Short Stories Books

This is one of the best books I've read since "What's Done in the Dark", by Gloria Mallette. I literally laughed throughout the whole book. It was a short read and I hated it ended so soon. As long as Ms. Culberson continues to write, I will continue to read.

San Culberson. You did your thing.
Readers-Don't let 208 pages fool you. She left nothing unturned. I actually felt what Fiona was feeling. I laughed with fiona on several pages and was ready to kick butt in others. This book will keep you entertained.

I truly enjoyed reading San Culberson's novel. Her characters were very realistic and her writing style definitely kept me turning the pages. A novel written for the mature reader, I found it easy to relate to her characters and their many 'issues'. All that and then some, Culberson is definitely a writer on the rise in the literary world.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. San Culberson is a refreshingly new and welcomed voice. I can't wait to read her next offering.

Got men problems? Join the club of women who have had their hearts broken. Regardless of how strong we think we are, no one is ever ready to find out that their man is cheating on them. After suffering through a year long separation, Fiona Daniels finally got her signed divorce papers.

With feelings of joy, she recruited her best friend, Nicole, to help her plan a "DFL - divorcee for life" party. Fiona spared no expense and invited 27 of our closet friends to celebrate with champagne, catered buffet, and private room. She shed her dressed to impress attorney façade for the evening and partied like there was no tomorrow. During the clean up phase of this soirée, she noticed the handsome cater. Drunken Fiona threw caution to the wind and invited him home for a one-night stand. Fiona acknowledged that the sex was hot and Nicholas "Nick" Nathaniel was FINE (frog hair split three ways fine) but in no way was she becoming involved in a serious relationship.

Nick is a divorcee, master chef and restaurant owner with two kids. He is a free spirit with a passion for expensive gifts and good food. Fiona captivated him while her mean spirit and her funky attitude made him even hungrier in the chase to win her heart. The friendship between the two gets complicated when Fiona realizes who her sisters new man is - waking up the ghetto side of this otherwise refined sister. She temporally loses touch with reality which may cause her to lose everything - her position at the firm, the love of her mother, and her new man friend - Nick.

THE NICK OF TIME is a story that rings true for so many sisters today. Culberson draws the reader in with humorous dialogue, theatrical twists, and the understanding that sex always has strings. Unquestionably, the BEST "chick lit" read of the year. Don't sleep on San Culberson because her pen flows with page turning action that will carry you through the full gamut of emotions.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

After hearing Nick Hornby read his short story "Small Country" on NPR, I had to pick up this book. I was not disappointed. The stories are odd, humorous, and a bit-off center, but they are also immensely enjoyable. The themes are geared primarily towards younger readers (stories about parents leaving for Peru, monsters at summer camp, over protective fathers - you get the idea), with a tongue-in-cheek parody about them that is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket (who, in fact, wrote the introduction.)

Most stories are sure to be a hit with the grade 3 - 6 crowd; the final story by Jonathan Safran Foer ("The Sixth Borough") is a bit less kid-friendly, but the collection as a whole is a fun read. Highly recommended for young readers.

My 10 year old daughter absolutely loved this book. She was a bit intimidated by the title initially , so I started off reading her the stories. We both were intrigued and read the whole book together. I thought is was so good , when we finished, I gave the book to our school library for other kids to read - my daghter nearly killed me for giving it away!

The collection of stories is a must read for fans of intelligent young adult stories. Even the introduction, by Lemony Snicket, poking fun of books that are more mundane (with a terrific nod to Harry Potter) is a great read. I liked Gaiman's and Hornby's stories.

The general impression is that it's a collection of stories that the authors would have like to read when they were kids. Some of them may be scary to the announced age group (4-7) but most are just sweet. For the adult many of them will remind the reader how it was to be a kid. And for the kid, this will make them feel vindicated for many injustices they suffer, like the loud mean boy that everybody likes, over-controlling parents, and having to play sports when they really don't want to.

The funniest part was the introduction by Lemony Snicket. I'd like to know how Paul Revere did wrong by him.

Take some excellent, renowmed writers, have them write a collection of stories for kids, and this is what you get. An eclectic, fun, sometimes creepy mix of tales that those of all ages are likely to enjoy.

While writers like Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman contribute, the best effort comes from Kelly Link, in his tale titled, "Monster." Although written for children, this is one of the funniest short stories I've read in quite some time - funny, scary, straightforward in its telling - and it's the highlight of an outstanding collection.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that there are a couple of weak stories that hurt the overall collection. Still, I'd highly recommend this for readers of any age. You might not like every story, but I guarantee that there will be several that catch your fancy.

i am not a novel fan but this (trilogy) really got me, i can't stop reading them, one after another. so wicked and facinating especially the ending. who likes intense plot should read the books.

As other reviewers have noted the plot well and carefully, my only comment to add here is that this book is as confounding as life itself: the scene that is always continous is never the same twice. It is rewritten over again and again..the characters are the same, or are they?
It is a different novel depending on what level you read it..a war novel, a novel about love and friendship, a novel about truth and lie, a novel about memory and forgetting: it is a cross between the kind of novel Gunter Grass has written, and also the kind of novel Kundera wrote..quite amazing.

This is probably the best book you will read this year. Her writing is incredible, the plot fascinating in its historic and geographic absurdity (where are we? East Germany? Hungary?), the details vivid and unforgettable. Why are her other books not translated?

Mathias is a boy whose life has so many imperfections. He is troubled with looking like an ogre being born deformed. The doctors said that he will be like that for the rest of his life. His mother left him to go live in the big city and his father, who is also his mother's father, is in jail or maybe even dead.

Left to the care of Lucas, Mathias lives out his life from an intelectual stand point. Lucas taught him that while other children would grow big and strong, so would he. Mathias corrected Lucas knowing damn well the sadness of the truth. Lucas explained that he would work hard on his mind a grow an ever strong unsderstanding of the world around him. Sure enough, Mathias did just that and was the envy of all his classmates for always having the right answers.

Lucas loved Mathias very much, but was only a boy himself when he took on the responsibility of raising him. Lucas is a very unikely Father being one with such a disturbed past and shady presence. He goes around the city making money at night by playing his harmonica in bars and by selling produce by day. His relationships are very odd including the priest of the town who he plays chess with on a nightly basis. Lucas himself does not believe in God, but the priest takes the role of a father figure for him in the story. He also has relations of a more intimate kind with 2 women and a man in the story.

I first read "The Notebook" when I was in High School. A Video Game known as "Earhtbound 64" (never released) had led me to read this story. ONe character from that game would have been based from this story. I had no idea what I was about to read. It definitely warped my mind as a youth and became an instant favorite. Now 5 years later I read "The Proof" and remembered why it is I had enjoyed "The Notebook" so much tp begin with.

This story is definitely not for the weak at stomach. It is can become pretty disturbing and downright sickening at some points of the story. It is, however, very well written and leaves feeling emotions the characters must have felt when they were going through the events in their lives.

There aren't that many amazing books to read in the world. How often do you take a book and find that it lacks that something that keeps you awake at night or makes you wake up early (when you adore sleeping) just to read it? This is not a thriller (which can have the same effect but for different reasons). This is a monster itself, but in the best sense possible. You just can't miss it. For anything.

I was surprised how much I liked this book. Its a collection of 10 stories that all have the same character, a woman named Elly. Usually I don't really like short stories or a book comprised of a collection of stories. Its just by the time I get to know & enjoy the characters, background, and the plot, the story ends. They're just too short! Hence the definition of a short story.

I liked how some stories centered around Elly and in some stories Elly was a secondary character. My two favorite stories were "Praire Dogs and "Other Fish in the Sea." I liked the character "Praire Dogs" focused on, a young artist named Lydia. I think it would be neat if the author decided to write another book similar to this one but use the character of Lydia as the common thread connecting all the short stories.

Other Fish in the Sea not only brings back memories of my 20's but the journey involved in discovering contentment and possibly the love of our life.

I love the creative way author Lisa Kusel incorporates a series of short stories all interconnected with one character, a young woman who experiences the anguish of love, heartache, and pain. Kusel's writing suggests the possibilities of affecting the lives of those around us, even in situations where we're merely bystanders or have no personal or frequent contact with that individual.

Kusel is a talented and up and coming author. Her humor, attention to detail, and insight into the grooves of relationships is remarkable. I recommend this book to all of the hopeless romantics and look forward to reading her future novels. It's a great read. You won't be dissapointed.

I wasn't greatly happy with these stories when I first started the book, but it becomes apparent that the character building is weak initially because it's all filled in with the other stories in the book. They're all connected, in that they are stories from random times in the life of the "main" character, Elly, who is a woman in one unsuccessful relationship after another. She's a little crazy, a little neurotic, sometimes trying to hard, sometimes not caring enough, but it's all pretty interesting.
She actually mentions my alma mater, Wake Forest, in one of the stories, and it makes me wonder if the meeting with that student in Europe in one of the stories is based on any real life event.

I found this book by chance. I was intrigued by the title. I could not put it down. I was laughing, crying and watching Elly grow. It was cool how you got to see her through her own eyes and through other people's perspectives. That was my favorite part. I was so happy with the ending. I never saw it coming. I read this book in about a day. I hope to see more from Lisa Kusel if she keeps writing like this. This is a book that any woman can relate to in some way. It is just that incredible.

as a 40-year old male, I found this book an excellent ride.

Funny, insightful, and a clever use of personal letters to say so much about a character without having to come right out and say it.

Travel, strange dreams, and love in a dentist chair -- what more does a book need? Oh yeah, good creative writing and it has that, too!

I'm looking forward to another dozen hours of fun with Lisa Kusel's next book.

These are among the most amazing short stories ever written. Some could be stereotypically described as poetic; others are more straightforward and prosaic. Some focus on brief moments; others traverse entire lives. Other reviewers have added a note of caution, but my suggestion is instead to jump right in. If you don't like one story, try a few more. The mystery and grace of these stories, the fullness of the emptiness surrounding their intensity and concision, and their range in time, content, and form will continue to astonish throughout one's life.

I hate the actual physical cover of this book,
the front and back cover are both very much curling outward,
so its hard to insert the book in a bookshelf.
This has nothing to do with the content of the book,
but it is very annoying nevertheless.

Yes, I'm serious about the title of this review. Nobel Prize winner Kawabata's "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories", a collection of 70 mostly 1-4 page stories makes for excellent toilet reading, reading of the highest order. Don't lie to yourselves, we all do it - even the ladies. So instead of reading some junky magazine or playing a hand-held video game while on the throne, read this book; its stories are of the perfect duration. The stories range from slight observations to deep expositions on human nature. Coincidentally, one of the stronger stories in the book is titled 'Lavatory Buddhahood'. Go figure. So whether you take my advice as to where this book is best read or not, it's worth reading.

If you like Sudden Fiction as a genre but not the usual silliness which accompanies it, this is the perfect union of very short fiction, craftsmanship and seriousness. Not always serious in tone but in effort. For the most part they are tender stories of rememberance, loss and the betterments of life. They are brief and dream-worthy, almost as if they were prose acting as poetry:

"Startled by a sharp pain, as if her hair were being pulled out, she woke up three or four times. But when she realized that a skein of her black hair was wound around the neck of her lover, she smiled to herself. In the morning, she would say, "My hair is this long now. When we sleep together, it truly grows longer."

Quietly she closed her eyes.

"I don't want to sleep. Why do we have to sleep? Even though we are lovers, to have to go to sleep, of all things!" On nights when it was all right for her to stay with him, she would say this, as if it were a mystery to her." from Sleeping Habit

Even when the stories are harsh they aren't beleagured with excess, but consequential life and its misgivings with some ironic humor interjected amongst the living ghosts. The same can be said for the norm: lush stories that are kindly felt but never over-sentimentalizations and mush. A great bed-side companion to make you dream better and wake a little more human.

House of the Sleeping Beauties is one of my favorite anthologies, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on another book from this brilliant author. The stories in Palm of the Hand are full of poetic and philosophical undertones and magical realism. My favorite one is "Bamboo-Leaf Boats," a poignant tale about a woman who grieves the loss of her fiance. The pain the protagonist goes through moved me. The other stories are beautiful as well. I suggest you read this wonderful book...

These are the types of stories that no matter who you are you will find yourself in them some where. They will fill your heart with some pain and sorrow but mostly hope and joy. The authors of these three novellas have really brought so many important feelings and thoughts to the forefront. I for one appreciate all the time and effort it must have taken them to unite and complete this outstanding work.

"Second Chance," by Maxine Thompson is a beautiful love story about Capriana finding romance after overcoming her brutal attempted murder, spousal betrayal, and financial ruin. I could not wait to turn the next page until I finished the read. This read also serves as a teaching guide for young people who want to start, develop and cultivate a love relationship.
It is very well written. The conflict, action, and suspense of the story were multiplied through Ms. Thompson's superb skill in building the story through various points of view. Each chapter is crafted in the first person of one of the main characters. I was ready to literary kill Capriana's cruel and insensitive husband before I heard his voice and perception.

This is a positive story about African-Americans. There are no cuss words or X-rated sex episodes. I would like Ms. Thompson to extend this writing into a novel. It's guaranteed to be a best seller!

I look forward to reading the other two stories in "Secret Lovers." I will also write a review of each.

"Secret Lovers presents three enticing reads. Each story has its own surprising twist."

"In Irresistible Flames, Kelly and Byron are both successful attorneys and engaged. Kelly loves Byron immensely and feels that he loves her just as deeply. However, Byron becomes very obsessive and this causes Kelly to question their relationship. An unexpected man comes into her life as a result of an accident. Byron's hidden secret is revealed, which totally shakes Kelly."

"In Second Chance, Caprianna and Marquise are happily married. So it seems, until Caprianna begins to notice sudden changes in Marquise. Caprianna is determined to resolve the issues in her marriage and also struggling to hold on to her business that appears to be going under. Caprianna becomes a victim in a shooting that nearly kills her. Her husband abandons her, but a wonderful man enters her life, with the hope of bringing a second chance of love and happiness to her life."

"Detoured is centered on family secrets that eventually come to light. Through out Yolanda and Frank's marriage he has been abusive. Their daughters Sonnet and Margaret have dealt with this knowledge and have kept it a secret. Health and self-esteem issues develop among the siblings. Eventually Yolanda gets the strength to leave Frank and returns to her hometown where she comes in contact with the love of her life, which just happens to be Sonnet's biological father. Sonnet and Yolanda have both harbored secret loves that are powerful and leads them back to the one they love."

"The commonality of these intriguing reads is that love can come into or reenter your life when you least expect it."

The first story in Secret Lovers is titled Irresistible Flames. The story is authored by Patricia Anne Phillips. Of the three stories in the book, Irresistible Flames is the story serious romance readers may enjoy most. It is a story of inner reflection and self-honesty. At the beginning of the story the book's main characters, Kelly and Byron, are engaged to be married. They are a pair of attorneys who are in hot pursuit of success in the business arena. Yet, somehow and perhaps because of this pursuit, they are not taking the time to inspect and strengthen their relationship. They avoid this pertinent introspection despite the fact that they are seriously discussing marriage. Irresistible Flames is written with a style that allows the reader to harness their own judgments about the choices the story's characters make as each works to obtain the fulfillment of their motivations. It is this aspect of the story and the way the author delves into these motivations that readers may well appreciate most. At times, I felt the author was working too hard to disguise the mystery in the story. Overall, Irresistible Flames is a story that provides an honest portrayal of current real-life events that happen to couples in search of lasting intimacy and romance.

The second story in Secret Lovers is titled Second Chances. It is authored by Maxine Thompson, a talented writer who has penned other notables such as The Ebony Tree. Second Chances begins with Marquise, a police officer, and his wife, Caprianna laying in bed one morning. From the outset it is clear that the couple is having marital challenges, but that neither has yet mounted the courage to raise the challenges with the other. As with Thompson's other works, Second Chances delves into life-shifting events then digs into the heart of the characters, allowing readers to discover firsthand what it feels like to endure hearty, and, at times, painful situations the characters find themselves in. For Caprianna, her heartache begins when a former employee unleashes rage and hurt on Caprianna's small office. This action sends Caprianna's life into a tailspin, further unsettling her already unsteady marriage. The plot is intriguing and readily moves the story forward. Yet, it is the skill with which Thompson digs into the heart of the main characters that makes Second Chances a deeply moving and rewarding read. Whether readers appreciate romance novels or prefer books from other genres, Second Chances will not disappoint. Thompson builds multi-faceted characters readers will pull for and hope to see succeed. It is this skill that allows Second Chances to be a story that remains with readers long after they have put the book down.

The third and last story in Secret Lovers is titled Detoured. This story is authored by Michelle McGriff. As with most human behavior, the desire to get what they want, what they think will bring them comfort, love and happiness, is what drives Detoured forward. Detoured tells the story of two friends, two sisters and the sisters' unhappy parents. More than the domestic violence in the story is the inability of the mother to untangle herself from mistakes of her past, mistakes that find her married to an abusive alcoholic, mistakes that cause her two teenage daughters to suffer. Rather than peel away layers of her characters to show readers the "why" behind the choices her characters make, McGriff connects event after event until the story comes full circle. Particularly noteworthy is the way McGriff allows readers to glimpse decisions they themselves may currently be facing, decisions that could impact their lives for decades, through the situations she plants the story's characters in.

After reading Secret Lovers readers may feel that romance comes at a price which may, in turn, cause readers to realize the value of introspection and not living impulsively. Even more, Secret Lovers makes it clear that even when we make mistakes, if we change our behavior, life does detour away from heartache and offer us irresistible second chances.



HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

How many people truly are with the person they were meant to be with? How many of us are actually bold enough to tell the person we are having warm and fuzzy feelings for that we really like them? Probably not that many, but what if the opportunity was given where you could speak your heart freely, would you do it? In Secret Lovers by Patricia Anne Phillips, Maxine Thompson, and Michelle McGriff, the chance is there and it is up to each character to decide if they should or should not. The question is will they?

Stepping out of the ashes and into the flames of love, Kelley finds out some secrets about the people in her life including herself. In Irresistible Flames by Patricia Anne Phillips, Kelley, Byron, and her cousin, Angie, are all workmen compensation lawyers, but that is not all they have in common. Apparently, they all are keeping some kind of secret. After Kelley has an accident, a monkey wrench is thrown into her future plans. The uncertainty of her choices and the feelings Kelley has for the people in her life weighs heavily on her. Stepping back and looking, surveying her surroundings, Kelley makes a devastating revelation. Will she survive it all?

In Second Chances by Maxine Thompson, Caprianna "Capri" Jordan believed other than her failing business, everything else in her life seemed out of sync, but it will be alright. Not heeding her woman's intuition, Capri's life as she knew it changes drastically. It is at this time Marquise, her husband, allows his secrets to begin seeping out into the light. When Capri thinks she has fallen and sees no way of picking herself back up, her second chance is placed in front of her by faith. Will she step out on faith or will she watch her chance pass her by?

Sometimes life has some unexpected detours, but after taking the long way around we end up right where we belong. In Detoured by Michelle McGriff, Sonnet, a big-boned, seventeen year-old, wants to be noticed by one of the hottest guys in school. She decides it is time to make a change by ditching her long-time fellow, big-boned friend, Justin; her sister who is hiding problems of her own, Margaret, and their skinny, white friend, Leita. Sonnet goes on a diet trying to fit in with the "in crowd." As her weigh comes off there seems to be a sense of change in her household, but Sonnet only cares about losing weight and fitting in. Both Justin and Sonnet have some secrets about their family they are keeping from each other, but they are not the only ones hiding something. Sonnet and her mother, Yolanda, have more than a mother daughter relationship in common, but will it ever come to light before history repeats itself?

Secret Lovers by Patricia Anne Phillips, Maxine Thompson, and Michelle McGriff offered three unique stories, each one offering something different, but nonetheless they all had secret emotions. They all had mouth-opening I want to slap the taste out your mouth moments. However, while one story did not have any grammatical errors, the other two had quite a few, even a flip-flop of the spelling of one of the characters names. I recommend Secret Lovers to anyone wanting a quick, thought-grabbing book.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

By writing the stories from every character's point of view, Dubus gave me an understanding of why people do the things they do. It sounds simple enough, but it obviously isn't. People we know or read about, suddenly explained.

I just finished reading Dubus's Selected Stories for the fourth time. I've also read his other books, and I'm glad to report that Dubus is one of the few writers whose work can be read again and again with increased pleasure, a rare enough thing.

So many kinds of stories are packed into this volume -- short stories and novellas, deep character studies ("A Father's Story"), topical stories ("The Fat Girl"), "high concept" stories ("Killings"), stories with a deep knowledge of the intersections among family, sex, and faith ("Voices from the Moon"), stories that understand compassion and forgiveness ("Rose"), and stories that explore love in the midst of reckless violence ("The Pretty Girl")

Although many of these stories are thrilling enough, plot-wise, to keep you reading, it's the deep knowledge of the motivations, the pecadillos, the generosities, the anger, the unease, the longings, and most of all the love we are all capable of holding in our hearts, all at once, that makes these stories so worthwhile. Andre Dubus does not shy away from the dark places, and he writes his characters with such empathy that we are willing to go there with them, with him.

Selected Stories is an important book, and a book well worth a patient first read. I think it is a book that will stand the test of time. If there is any justice in the world, it will be read a hundred years from now, a necessary bit of news about what it was like to live in the twentieth century, no less indispensible than Hemingway, Faulkner, or Fitzgerald, and ten times as wise.

Andre Dubus's stories, as they wrestle with the issues of religion, morality, and familial duty, captivate the reader with strong narration and elegant foreshadowing. They also employ various shifts in point of view, and sustain the reader's interest while taking detours for lengthy description and interesting back-story.

I was unable to finish the book all in one shot because I found I needed to stop and reflect in between stories, so moved was I--mostly because Dubus had a way of taking our simple understandings of the world--juxtaposing violence and innocence, faith and the faithless, priests and adulterers, sinners and the redeemed, the dead and the living--and making them complex.

I was bowled over by some of the first stories in the selection, "Killings" and "The Pretty Girl", which take horrible, violent situations and try to make some sense of them by offering the protagonists the opportunity for revenge. But the satisfaction in that revenge is fleeting for it takes almost as much out of those who have acted out of revenge than the original crime did.

"If They Knew Yvonne" is another story of revenge--except this time it is a young man who at one point seeks to wash away his sin (masturbation) by doing himself physical harm. He does not like that he is weak in his body and seems to believe that his sin taints the rest of his life. That is until a priest sets him straight. In the end, he is left reflecting on his two young nephews and hoping for a better understanding for them.

At his best, I think, is Dubus when he took the POV of a woman or girl. In "Anna" , the protagonist, Anna Griffin age 21, helps her boyfriend, Wayne, to rob a drugstore and is then weighed down by guilt (although she never names it as such--either she is incapable, unaware or avoiding the truth). After the robbery, Anna and Wayne go to their local bar and get drunk--out of a sense of exhilaration and fear. In a poignant moment, Anna walks outside to clear her head and briefly reveals her youth and, perhaps, her sense of hopefulness (which one imagines will never be fully realized)--almost as though she is reborn. With the money they have stolen, Anna and Wayne buy a bunch of things at the mall (instead of filling their fridge). But neither of them can fully enjoy these things as they imagined they would. They are still the same, poor desperate couple but with a vacuum cleaner, television and stereo. It would be easy to project their path as one of disaster, but Anna's hopefulness in the end leaves the door open for a breakthrough. In the Laundromat, she washes their clothes and seems to cleanse them both of their sins and bring them back to the beginning.

"A Father's Story" is the last story in the book and the only one I had read previously. It is deserving of its location and an intense and moving story--once again how man can become his own God and thus be forgiven for what he does to protect his children.

Still, the story that left me most breathless was the second to last one, "Adultery." It is a complex story of a husband--Hank (a writer)--and wife--Edith--who have fallen into an open marriage (the husband sort of springs it on her several years in that he believes in fidelity but not monogamy). For a few years, Edith takes revenge on Hank by taking several lovers, but he is nonplussed and brings his own girlfriends by the house on occasion. It is not until Edith commits adultery with the ex-priest Joe--whose frail body comes to embody their sin--that she is awakened. It is when Joe becomes ill with cancer and has his final point of communion (the night before he is admitted to the hospital for good they have sex one last, fevered time) that Edith realizes what she must do--still it takes a while for her realization to live and it is not until the very end that she speaks it: she will divorce Hank--thus signaling the death of her true love. She sacrifices their marriage to condone for the sins they have all committed.

What is most beautiful about Dubus's writing is his love of his characters. He seems not to judge them. He seems to see their faults, allow them their failings, ask that they redeem themselves and then offer them forgiveness. He is, then, their God--but not a pure God, not a God without sin himself. A God who can empathize because, in the end, that's all we really have that makes us human.

Not to dismiss acknowledged contemporary story writers like Updike, or Carver, or Doyle or Oates or a dozen others you may have read in school or out, Andre Dubus is BREATHTAKING! He captures the angst of the internal, the behavior of the external, the glint of the physical detail, the subtlety of emotion like NO other contemporary writer. After reading hundreds of short story writers, I have never been so moved and learned so much about he human heart. Put down your DSM-IV, therapists, put away the existential tracts of Camus & Sartre, and PLEASE put away that post-modern numbing theory. Learn about life through the characters, places and situations you shall discover among these brilliant tales. Now, here is a true anecdote. I had read a story in this collection "Killings," and said to myself, this would make a FABULOUS film. I was all set to translate fiction to the screenplay genre. It was going to be a stunning work no studio would turn down. Then low and behold, it was all in vain. This story became "IN THE BEDROOM," the award-winning film. So obviously, my intuitions were confirmed. Read these stories for confirmation of what it means to be alive, for here you will discover the principle behind Joseoph Campbell's remarks about the meaning of myth: "Life is struggle; life is pain, but by God, you know you're ALIVE!

very good,worth reading,written by various people.....
enjoyable,gets you thinking,nice photographs too.
As you may or may not know African coyly hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest. Either way your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.

This book is like having group therapy or interviewing other women,but it is not all black women's views.I am reviewng it because I think it is worth a read.

As you may or may not know African coily hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest.
Either way, psychologically and philosophically I believe that your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.
What about exploring physics through african hair?
For example how much pressure, gravity and tension and tearing do we put our hair through by combing it?
let alone excessive harsh combing.
Mathematically speaking how many of you readers can tell me how many curls/coils per inch your hair has, and does it vary in coil and moisture?
Next question:When does the nature of the hair change and why?
(i know it does!)
It seems to me all these books on afro hair are good and I welcome it, but we still need to be more informed and they all seem to need better editing, just like Black American beauty magazines.I must campaign for better grammar and less air brushed photos!!!
It is as if we like to see ourselves falsely rather than the reality of what we are...
Black women need to demand more scientific reasoning from our books and be less competitive over black men which only fuels their egos and as a result probably creates more baby-mothers!!!
Sorry but I had to vent out my opinions.

I give this book four stars for the effort and time invested as a writer I know it takes time...
I maintain that it is still worth reading,more than any carcinogenic chemical so called hair treatment that you pay for.

Anyway what do I know I am a black african british woman!!!!
Most of you Americans think we in Britain have no trains or any kind of progressive development!!!
Anyway if I wrote my book answering my questions that I put to you how many of you would buy it?

This is a wonderful book for anyone who would like to explore the issues that Black women face vis a vis our hair from a variety of viewpoints; not just the "politicaly correct" ones.

The book was all that, very positive, and at times emotional (I'm thinking of the passage where a father is trying to figure out how to braid his daughter's hair since her mother is across the country. His trying, and eventually getting it right, turned into bonding sessions for them. It was beautiful.) Of course the book had my favorite culture critic, bell hooks, and as usual she gave me a new persepective: to look at the whole "perm" phenomena as initiation into womanhood. Just about any Black woman who was on the brink of adolescence and was dying to get a perm should relate to that. I did. That's what this book does, it helps Black women to see just how similar our trials have been with our hair; and it's not just a generational thing. Black women from 50 to 80 years ago had the same issues and thoughts Black teenagers have today. Everyone remembers hot combs and Goody pink rollers and Royal Crown grease. Looking back many women had feelings of remembered pain, and not just from the burns on the tips of their ears and on their scalps, but inside their hearts for our collective struggle with an unattainable beauty standard.
What I also admired about this book was that it touched on the subject of hair and erotic intimacy. There was a whole section devoted to hearing the responses of Black women and men when confronted with the bedroom question: Can I run my fingers through your hair? It showed a depraved relation to our hair. In order to get and keep that salon fresh look, sleek and shiny, it must not be touched (by you and most especially your lover). Hair does not bring pleasure in the sense of us luxuriating in how it feels. How can you when it's not even yours? Weave. A woman tells the story of a young man with whom she was getting intimate with, and he wanted to run his fingers through her seemingly long shiny tresses. The moment was interrupted when he felt the hard tracks on her scalp before she could effectively slap his touch away. "You have to train these men early," another woman admonishes, "not to touch the hair." A man married for over 20 years complains of his wife's hair roller pins always poking him when she's "going down on him." He also hates, but has gotten used to, her wearing a head scarf anytime they make love. It is described in the book as Black folks having perpetual menege trios, he, she, and the head scarf. Another man wakes up to his girlfriend's "100% Korean Hair" all over the bed and floor after an especially heated night; he later ends up paying $200 dollars to have it all put back in again. The women speak of not even wanting to touch their own hair, refering to it being "hard as a rock" from gels and hair sprays. It's all in the name of a certain look, the processed one. (It's this look that lured their mates in the first place right?) It's sad that Black women talk about orchestrating certain sex positions around not messing up their fresh 'do. "You don't even think about it after while." They compensate not allowing their men to touch their hair with confidence and boldness in their performance, "It's so good he won't even be thinking about touching my hair."

I love this book. It isn't just politics or just us behind closed doors. Every possible reference to what is done to our hair is mentioned, even going bald. A Muslim woman opened my eyes to how not showing her hair takes away from having to compete for attentions based on beauty standards of hair, by being above them. It reminds us that as women, we shouldn't let physical beauty define us, even though most times it does, and we let it. "Ms. Strand" tells her tale with humor, cultural criticism, African storytelling, and 'round tha way truthfulness, barring nothing from the conversation. Truly, Tenderheaded should not be passed over.

I expected to really enjoy this book, but was disappointed. Some of the stories/essays were very good, but some of them were poorly written and/or could have done with some serious editing. It might have been better if some of them had been omitted: the book would probably have been half as long, but the overall quality would have been significantly improved.

I was also disappointed by the way the book was laid out. It seemed jumbled and poorly conceived. Photos, illustrations and cartoons/comics were seemingly thrown in randomly, with little context or relation to the surrounding content. The graphic content of the book was good, but the layout just did not display it to full advantage.

The idea behind this book was a good one, but the execution could have been a little bit better.

This is a very unique book. I have to say I LOVED IT! My being a young black woman, all the stories hit close to home. This book gave a non-bias look at black women's hair, and black culture all around the world including here in America. It gave many view points, from men women, blacks and even whites. I recommed this book to anyone who is confused about their hair and themselves. Nappy is defiantly Happy!!!! Peace.

this is one of the most beautiful love stories ever written. we all fall in love at a young age, but not too many of us continue to remain faithfully in love with one person throughout our lives.

Hamsun's writing is simple, but yet the words are powerful, but however, sad.

This is probably Knut Hamsun's' masterpiece when it comes to love stories, and possibly one of Europe's most beautiful love stories. The book is about the son of the old miller, and the daughter of the local "nobleman", the owner of the "Castle". From they are very small and all the way up until the very end he loves her. The parts where they are in the cave and on the island are so beautiful and melancholic. But he being the miller's son, and her being part of the "upper-class", the love is an impossible one. Various circumstances increase the distance between them, and the impossibility of their love, but I won't reveal much. The story is just so beautiful and sad, that it should be required reading for all.

Then comes the fun part, the author; Knut Hamsun, probably Norway's greatest author of all time, was a die-hard "right-wing" anti-modern conservative. This is quite amusing, because all the liberal and anti-European readers just can't wrap their mind around the fact that a person that wrote such beautiful prose was so "abhorrent" in their twisted view. One of his 5 best books and one whose story you'll carry with you forever. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)

I will agree with what has been said so far. This is a beautifully written novel by an extraordinary writer. I don't know if a movie was made from this novel, but I certainly hope there won't be. I don't know how the thoughts Hamsun puts down on paper can be conveyed through film. It would take a director greater than any living today.

I would have a hard time saying whether this or Hunger represents Hamsun's greatest work of fiction. No matter, get them both. And thanks to Oliver Stallybrass for a magnificent translation.

Knut Hamsun at his finest.A brillant observer of people, with a keen eye for human emotions. This is about love,intense love.And excepting the options,with a wavering reluctance.The genius of Hamsun is that he implies so much in the most simple and humblest of styles.Excellent read.Class distiction? Love? What is one to do.Enjoy. Good Health!
Happy New Year
BDf


Excerpts

"...It was a heart's naive,fervent confession,eruptions that couldn't be held back but leaped up from the lines like stars coming out of the sky..."


"...Work will force me to be calm,and in a few hours I may be cheerful again..."

Knut Hamsun has sometimes been described as the Thomas Hardy of Scandinavian literature, and the theme of Victoria- love between two people of different social classes- is one which Hardy treated several times. Here the protagonists are Johannes, the son of a miller, and Victoria, the daughter of the local squire, who meet and fall in love as children. Although they continue to love one another throughout their lives, they are separated by circumstances and the story ends tragically.

The forces that conspire to thwart their love are more complex than simple snobbery or class-distinction. During the period in which the book is set (the 1890s), the marriage of an internationally successful author (which Johannes becomes in adult life) to the daughter of a minor nobleman would not have raised too many eyebrows in society. Although Victoria's family are aristocratic, however, they are not wealthy; indeed, they are in desperate financial straits and need to secure a financially advantageous marriage for their daughter to re-establish their fortunes and to restore the Castle, as their crumbling manor-house is called. She is therefore pressurised, much against her will, to become engaged to Otto, the son of a wealthy official at the Royal Court, even though she does not love him. Johannes also enters into an unsuccessful engagement with another woman; only at the end of the novel, when it is too late, do Victoria and Johannes discover how much they mean to each other.

This could easily be the plot of a Hardy novel, but Hamsun tells this story in a style which is very different to Hardy's. Hardy's novels are generally complex, discursive and with a large cast of characters both major and minor. Victoria is a very short novel (at 170 pages much shorter than any of Hardy's), told in a simple and direct manner and concentrating very much on the two lovers. The other characters are not developed in any detail, with the partial exception of Otto, who is presented as an arrogant and unpleasant lout.

Although the story is told in a straightforward manner, this does not mean that the prose is plain or unadorned. Although this is a third-person narrative, the action is mostly seen from the viewpoint of the poet Johannes and narrated in an appropriately poetic style. (This, at least, is the effect of Oliver Stallybrass's translation; I do not speak Norwegian so I cannot compare it with the original). The lyricism of the writing complements the pathos of the loves' plight; the result is a book that can be compared to a jewel, small, but beautiful and highly polished.

This is the second time I have made multiple purchases of this book. Martin Bell has unique ways to express the Gospel, through poems, stories, music and more. I delight in sharing his insights with others who are searching for spiritual support in order to face today's focus on self. My two favorite stories are "Barrington Bunny" and the first appearance of the great silver wolf, and the description of God's "Rag-Tag Army." Prepare to laugh and cry, and to sit for extended periods meditating on what you have just read.

My wife and I first met Barrington Bunny et al, thirty years ago
and were touched beyond words by the story. We bought a "vynal" recording, which eventually went the way of all flesh with the assistance of a puppy. After many years of searching we "found" it (CD version) and added it to our collection. My only regret is that the "sound effects" that were on our original recording were not on the CD version. In today's hectic, get it done yesterday world, it is an awesome gift particularly for your grandchildren.
Mick

The Way of the Wolf has stories after my own heart. I agree with the others, I cry everytime I read the opening story "Barrington Bunny." The story about how the bunny who had nobody finds who his family and his gifts were just hits home in so many ways.

And the boy who lost his magic is such a great parable about the Incarnation of Christ, it is profound. And who couldn't be moved by Joggi the porcupine, who learned how to love from a blind raccoon. The tales, with the mysterious silver wolf, are timeless!

-I'm never gonna forget that quote! Anyway, this is such a nice book, we read the Barrington Bunny story every Christmas and I love it. It's really moving and insiteful. And it is not just for children. Believe me, adults love this book too. I suggest it to anyone who has a heart, this is truly a great book.

I got this book at a Presbyterian church in the Seventies, probably through the youth group. After twenty-five years I still cry every single time I read 'Barrington Bunny'. Sometimes my tears won't even wait until the end of the story. As Barrington is turned away from others' Christmas festivities and family gatherings, I promise myself to remember that there's people out there at Christmas who have no one. "The only bunny in the forest..."