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A Manual for Cleaning Women gathers the most celebrated short stories by Lucia Berlin, an influential American writer whose work remains a quiet but powerful voice in contemporary fiction. Through intimate scenes set in New York, the American Southwest, Northern California, and a hotel dining room in Mexico City, Berlin turns ordinary settings—cafeterias, laundromats, homes—into arenas where women confront hard work, faith, and survival. Her stories are noted for their subtle humor, keen observation, and the stark realism that paints its characters—hitchhikers, caretakers, and hard‑working cleaners—as both resilient and profoundly human.
First publish date: 2015
Genre: General Fiction/Short Stories
Authors: Lucia Berlin
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3.8 (6 community ratings)

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A manual for cleaning women by Lucia Berlin

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