Shit Cassandra Saw

Stories

By: Gwen E. Kirby

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Sura Siu, Rob Shapiro, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Rebecca Lowman

“Kirby has mastered the art of short fiction…A stunning collection from a writer whose talent and creativity seem boundless.” (NPR)

“Kirby takes joy in subverting the reader’s expectations at every turn. Her characters might be naïve, even reckless, but they aren’t about to be victims: They’re strong, and brave, and nearly always capable of rescuing themselves.” (New York Times Book Review)

Margaret Atwood meets Buffy in these funny, warm, and furious stories of women at their breaking points, from Hellenic times to today.

Cassandra may have seen the future, but it doesn't mean she's resigned to telling the Trojans everything she knows. In this ebullient collection, virgins escape from being sacrificed, witches refuse to be burned, whores aren't ashamed, and every woman gets a chance to be a radioactive cockroach warrior who snaps back at catcallers. Gwen E. Kirby experiments with found structures - a Yelp review, a WikiHow article - which her fierce, irreverent narrators push against, showing how creativity within an enclosed space undermines and deconstructs the constraints themselves. When these women tell the stories of their triumphs as well as their pain, they emerge as funny, angry, loud, horny, lonely, strong protagonists who refuse to be secondary characters a moment longer.

From "The Best and Only Whore of Cym Hyfryd, 1886" to the "Midwestern Girl Is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories," Kirby is playing and laughing with the women who have come before her and they are telling her, we have always been this way. You just had to know where to look.

©2022 Gwen E. Kirby (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Kirby has mastered the art of short fiction...A stunning collection from a writer whose talent and creativity seem boundless."—NPR

“When I reached the end of every single one of Gwen E. Kirby's wildly unique stories, I felt like she had altered the universe a little, created a new element, opened up some fault lines in the earth. Kirby writes with boundless humor, a confidence and ease with strange premises, and yet there is always that flash of a fang or a blade or a Sharpie, reminding you to pay closer attention.”—Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here

“Gwen E. Kirby's debut collection of short stories dares to ask: what if we just let women be their messiest selves? Through this lens, she imagines scenarios women (and men!) may have encountered since the Hellenic times, up until today, playing with different structures including a "How To" essay and a scathing Yelp review that has a lot more bubbling under the surface. These hilarious stories use satire to examine real struggles and criticisms of the world and patriarchal standards. If you want to laugh and think, pick this one up.”—Buzzfeed

Feminist in all the best ways!

A novel’s worth of short stories. This was terrific. Feminist in all of the best ways leaving room for both sympathetic and empathetic responses to the work. I did not expect to see a baseball (and a softball, for that matter) story. Such a pleasant surprise. I will be recommending this and saving my copy for when my daughters are old enough.

Creative and Enjoyable Perspective

I really enjoyed this collection of tales and how they were all tied together through the main narrative. Not every story was a favorite but I had hours of solid entertainment throughout.

Phenomenal Book!

All the stories are interesting and entertaining. I appreciate the author's perspective. The narrators do a phenomenal job capturing the characters and making the stories captivating. Highly recommend listening to all the stories.The book is fun as Hell! Brava Gwen E. Kirby!!

Incredible, harsh, on point.

One of my now-favorite short story collections. Super quick listen, awesome performers for each story.

Delightful collection of feminist short stories

A great read. Different stories that are funny and genuine and speak to the different elements of being a woman. My favorites are "First Woman Hanged for Witchcraft in Wales, 1594" and "The Best and Only Whore of Cym Hyfryd, 1886" for the humor and humanity that Gwen brings to these stories of less than idyllic times and situations. I can't wait to see more from Gwen E. Kirby!

Love the setup

because of the opening short story, the rest all kind of felt like visions that were being seen. If I had to pick a favorite, story, 2 is phenomenal, though the Midwestern girl one is also pretty darn good. please make it through the whole thing, you won't get bored, at least I didnt.

Fun and Smart

Loved it. very creative short stories. Great writing. Super Unique. Smart and funny. Well done narration.

Good listen

Love the title and the concept. Each story holds your attention. I’ve listened a few times.

nope

could not listen to it. really tried to like it. maybe if someone else read it out loud it might have gotten another star.
just no.

Bizarre

Not what I expected, but there were a few good stories buried in the book.