The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg shares the experiences of being a woman, demonstrates the strengths of friendship, and attempts to tackle a few difficult topics (i.e., weight, aging, divorce, loss, etc.) all in short story form in The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted:  And Other Small Acts of Liberation.  The compilation includes thirteen tales, including the title story, "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted," "The Day I Ate Nothing I Even Remotely Wanted," "Over the Hill and Into the Woods," among others.

Two stories in particular stood out to me.  The first was "Mrs. Ethel Manafee and Mrs. Birdie Stoltz," featuring two best friends - the title characters.  The genuine banter between the two long-time friends was a beautiful example of how friendship can sometimes develop deeper roots than with those who are related by blood relation.  The other story, "Sin City" follows an widower who decides to take a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas.  Her adventures lead her on a trail of lies, but she ends her journey on a path of promising truths.

With the exception of the two aforementioned stories, the collection of shorts as a whole fell short for me.  I was unable to feel a connection to the characters.  The writing did not impress me and was often flat for me. It is a book I would not have normally picked up by choice, but I read it for my newly revived book club.  After extensive conversation, I believe the book did not find the mark for me because of generational differences and unrelatable experiences.  I simply could not relate to being a divorcee, widower, or grandparent, and have not cared that deeply about dieting.

Have you ever been unable to connect to a story because of generational differences? Why do you typically find yourself unimpressed with a book?