The Tallest Doll in New York City by Maria Dahvana Headley
My rating: 3/5 cats
The Chrysler is a devastating dame, and that’s nothing new. I could assess her for years and never be done. At night we turn her on, and she glows for miles.
okay, i have to start reviewing these tor shorts for real instead of just having these placeholder reviews tricking me into thinking i’ve already reviewed them. of the 46 reviews i have to write, 14 of them are for these little tor shorties, and that is crazytown. so, here—i will review this one.
i’ve set myself some personal reading goals this year, and one of them is to read a free tor short every week. but short as they are, there are still some weeks when i am so overwhelmed with work and deadlines and nonsense that it’s hard for me to sit still long enough to even read 30 pages on the computer without feeling that anxiety of, “if you are sitting at the computer, you should be working, karen!” so, yeah—i read this one because it was wicked short.
and it’s…cute. it’s just a little piece the author wrote for valentine’s day—a little romcom tale of two famous buildings in 1930’s manhattan moved by the romantic spirit of the holiday to step out of their rigid foundations and go out on a date, while the people inside those buildings root for their love. mostly. there’s a bit of panic, but the staff of the cloud club, situated inside of the suddenly-amorous chrysler building, are well-trained in the art of crowd control:
“The Chrysler’s just taking a little stroll, sirs,” Valorous announces from the stage. “No need to panic. This round is on me and the waiters of the Cloud Club.”
there’s a real appreciation for new york here; its people, its attitude, and definitely its architecture:
She just shakes the snow and pigeons loose from her spire and takes off, sashaying southwest. This is something even we waiters haven’t experienced before. The Chrysler is 1,046 feet tall, and, until now, she’s seemed stationary. She’s stood motionless on this corner for seven years so far, the gleamiest gal in a million miles.
and it’s a sweet little story of unexpected love, both human and…structural.
an interesting note from the intro:
Nebula Award-nominated author Maria Dahvana Headley has always loved Damon Runyon’s stylized faux-reporting on New York City. This is her version of a Runyon tale—this one dealing with the architectural guys and dolls of New York City—and a valentine to all the beautiful buildings she knows.
and although i’ve never read runyon, this definitely captures the tone and slang of the times, with little nods at runyon in its frequent invocations of “guys” and “dolls.”
it’s a sweet, if not very filling, tale—more of a holiday confectionary than anything that’s going to linger with you, but that’s valentine’s day in a nutshell, right? cute, silly, candyskinned and ultimately meaningless.
which makes me sound terribly romantic, i know, but think of all the poor murdered flowers!
there! one review down!
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2014/02/14/the-tal…
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