I was drawn to this book by big names, the concept - each chapter written by a different author - and the subject. Inevitably I enjoyed some stories more than others but I thought it flowed really well and I appreciated the overarching tale and watching the group become true neighbours. It was a heartwarming and moving read with a twist at the end I just didn't expect.

Fourteen Days
by The Author's Guild
Edited by Margaret Atwood

Set during the height of the Covid lockdowns in April 2020 in a NYC tenement, this is so much more than a collection of short stories. As the tenants of the building gather on the roof at dusk in increasing numbers for a socially distant breath of fresh air and a tipple, they take turns recounting stories that reflect on their current anxieties, explain their individual foibles and idiosyncrasies and crack open the hard shells of their exterior dispositions to each other.

I absolutely loved the way this novel was put together, rather like a patchwork quilt whose beauty is so much more than it's individual pieces.

I recognised plenty of the author's through their narrative voices and writing styles which was fun, and I didn't realise that each character would be mapped to their author until the very end.

I read this book like I do with most short story collections, one chapter per day. I didn't expect it to have a complete narrative arc in itself, but in hindsight, the one a day approach worked splendidly for me, the plot revealing itself in a real-time way.

I can't recommend this enough for those readers who feel comfortable stepping straight back into that mid- pandemic "unprecedented times" state of mind where everyone else was a pariah, where medical and care workers were gods and royalty, and where human connection was sustained on a different level.

Publication date: 6th February 2024
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouseuk for the eGalley

An interesting idea, but not very well constructed. It very much felt like a book written by a large group of different people, rather than being coherent. Also, no one needs more Covid lockdown books. We all lived it, we know it was terrible.

Fourteen Days, edited by Douglas Preston and Margaret Atwood
Publication date: 6 February 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One week into lockdown, the tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. 

I love the concept of this book; co-written by 36 different authors, you do not know who's written what until the end of the book. Unfortunately, when I went through the list of authors and which part of the book they'd contributed to, I realised that only a very small minority of the stories had stuck with me in the four days it took me to read this book. True to form for me, I did not vibe with anything remotely poetic whilst the darkest, more twisted, disturbing or surrealist stories stayed with me. As someone who's had such an amazing time with short story collections last year, I went into Fourteen Days with such high expectations, and although I appreciated the talent on display, I was still left disappointed.

Includes writing from: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capo Crucet, Pat Cummings, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, DeShawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

For me, this was just OK. I didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would from the blurb, possibly because the stories are very American. The storytellers were of differing ethnicities and I feel that because I am not alert to the nuances of the lived experiences of different ethnic backgrounds in America, I probably did not properly "get" some of the stories. For instance, I am still bemused by La Reina's story about the Lobster Roll Contest.

It seemed to me that there was a bit of repetition - every night we have the same framework in details , we hear about the tenants bringing their chairs etc., up to the roof and settling themselves, clapping for the essential workers and then hearing the church bells and going away. Every night of the 14 nights. Also, I wasn't interested in the Covid stats and at first I kept wondering who this Cuomo was and how he fitted in to the story but that was my ignorance and not the fault of the book.

There are a lot of characters and they all have nicknames and for me, this was a barrier to engaging with them because I got mixed up with who was who.

I found the building superintendent to be the most interesting character by far and her love for her lovely Dad was a high point of the book. I would have liked to have known a bit more about Yessie . Otherwise, many of the stories or character studies did not stick in my mind.

I think the book gets better towards the end although it did seem like quite a long read and I did feel some camaraderie with the tenants as the book went on.

It is a book with a worthy aim and I hope it sells well but I feel that I am not the ideal reader for it. I am afraid I am unfamiliar with most of the authors so I did not have the added fun of trying to work out who had written what.

I thought the ending was unexpected and quite intriguing and might well prompt a person to read at least parts of the book again.

A bit messy for me this book. It was a great concept, and some fantastic authors were involved, but I found it quite confusing. It had way too many characters, so I couldn't get to know or connect with any of them. The subject matter was relatable - Covid will be dancing at the front of my memory for many years to come - just couldn't get my head around the structure and different writing styles.

I loved the idea of this novel. The residents of an apartment block in New York start meeting up on the roof in the evening during COVID restrictions. There they begin to swap stories, talk about their lives.
I tried to guess which author had written which story, and. I failed miserably!
Some stories I enjoyed more than others, some more meaningful and some the style of writing I did not enjoy.
Overall a great idea and some good stories.

This is an incredible concept 👏🏻

36 authors co-wrote a book about the residents of a New York apartment block who congregate on the rooftop during the Covid lockdown of 2020.

I personally didn’t much care for the characters and realised that I am more of a plot driven reader than I realised, however for those who enjoy short stories, this book is highly recommended.

The ending was totally unexpected and absolutely floored me!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, The Authors Guild and Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really liked the concept of this book - New York at the start of the pandemic, where for fourteen days, strangers meet on the roof of their apartment block and tell stories.

I knew going into this book, there were multiple authors and I had assumed each day was a different author. In fact there are multiple authors for each of the fourteen days and what is so impressive is how seamless the transition is between each writer. The narrative flowed really well and I didn’t become disengaged with the plot. The stories are moving and poignant, funny and relatable.

Towards the end, I felt like the pace dropped and it started to drag a little. It finished with an apt and clever ending.

I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a thought provoking read with multiple narratives.

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

'Fourteen Days' is a clever concept - a plethora of short stories by a diverse range of some of the most popular and acclaimed authors of the early 21st century - set into a broader 'frame narrative'. The central character is a woman who has become superintendent of a run down apartment building at the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in New York. Stuck inside, surrounded by the sound of sirens and depressing statistics about rising numbers of cases and deaths, the residents begin to gather on the roof at sunset to get some air and socially distanced company. Soon the disparate group of neighbours begin telling stories, and over fourteen days most tell at least one story. These are the stories written by the impressive list of contributors.

The novel is well put together - Douglas Preston who wrote the 'frame' narrative manages to join the stories together seamlessly. Although you can get a sense of different writing styles within each story, the joins between each piece of writing aren't obvious and the overarching story gives a sense of propulsion and enables the reader to invest in the characters in a way that conventional short collections cannot offer. I think the success or failure of a book of this type must lie in the frame narrative, so Preston deserves extra credit for doing a good job of it.

There are some magical realistic touches and strange moments throughout, and some of the stories are about ghosts or the supernatural. I generally prefer my books to sit firmly in either the fantasy or the realistic genre, but that's just down to individual preference. Most of the individual stories are really good, as you'd expect from such a stellar cast of authors. It's a good way to get a taster of writers you might not have considered buying, or from genres you don't read. For example I don't read non-fiction but I really liked the story about Shakespeare's life during the plague years.

If you're looking for something a bit different, with all the benefits of a short story collection and those of a novel, I'd definitely recommend trying 'Fourteen Days'. There's a lot that is impressive about the concept and many great moments throughout it. For me it's still not cohesive and consistent enough to get a five star rating, but I'm not a fan of short stories. I'd certainly read another novel in this format, particularly if the frame narrative was written as well as this one.

Unfortunately didn’t have time to finish this, so I missed the opportunity to read through to the end before it was archived. I wasn’t compelled by the first narrative, though, which wasn’t encouraging, and I’m afraid I can’t stand books set during the pandemic. If I had known this was the premise I wouldn’t have requested a copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the ARC.

Margaret Atwood? Count me in. A collaborative novel, sounded a bit more problematic but the number of well known authors convinced me.

14 days in a NY City apartment during the COVID lockdown.. I am afraid it didn’t work for me. Short stories are not usually my genre but this wasn’t even short stories - more vignettes and musings from the apartment dwellers. Also a lot of characters and it was difficult to keep track of people, Had I been more invested in the book I would have kept notes.

Well written in places but did not work as a package.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a wonderfully inventive premise for a book, and a deliciously satisfying reading experience with each chapter written by a cornucopia of fiction writers including Atwood, Ng, Grisham, Eggers and many more. I notice the retailer websites draw comparisons with Decameron, but I also felt the resonance of The Canterbury Tales and a tribute to the power of storytelling with diverse narrative voices. The reading experience is heightened by not checking who wrote which chapter- listed at the back- and I have discovered a few new authors based on the impact of their individual chapters. Also a couple of surprises when you see how some of the authors have approached their stories outside of their normal writing style. Filled with pathos, humour and incredibly different characters, I would definitely recommend this if you fancy reading something fresh and engaging.

I was really looking forward to this but the reality was that I couldn’t get into it at all sadly. I found it a little complicated with all the characters and nicknames and it didn’t flow in a way that was easy to follow. Great in concept but it just wasn’t for me!

A book that brings together residents of an apartment building who sit on the roof terrace telling stories during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the residents has a tale to tell, and they all sit on the roof terrace with a drink in the evening listening to each other tell those stories, where each is written by a different author which showcases the different approaches the authors have in writing them.

I enjoyed this book and the ending was quite unexpected but a very poignant ending. A five-star read with a five-star lineup of authors.





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This book has an interesting structure-a group of tenants meet on the rooftop of their apartment building at the start of the COVID lockdown to tell each other stories, with each character‘s voice secretly written by a famous author.

Unfortunately this didn‘t quite work for me; a lot of the stories weren‘t written in the way that people speak and there were more duds than diamonds.

I didn‘t see the ending coming though and that did elevate it a bit but it says something that I couldn‘t really be bothered to go back and figure out who had written which character (the ‘secret‘ authors are revealed at the end). Also, don‘t read this if you don‘t like ‘pandemic‘ books - it‘s VERY pandemic-y.

Fourteen Days was an unusual read. It's a collaboration between a large number of authors and it's a novel, although it reads like a collection of short stories.

The characters are collected together on the roof of a New York apartment block each evening, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. They're socially distancing, drinking alcohol and telling stories to pass the time. We hear the stories and meet the characters along with the new superintendent of the building, who is worrying about her father in a nursing home.

Some of the stories worked better for me than others and I generally had a good time with the book, although the ending annoyed me a bit. A recommended read for people who want to try something a bit different.

It is very surprising that so many great authors can get together and produce a book of such quality.
I guess the substance that made this possible was the fact that this book was essentially a collection of short stories.
The reasoning for this collection, and the story thread running through it is facing Covid in New York City.
Within the stories it is inevitable that some stories resonate more with the reader than others.
I guess that the most difficult task was the pulling together of the stories into a believable whole. This has been in my opinion exceptionally well done.
So with a mixture of sadness and happiness, I have finished my journey with the residents of the apartment block in New York City. I have shared some happy times with them, and some sad times.
The book brought back memories of my personal struggle through Covid, as it will, no doubt, for any other reader.
Overall an excellent book, good concept, well put together, and professionally delivered.
All readers will enjoy at least a part of this book, most readers I guess will enjoy most if not all.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, and thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy for free.
I am leaving this review voluntarily, and with pleasure.

I really loved the idea of Fourteen Days. I was looking forward to guessing which author wrote which part. I feel this ‘collaborative novel’ is quite weak overall. Perhaps it’s a case of too many authors spoiling the overall sense of the book. The residents of an apartment building gather on the roof to tell each other stories during COVID lockdown. The book captures the sense of the lockdown, how people felt and the absolute chaos that unfolded in New York at the time. I didn’t have much luck guessing what authors wrote which part which I suppose is a good thing. The real issue is the ‘stories’ they tell each other. They are very uneven. Some of the stories are great, well-written, thoughtful, engaging and entertaining. However, most the stories were middle-of-the-road, and a few were just awful, corny at times. So many things just didn’t work but Fourteen Days was a nice effort.

A very different kind of read - but rather enjoyable!

In an apartment building in New York, one week into lockdown, tenants are beginning to miss going out and soon start to gather on the roof each evening - socially distanced of course. Slowly, people who have never spoken begin to get to know each other and they agree to each tell a story so they can get better acquainted. What's really different about this novel is that each story is written by a different author and, until the very end, we don't know who wrote what.

I really enjoyed some of these tales - others, not so much. Once finished, I checked the list of authors and realised that my favourite was actually written by Margaret Attwood herself. A couple of the stories included anecdotes which I've heard before which I felt was a bit of a cheat. Frankly, I expected better from the Author's Guild of America! The ending was unexpected and surprising and definitely made sense. I suspect this will appeal more to those who enjoy dystopian fiction.. Overall, for me, 3.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.