleaning woman, a professor, the leisurely rich, and the working poor. Whatever their life condition, all the protagonists are decidedly individual. Some are feisty, some shy, some gentle, some ornery, some who know exactly who they are, and some who are seeking to find out. And almost all discover something a little unsettling that changes their sense of themselves, for better or worse.

As the characters are different, so are the stories. No two have the same subject, theme, or situation. In "Two's Company,” two women in entirely different social worlds struggle for supremacy. In "Regulars,” a recent widow finds solace in a shocking way. The protagonist in "The Pioneer Women” at last comes to acknowledge and accept her younger self.

The collection expresses a mix of humor and sadness. Some of the stories are funny. In "Bridge,” the male protagonist, the only one in the collection, is a widower who throws himself on the mercy of three hotshot women bridge players. In "Night Noises,” a woman finds she has a real knack for inventing a "romantic” life for herself. At the other end of the spectrum, "Dust Catchers” is the story of an alcoholic at the mercy of an elder abuser.

Although several stories take place on the East Coast, most are set in Northern California and several at a retirement community.

Nancy Packer's writing is strong, concrete, and entertaining. Her stories hit the ground running, develop in a chain of consequences, and move quickly to their satisfying end.

Many of these stories have appeared in literary journals including Sewanne Review and North American Review.