Where I'm Calling From: Selected Stories

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The last story collection published during Carver's life (he died in 1988) contains most of his greatest hits from his earlier books, as well as seven stories that hadn't been collected up to that point. The breadth of the collection makes these 37 stories an extremely complete map of Carver territory, of a particular area of America and of the specific texture of the people Carver writes about -- their difficult attempts at survival in a world where happiness does not arrive wrapped up in neat packages but comes in far more peculiar parcels, if it comes at all.

Book Description

By the time of his early death in 1988, Raymond Carver had established himself as one of the great practitioners of the American short story, a writer who had not only found his own voice but imprinted it in the imaginations of thousands of readers. Where I'm Calling From, his last collection, encompasses classic stories from Cathedral, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and earlier Carver volumes, along with seven new works previously unpublished in book form. Together, these 37 stories give us a superb overview of Carver's life work and show us why he was so widely imitated but never equaled.

Customer Reviews:

Nice introduction to contemporary writing.......2007-02-12

I am a hopeless lit. snob. I read only classics. When new books are presented to me, especially books with works published less than 40 years ago, I tend to be very cautious. Raymond Carver's collection may have just changed that. He's accessible to a wide array of readers, from hardcore English majors to "the working man" about whom he so often writes. Stories vary in length from a few pages to over ten, and while some seem to have impenetrable depth of thought, many are easily enjoyed without thinking TOO hard :)

Whether you aren't much of a reader or have books upon books that you've read and loved, this collection has something you can enjoy.

A Storytelling Poet (for the everyman).......2007-01-04

This ought to be called the Greatest Hits of Raymond Carver--with Bonus Tracks*. All of my own personal favorites are here: "Cathedral", "Fever", "Why Don't You Dance?". A few which appeared in previous collections are here restored to Carver's original conception. They appear more fleshed out, the characters are more developed, and oftentimes the tone is entirely changed. Some of Carver's stories will no doubt confound expectations. "Why Don't You Dance?" is told in such a sparse and poetic language that it may not be so easily accepted as a story; it seems to be more like a dance of words and images that dares its way into the heart. Carver's stories are famous for their intimacy with everyday life and everyday folk. His characters' struggles are exalted rather than belittled by the rationality of their predicaments. In "So Much Water So Close to Home" a man's absent-minded choice not to let a floating corpse interrupt his fishing trip culminates in a cosmic battle of Good and Evil between him and his wife yet right in the middle of their kitchen.

I think that many readers who express a dislike of Carver's stories are in fact favoring one Carver style over another. I can't imagine any lover of fiction with a shred of sensitivity being able to brush off "A Small, Good Thing" as a banal tale of child tragedy; the character of the baker is such a perfectly fulfilling example of the duality of human nature. However I can imagine a reader who enjoyed "A Small, Good Thing" completing the last sentence of "Fat" feeling puzzled about where to draw the conclusion between a large man gorging himself in a restaurant and a waitress's off-handed confession of rape. One story doesn't necessarily inform or justify another, and in that sense perhaps that's why this is a selection and not a "collection".

My best advice to new readers of Carver is to give each one of these stories its own personal creative license and realize that Carver was a poet. Really. He published poems as well as stories, and sometimes the accessibility of his vocabulary and the accessibility of his themes aren't consistent. What is consistent is the pleasure of his craft which can be experienced throughout these stories albeit on shifting levels.

*referring to the seven previously unpublished (in book form) stories included at the end of the book

A voice so minimal it's barely audible.......2006-08-22

After having read `Cathedral' for an English Composition class I was teaching last semester, I bought this book in earnest and waited eagerly for its arrival. I wanted so much to like it. I wanted poignant prose and acerbic wit, evidence of a keen observer's eye. Instead, these translucently-thin slices of life left me half-filled, and wondering why the portions weren't more ample. Many of the 37 stories in this book seem to be told both by and in the exact same voice. The overwhelming majority of them revolve around domestic squabbles or silly disagreements that aren't really worth writing about, and the quality of the prose isn't high enough to offset the lack of an intriguing plot. I suppose this is what Carver fans would consider to be `beautiful banality', but for me many of these tales seemed both unfulfilling and tiresome.

The book starts off with a bang, "Nobody Said Anything", the tale of an adolescent narrator and a big fish caught with a newfound friend one afternoon. "Bicycles, Muscles, and Cigarettes" follows, a colorful vignette about a row between three boys that spills over to their fathers. There are other bright lights in the collection, but halfway through (the stories are ordered chronologically, so I read them in order) the mundanity sets in. Literally countless tales of middle-aged protagonists agonizing over the minutiae of life at 4 in the morning on sleepless nights. All of his characters are divorcees, or soon to be separated. Most are alcoholics. Most tales start in media res, but leave us there as well, ending just as arbitrarily as they begin. Fans of Carver might attempt to call this a strong point, but the majority of these stories seem more suited to short stage performance pieces than to prose. Dialogue that is Seinfeldian in its simplicity, only sans the wit. A story that ends with the paltry self-affirmation, "My life is going to change. I feel it." Lots of "we just don't feel the same way as we used to" lines shared between despondent erstwhile lovers. But when we aren't told of the origins of the rift, it's hard to feel sympathy one way or the other.

There is a lot of the author in many of these stories - indeed, one question I came up with time and time again was just how `fictional' much of this short fiction really was. But no fewer than 12 of these stories revolve around a spousal dispute and/or alcoholism. And when Carver ventures out into other territories, it seems as though he is almost lost without the security blanket of the one topic he knows all too well.

Perhaps the last story in the collection, "Errand", unwittingly sums up the author's oeuvre all too well. In it, uncharacteristically, Carver recounts the tale of the last days of the playwright Chekhov. He mentions that Tolstoy came to see Chekhov as he was nearing death, although he was no fan of the man's work. He said of it "the plays were static and lacking in any moral vision. `Where do your characters take you?' he often demanded of Chekhov, "From the sofa to the junk room and back.'" At the completion of this book, I was left wanting to ask Carver the same.

Where Chekhov is calling from .......2006-04-14

The readers of Raymond Carver's selected stories "Where I'm Calling From" is likely to spend 500 pages wondering is this writer is the American Chekhov of suburbia, and is never sure. Until the reader reaches the very last story. The first word in "Errand" is "Chekhov", and as we progress in the reading we can notice that this narrative is about the Russian writer. Then it is time all doubts are dissipated and we can only conclude that Carver's work is a sort of homage to or influence by Chekhov.

Either case, it is a good thing, since that Russian writer is one of the biggest masters of short stories. But, even being under Chekhov's spell, Carver is still a writer of his own. Actually one of the best short story writers of the XX century. Too bad he died so young, one can only imagine what he would have produced more.

In this book of selected stories, the reader can have a vast tableau of Carver's themes, style, approach, and sensibility. There are 30 texts that were previously published, and seven new stories. In these 30-plus tales, the writer is able to dissect with beauty and witty the American psyche -- or yet, soul.

It is not difficult to be seduced by his dry style in which he doesn't try to make beautiful sentences -- but better yet, he reaches deeper depths in the soul of his characters. Carver is not after poetic moments, but he brings up some poetry from everyday life, from banal moments that are important only to those who are the main character of them.

His stories are usually short, and at the same time very efficient. The characters Carver portrays could be living in the same neighborhood, and at the same time they have very different lives. From his stories, we can realize that every life has its own beauty.

And these aspects are very close to those that made Chekhov one of the best, and we still read him, admire his work and consider his texts vanguard a hundred years later they were produced. Carver is very likely to have the same reward in the future. He does deserve it.

Concise and Captivating.......2006-03-29

Where I'm Calling From is a collected edition of Raymond Carver's short stories. Carver died from lung cancer in 1988, but before doing so he was said to have been one of the writers responsible for bringing back the glory of the short story.

Where I'm Calling From is certainly the work of an expert. The stories are nothing particularly outlandish or special in terms of subject matter, but they most definitely cut to the heart of what it means to be human and to have relationships with other humans. Carver seemed especially intent upon giving us stories about married couples who are divorced, in the process of getting divorced, or are on their way to getting a divorce.

That's not to say all of the stories found within this collection deal with such topics. Some of them deal with losing a child, some deal with reflecting on parents, and some deal with simple experiences one has in life. However, all of them are told in a concise and captivating manner where the reader can't help but finish the story in one sitting.

I recommend reading Where I'm Calling From if you are interested in studying non-traditional short stories, especially if you're a writer. I think his work may be a little too abrupt and unconventional for just the casual reader, though I feel everyone would benefit from reading this man who mastered his art.

To me, the most fascinating aspect of Raymond Carver is that as he neared his death, his stories actually got more positive. That says something.

(Visit author Scott William Foley at www.swilliamfoley.com)

Average customer rating:

A very good selection of Dick's essential stories although some classics are missing...
After Fifty Years
a distopic treasure.
Contents of book
PKD Hit Or Miss...

Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375421513
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Book Description

Philip K. Dick was a master of science fiction, but he was also a writer whose work transcended genre to examine the nature of reality and what it means to be human. A writer of great complexity and subtle humor, his work belongs on the shelf of great twentieth-century literature, next to Kafka and Vonnegut. Collected here are twenty-one of Dick's most dazzling and resonant stories, which span his entire career and show a world-class writer working at the peak of his powers.

In "The Days of Perky Pat," people spend their time playing with dolls who manage to live an idyllic life no longer available to the Earth's real inhabitants. "Adjustment Team" looks at the fate of a man who by mistake has stepped out of his own time. In "Autofac," one community must battle benign machines to take back control of their lives. And in "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon," we follow the story of one man whose very reality may be nothing more than a nightmare. The collection also includes such classic stories as "The Minority Report," the basis for the Steven Spielberg movie, and "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," the basis for the film Total Recall. Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick is a magnificent distillation of one of American literature's most searching imaginations.

Customer Reviews:

A very good selection of Dick's essential stories although some classics are missing..........2007-04-17

Philip K. Dick has become the most filmed author in science fiction. That's a mixed blessing. The films made from his novels vary from flawed but great ("Blade Runner", "Minority Report") to fun dreck that wastes the potential of the story ("Paycheck"). First time fans will discover some great, unusual stories with a unique wit, touch of irony and fierce intelligence that rivals the late Kurt Vonnegut (a fellow traveler with his use of disjointed narratives and the use of irony in science fiction).

As with a couple of other reviewers here, I'd suggest skipping "Roog". Many of the stories included here were later made into films but skip those first. Go for the gothic science fiction story "Upon the Dull Earth" a gem that even I hadn't seen and I've been a fan of Dick's since 1969. Then dig into some of his less familiar but no less trippy (and powerful) stories such as "I Hope I Will Arrive Soon" and "The Days of Perky Pat".

This is a very good collection for first time readers of Dick and, quite honestly, despite his talent he was churning out stories at a furious pace to make ends meet so not all of his novels and short stories are great but those that are continue to be outstanding. Dick was a novelist and writer first and foremost. The fact that he was consigned to the literary ghetto of "science fiction" is a shame because it suggested that he was writing just pulp fiction that others wouldn't appreciate. That's just not the case. At his best he could be dazzling, at his worst he could be merely entertaining but always interesting.

We get the following stories classic stories: "The Days of Perky Pat", "Autofac", "Upon the Dull Earth", "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", "The Electric Ant", "A Little Something for Us Tempunauts", "The Exit Door Leads In", "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon""The Minority Report", "Second Variety" (adapted into the film "Screamers"), "Imposter" (adapted into the film of the same name)and "Precious Artifact". The other stories in the collection vary from quite good to OK ("Roog" an early story that hints at his possibilities as a writer).

I'd suggest the following novels as well--Ubik, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (a non-sf novel), Confessions of a Crap Artist (another non-sf novel), Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich and The Unteleported Man as a good place to start with Dick outside of his short stories. This is a solid collection of classic Dick stories with just a few duds. 3 1/2 stars.

After Fifty Years.......2007-02-23

Most of us who lived in Philip K. Dick's era remember all too well the angst of nuclear holocaust and all the "what ifs" that accompanied these. The author manages to incorporate the fears and projections of his and my era and distill all in a remarkable collection of short stories. Of these stories two stand out: "The Days of Perky Pat" and "Precious Artifact." For those of us who remember the original Barbie Doll, "The Days of Perky Pat" is the Barbie Doll syndrome with an ironic twist; it is the adults who spent their days in an elaborate post holocaust role playing world. "Precious Artifact" rivals Rod Serling's best in its construction of an artificial world. Like the engineer, I prefer my cats to be alive, but perhaps this gives too much away. For all who enjoy the Beat Generation with a double jigger of science fiction Philip K. Dick stands out.

a distopic treasure........2005-11-20

Of the collections of PDK short stories I've read, this is the best. The stories are dynamic and varied. This collection is an excellent way to get to know Phillip K. Dick. Anyone looking for a PKD collection, this is the one to buy, or check out from the library, or buy for your library.

Contents of book.......2005-04-26

Austin, here are the stories in this book:
1. Beyond Lies the Wub
2. Roog
3. Paycheck
4. Second Variety
5. Imposter
6. The King of the Elves
7. Adjustment Team
8. Foster, You're Dead
9. Upon the Dull Earth
10. Autofac
11. The Minority Report
12. The Days of Perky Pat
13. Precious Artifact
14. A Game of Unchance
15. We Can Remember It For You Wholesale
16. Faith of Our Fathers
17. The Electric Ant
18. A Little Something For Us Tempunauts
19. The Exit Door Leads In
20. Rautavaara's Case
21. I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon

A great collection.

PKD Hit Or Miss..........2005-03-10

On many levels PKD is a terrible writer. But as an ideas man, few of us could do better than his distopian every-man glimpses into the future. This collection of short stories illustrates his weaknesses as well as his strengths. Some of these tales are familiar to Science Fiction Movie fans: Dick's short story version of Paycheck is notoriously hollow and undramatic. I long ago learned to avoid the ramblings of the editors of such compilations, but having peeked at the preface was not surprised to find it to be the kind of breathless and unrepentantly obsequious fawnings you'd expect from anyone who refuses to write the words "Science Fiction" and instead tosses the "SF" moniker around as often as possible in order to sound avant-garde.

The short is: You've gotta read the short stories in order to really understand Philip K. Dick... and this is as good a survey as any.

Things Will Never Be the Same: A Howard Waldrop Reader: Selected Short Fiction 1980-2005

Average customer rating:

Enthusiastically recommended for science fiction and fantasy buffs everywhere.
You will never be the same
Decent short "sci-fi"ish fiction
The American Italo Calvino

Things Will Never Be the Same: A Howard Waldrop Reader: Selected Short Fiction 1980-2005
Howard Waldrop
Manufacturer: Old Earth Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1882968360

Product Description

The only problem with THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME is that it's not nearly long enough. Sure, sure, it's chock full of great stories by the best short fiction writer of his generation, modern classics like "The Ugly Chickens" and "Flying Saucer Rock n Roll" and "Heart of Whitenesse" and many more... but there are two or three times as many terrific Waldrop stories, equally good and sometimes even better, that have been left out for want of space. There's only one solution. Read this book... and then go out and track down all of Waldrop's other collections and read them too.

Customer Reviews:

Enthusiastically recommended for science fiction and fantasy buffs everywhere........2007-06-04

Things Will Never Be the Same: Selected Short Fiction 1980-2005 is the first career-retrospective anthology of Howard Waldrop's short stories, including the Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning tale "The Ugly Chickens" and the Hugo-nominated "The King of Where-I-Go". Sometimes mundane, sometimes dazzling, always peering into an ever-so-slightly askew "Waldropian" universe, these tales are crafted not only to entertain the reader, but also to expand the reader's worldview. Distinguishing this retrospective are brief afterwords to each tale, written by Waldrop himself, offering insights into the genesis of the story and comments on what affected its creative process. Enthusiastically recommended for science fiction and fantasy buffs everywhere.

You will never be the same.......2007-05-23

This is not science fiction. These are tales of an alternate universe which
is occasionally tangential to one I inhabit. I am proud to have read all [I
think] of Waldrop's oeuvre. I have met Howard. No one writes like him. No
one thinks like him. Once you've read "The Ugly Chickens," you'll never think of zoology in the same way; you'll recall the rock-n-roll of the 50s
and 60s. Drive-ins. DQ girls on roller skates. This is a fine selection.
There are many things I love (of Howard's) that aren't here. Like Marxism
in the 19th Century. Like "Custer's Last Jump." Like the Labours of
Hercules. That's OK. You'll want them once you've read this. As they
useta say "collect 'em all."

Howard, I love you.

Decent short "sci-fi"ish fiction.......2007-05-16

Being so wonderfully reviewed, I thought I would give his work a try. I'm glad I did, but only because now I don't really wonder what I'm missing. It's just OK, not "great" or "the best ever" or anything approaching that. The comments by the author after each story tell about when it was written, perhaps why or what inspired it. Those are moderately interesting, and tell a lot about the author. I have a feeling he's kind of a difficult person.

The stories themselves are more "fiction" than "science fiction," and while I'm not a fanatic about categories and the like, I was a little disappointed in the science content of the stories. I like to read about alternate realities, imagined technologies, speculative fiction about future technology, etc. and there wasn't a lot of that in these stories.

I guess the title says it all. It's decent science fiction, light on the science.

The American Italo Calvino.......2007-04-04

This is the first career retrospective of Howard Waldrop.

"If Philip K. Dick is our homegrown Borges (as Ursula K. Le Guin once said), then Waldrop is our own very American magic-realist, as imaginative and playful as early Garcia Marquez or, better yet, Italo Calvino" so wrote Michael Dirda in the March 18th Washington Post Book World.

Your life is not complete until you own this book!

Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding in so many ways
Writing at its best - and it happens to be in detective noir
The best of Raymond Chandler
Classic American, cynical detective stories.
Priceless Solely for The Simple Art of Murder

Later Novels and Other Writings: The Lady in the Lake / The Little Sister / The Long Goodbye / Playback /Double Indemnity / Selected Essays and Letters (Library of America)
Raymond Chandler
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883011086

Amazon.com

Raymond Chandler is arguably the best American pulp novelist. His prose is so acutely visual, his characters so raw and intense that it is small wonder that all but one of his books have been made into movies. And his hero Philip Marlowe has graduated into American legend. Together with its companion volume (Stories and Early Novels), Later Novels and Other Writings forms the most complete Chandler collection in print. In addition to his later novels, this collection contains selected essays and letters, biographical information, and textual as well as explanatory notes. As an added bonus, the editor has included Chandler's screenplay to Double Indemnity, the classic Billy Wilder film adapted from James M. Cain's novel. You're able to compare the script to the finished movie and have the rare opportunity to see how one major crime novelist altered and interpreted another.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding in so many ways.......2007-02-24

First, let me say that there's a separate volume of Chandler's early novels. As much as I liked this volume, I actually enjoyed the earlier novels just a little bit more and suggest starting there. I started reading one story and wound up going through all of them in both volumes in the space of a few months. I also wound up reading and enjoying all the Dashiell Hammett stories, but I give Chandler a slight edge.

I won't try to list all the ways these novels are great and entertaining, but here's one thought that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews. Chandler is excellent at presenting a hero-character who has to worry about money and making a living. Indeed, Chandler makes this issue integral to the character's persona and to the plot line. Yes, the books are escapist in so many ways. Yet, in this respect at least, they are far more realistic than almost all of the fiction, and much of the non-fiction, these days.

Writing at its best - and it happens to be in detective noir.......2006-06-20

C-L-A-S-S-I=C HIGH/low notes. These stories are like a deck cards, all aces...... but there are way too few left. I finished "Little Sisters" (GREAT), "Farewell, My Lovely"- is recommended in the other half (earlier edition). The hook is Marlow. In times where many take the easy/cheap way out, I ride hard with Marlow. Marlow does it with style, humor, wit, grit, and nothing less than an all american: get the job done. But in a way that is the opposite his nemesis: the monopolies of power & money. Of course they admire and hate him. But it just doesn't get any better than Chandler. Need an excuse? Then read it for the wrting alone. The best!

The best of Raymond Chandler.......2005-12-05

This book, contaning Chandlers later works, is perhaps the best collection of Chandler you can find. Sure, does not contain the better-known novels - The Big Sleep and Farewell my Lovely - but it does contain The Long Goodbye, which is not only Chandler's finest, but a great novel by any measure.

Chandler lived a tough, hard-drinking life, and these later works came out of his mind with difficulty. But the quality of The Lady in the Lake and The Long Goodbye (The Little Sister is less memorable) make this collection essential.

In addition, the book contains some essays and letters, including Chandler's writing on the mystery genre, which will interest any budding suspense author.

In short, read this book! Read The Long Goodbye, then read it again. This is not just a great mystery, but it is also great literature.

Classic American, cynical detective stories........2005-05-12

Chandler is arguably the best detective story writer out there. If you expand this genre to all mystery writers, he would still be one of the best.

Detective stories aren't as common as they once were, but if you look at the offspring of the Pulp magazine once so popular, television, they are still as popular as ever. Chandler was one author who defined what a detective story was. This book contains four novels:The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye, and Playback. These are wonderfully entertaining stories that contain the archetypical hard-bitten detective, Philip Marlowe. After reading these stories you will forever see Marlowe in every detective story you see or read, from Magnum to the latest TV cop. How can you not love an author who sums up Modern American Capitalism with lines like these? "We make the finest packages in the world, Mr. Marlowe. The stuff inside is mostly junk." Or an author who in the early 50's, (50 years before the current 'Queers Dress Up' shows) so presciently wrote, "The queer is the artistic arbiter of our age, chum." Or his comment on a speech by a politician, "He did not bore us with any facts."
These books are not just riveting, fun reading, but full of thoughtful quotes like the above.

Chandler also is must-reading for his understanding of criminality, venality, human nature, Southern California, Movies, American culture and American relationship dynamics. I hate to use the word "classic" to describe stories that are just so plain fun to read, but I find it hard not to.

This volume also contains a screenplay, Double Indemnity, and a few essays and letters. The essays "The Simple Art of Murder", and "Writers in Hollywood" should be required reading for anyone interested in 20th century culture, movies, and literature. Just a few tidbits more. Chandler on English Mystery Writers - "The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are incomparably the best dull writers." Chandler on boredom - "There are no dull subjects, only dull minds." Chandler on critics - "The average critic never recognizes an achievement when it happens. He explains it after it has become respectable."

My only criticism is that the plots are contrived and sometimes complicated. But such criticism is like complaining that the Mona Lisa would be a fine painting if only it were of a different size.

Chandler is simply wonderful, funny, cynical, and yes, - respectable.

Priceless Solely for The Simple Art of Murder.......2005-01-18

While Hammett may very well have carried the modern hard-boiled mystery forward into the light, Chandler defined it. Of the two, I think I prefer Chandler most. Chandler better than anyone else set the standard for the genre, and laid down the rules to which all the great mystery writers of today rigorously adhere. Here, in brief, is the mystery writer's credo:

'But down these mean streets must a man go who himself is neither tarnished nor afraid.'

As Chandler remarked in his classic essay, The Simple Art of Murder, Hammett rightly deserves the title of Founder of the modern mystery because he succeeded in giving murder back to the kind of people who commit it. So what kind of person goes up against the kind of people who committ murder? Chandler responds with Exhibit A: Philip Marlowe.

Chandler's Marlowe resonates in my favorite mystery romps, the Spenser series, and the archetype also finds its way into more than a few 'Good Cop' dramas.

I enjoy the escapades of Philip Marlowe simply because the wry cynicism, coupled with the tough moral fibre to get to the bottom of any affair and see justice (or at least some sort of closure) served, makes for truly fascinating escapist reading. Each of the books in this collection, as in the collection preceding it, amply deliver on this score.

If you happen to acquire this masterpiece, never let it go. These are classic books, and will never become dated. I personally prefer The Long Goodbye to The Big Sleep, and found the former a longer and more satisfying read. In every story of both collections, there is to be found a depraved tapestry of gilded greater Los Angeles society, quite literally ripped from the headline news of the day. Most mystery fans will love the idea of an honest man in a thoroughly dishonest world, on a righteous quest for justice.

Once you get this triumph of American literature in your hands, mix your favorite drink, disappear to a quiet place with a comfortable chair (with good lighting), and enjoy the Great Master at work. If only more writers could write like this, then I would not need cable TV...

Selected Shorts: Timeless Classics (Selected Shorts series)

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Selected Shorts: Timeless Classics (Selected Shorts series)

Selected Shorts: Timeless Classics (Selected Shorts series)
James Thurber , Edith Wharton , Symphony Space , Jack Thurber , Richard Connell , D. H. Lawrence , and Raymond Carver
Manufacturer: Symphony Space
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0971921830

Book Description

Finalist in AudioFile Magazine's 2007 Audie Awards in the category "Audiobook Adapted from Another Medium"

This three-CD compilation features some of the best short stories from National Public Radio's Selected Shorts, an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. More than three hours of recordings in each collection capture the intimacy of live performance, with stories that are alternately exciting, poignant, and funny, making this the perfect accompaniment to any number of daily activities—driving, cooking, exercising, relaxing, or intently listening.

Timeless Classics includes, among others, James Thurber's "The Night the Ghost Got In," read by Isaiah Sheffer; Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," read by Maria Tucci; Jack London's "Make Westing," read by Steven Gilborn; D. H. Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner," read by John Shea; Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," read by Marian Seldes; Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," read by Charles Keating; and Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," read by James Naughton.

Customer Reviews:

Selected Shorts: Timeless Classics (Selected Shorts series).......2007-01-04

So much fun! Great for a few minutes or hours.

Selected Shorts: Baseball (Selected Shorts series)

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Selected Shorts: Baseball (Selected Shorts series)

Selected Shorts: Baseball (Selected Shorts series)
W. P. Kinsella , T. Coraghessan Boyle , and Roger Angell
Manufacturer: Symphony Space
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0971921849

Book Description

Acclaimed actors from stage and screen perform tales from the baseball diamond in this newest, three-CD collection of stories from Selected Shorts. Both classic and contemporary works are featured, including a heartwarming piece on some fan habits during a players' strike, by W.P. Kinsella, and a sidesplitting account from T. Coraghessan Boyle of the longest game ever. Many of the readings were recorded during a historic broadcast of the show hosted by the late, beloved baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. From the first pitch to the final out, these short stories are a lively listening experience.

Customer Reviews:

Selected Shorts: Baseball (Selected Shorts series).......2007-01-04

This was absolutely wonderful! I have purchased several as gifts also and have heard rave reviews from all.

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One of the most exquisite collections of short stories you'll find
Great introduction to a great writer...
Edge of my seat
worth reading, though I don't love every story
Raymond Carver is an exceptional short story writer

Short Cuts: Selected Stories
Raymond Carver
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679748644
Release Date: 1993-09-14

Book Description

A movie tie-in edition to the brilliant new film by Robert Altman, based on these nine stories by Carver, "one of the great short story writers of our time--of any time" (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Customer Reviews:

One of the most exquisite collections of short stories you'll find.......2006-09-24

Carver portrays the banal, mundane, and unknown of life in his exquisite collection of short stories. It is the spouse who after twenty-five years of the same monotonous routine, breaks out and acts in ways that are inconsistent. Showing the psychological buildup of internal angst and tension is what Carver has mastered. He has a way exposing the hidden desire and passion that stem from the dark corners of the psyche. According to Joseph Campbell, many people are uncomfortable reading these types of stories.

The emotional charge that comes from Carver's careful observation takes his writing to the level of masterpiece literature. The narrative observatory techniques in the third person are detached and objective. A few of Carver's stories are written in first person, which give him an opportunity to get inside his protagonist, but even here, Carver chooses to stay at a distance, allowing the reader to dally in ambiguity.

Great introduction to a great writer..........2004-10-07

In my opinion, Raymond Carver is among the top five short story writers of the twentieth century. His stories are bold, contemporary, and never boring. This compilation - used to make the Altman film - is a superb sampling of his work. Some of his best stories are here, such as "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?," "So Much Water So Close to Home," and the heartbreaking, "A Small, Good Thing." "Tell the Women We're Going" is one of the most shocking short stories I've read recently. In his introduction, Robert Altman writes, "what he really did was capture the wonderful idiosyncrasies of human behavior, the idiosyncrasies that exist amid the randomness of life's experiences." This is a good introduction to his work.

Edge of my seat.......2004-01-12

I was truly on the edge of my seat during these stories. They are beautifully written. I plan on re-reading these stories for years to come.

worth reading, though I don't love every story.......2003-03-12

Though these stories together tend to leave one rather depressed, they are still worth reading for the glimpses of the characters' lives they offer. Furthermore, some, especially "A Small, Good Thing" are less depressing and, in my mind, actually very good.
Don't assume you know these stories because you've seen the film of the same name directed by Robert Altman. He said himself (in the book's intro, actually) that he took liberties with them, and believe you me, he REALLY did. You may even appreciate the stories more after seeing the film. I did, but that might be just me.
Do take a look at these stories regardless, though!

Raymond Carver is an exceptional short story writer.......2002-07-22

Robert Altman made a wonderful film in the 90s based on 9 short stories published by famous American short story writer Raymond Carver. The film was entitled "Short Cuts" and this publication brings together these 9 stories (including a poem) which were culled from several original Carver publications. The book opens with an introduction by Altman who confesses to taking small liberties with Carver's stories and its characters but without compromising their integrity. Those who have seen the movie will concede that the changes in fact give the entity a coherence that would otherwise be missing. But as a collection of short stories. they can and should be read as standalones. Carver is a master of social commentary, using anecdotes of casual human behaviour to capture the absurdity of modern American life. These candid snapshots may not conform with the dictates of conventional fictional writing in that they may lack a beginning, distinct plot development and a neat ending. Often it isn't even the events that trigger off the response of the characters that are significant but the fact that they respond in a certain way that is interesting from the view point of understanding human behaviour. Carver seems to be saying that sometimes the strange things that happen to us are all due to chance and that like it or not, we need to factor chance into the equation of living. As a short story writer, Carver is exceptional. He has that rare ability to communicate some essential truth about the human condition without using melodrama or any of the other techniques frequently used by lesser writers to captivate and sustain our interest. The 9 stories in this collection are individually separate entities which exist in their own right. No character appears anywhere but in the story he originates from. The situations they capture are also pretty diverse. Yet, they don't seem disjointed when you read them in sequence. They are thematically bound together by Carver's magic which may be hard to define but there all the same. I found every one of them absorbing and captivating. Read this first before you watch the movie. You'll enjoy both better.

Zora Neale Hurston : Novels and Stories : Jonah's Gourd Vine / Their Eyes Were Watching God / Moses, Man of the Mountain / Seraph on the Suwanee / Selected Stories (Library of America)

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Inspired

Zora Neale Hurston : Novels and Stories : Jonah's Gourd Vine / Their Eyes Were Watching God / Moses, Man of the Mountain / Seraph on the Suwanee / Selected Stories (Library of America)
Zora Neale Hurston
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0940450836

Book Description

When she died in obscurity in 1960, all her books were out of print. Now, Zora Neale Hurston is recognized as one of the most important and influential modern American writers. This volume, with its companion, "Zora Neale Hurston: Folklore, Memoirs, and Other Writings," brings together for the first time all of Hurston's best works in one authoritative set. It features the acclaimed 1937 novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," a lyrical masterpiece about a woman's struggle for love and independence. "Jonah's Gourd Vine," based on the story of Hurston's parents, details the rise and fall of a preacher torn between spirit and flesh. "Moses, Man of the Mountain" is a high-spirited retelling of the Exodus story in black vernacular. "Seraph on the Suwanee" portrays the passionate clash between a poor southern "cracker" and her willful husband. A selection of short stories further displays Hurston's unique fusion of folk traditions and literary modernism--comic, ironic, and soaringly poetic.

Customer Reviews:

Inspired.......2006-02-20

If Ms Hurston finally gets the readers she deserves, she will take her place among America's finest writers of the 20th Century. She is a joy to read and repays second and third perusals. The oral narrative quality of her writing places her squarely in the company of the best of her Southern contemporaries. She shares their great gifts. By all means, don't deny yourself the pleasure of reading her work.

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Selection is the Problem
One of my all-time favorite books
Gorgeous, compelling and memorable!
Exquisite, but...
Good and bad....

Selected Stories
Alice Munro
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679446273
Release Date: 1996-10-08

Amazon.com

"Too many things," a creative writing instructor tells the narrator of "Differently." "Too many things going on at the same time; also too many people. Think, he told her. What is the important thing? What do you want us to pay attention to? Think." What does Alice Munro want us to pay attention to in her Selected Stories? Everything, really, and so her narratives loop back on themselves, jump decades backward and forward in time, introduce characters who later drop out of the action, and generally break every rule in the short-story-writing book. In "Carried Away," for instance, a dead character makes a sudden, inexplicable appearance in what is otherwise the thoroughly naturalistic account of a librarian's disappointment with love. "The Albanian Virgin" is two stories in one: the first--the fanciful tale of Ghegs kidnapping a young Canadian woman--is told within the second, about a bookstore owner who has lost her own bearings after a divorce. There are stories that begin with their endings, and several more that end with beginnings; others are told from three or four different angles, each with varying degrees of reliability. Taken together, they form an intricate web of relationships and connections, falsehood and anecdote, a kind of fictional palimpsest laid over the faint traces of plot.

And yet Munro trusts her readers; she believes that we will pay attention to all these things and more. She aims to create the illusion that everything in her fiction has been left in, and it is this very capaciousness that sets her work apart, making possible the keen psychological insight of her stories about marriage as well as the cool violence of "Vandals" or "Fits." Hers is an unusual sort of realism, technically innovative and amenable--especially in the later work--to loose ends. (It also possesses a quick, flinty wit: "This was the first time I understood how God could become a real opponent, not just some kind of nuisance or large decoration," says the narrator of "The Progress of Love.") To call Munro the Canadian Chekhov is by now a commonplace--and yet she may have done more for the short fiction form than any writer since. These are stories that will be read, savored, and admired hundreds of years from now. --Mary Park

Book Description

A true literary event, the publication of this generous selection of stories--drawn from Alice Munro's seven collections spanning 30 years--gives enormous reading pleasure while it confirms Munro's place in the front ranks of today's writers of fiction. These 28 stories about lovers, parents and children, sex, seduction, marriage, murder, dreams, and death are pure essence of Munro.

Customer Reviews:

Selection is the Problem.......2006-10-18

Alice Munro is among the few great writers who have chosen the story (short and long) for her/his primary genre of expression. Almost every one of the stories in this collection is as rich and rewarding as a novel of 400 pages by a lesser artist. I give the collection 4 stars rather than 5 because I firmly believe that each of the selected stories was richer and more satisfying in its original context,i.e. in the volume in which it was first published. The Beggar Maid, for instance, one of Munro's earlier storybooks, lists ten titles. Each of the tales, to my mind, is analogous to a subplot in a sprawling novel, but clarified and intensified by isolation. No awkward transitions, no fillers! The whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. Read one of the storybooks first, before you accept some editor's cherry-picking. If you've never read Munro, start with The Moons of Jupiter. You have a lot of reading thrills to look forward to.

One of my all-time favorite books.......2005-06-27

I am a big Alice Munro fan--I have probably read through this book 3 times. My favorite stories are The Progress of Love, Royal Beatings, the Albanian Virgin, and especially Friend of My Youth. Not all the stories are first rate. There are definitely some duds--like "Labor Day Dinner"; man do I HATE that story. I read it in an anthology in college and I wish she would have left it out of this book. It is like the one black mark on her otherwise distinguished career-- Pretentious style, dialogue that doesn't ring true, too many characters for a short story. Still, no one writes about family dynamics like Alice Munro. Her stories always make me reflect back on my own family. I also recommend "Hateship, Friendship"... and any of her earlier collections. "Runaway" and "Love of a Good Woman" aren't worth your time.

Gorgeous, compelling and memorable!.......2004-01-05

Alice Munro gives us a quick and sometimes fleeting glimpse into the inner workings of the stories' characters and lives. This is one of the most literary short-story collections I've ever read. All of the stories in this collection are powerful and intense. Munro has the ability to add tremendous depth in a short story. It isn't easy to have precise characterization and story development in short stories, but Munro does a brilliant work in creating memorable characters and compelling tale in just a few pages. I can't recommend this wonderful collection enough.

Exquisite, but..........2003-01-05

Alice Munro is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the English-speaking world. Certainly a story like "The Progress of Love," in this volume--a rich, poignantly ironic delineation of the selectivity of memory--is proof enough that Munro is as great as her reputation would have it, and that she is one of the few living writers who deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Chekhov. Nevertheless, plowing through her Selected Stories is like gorging on a box of chocolates; you'd be a lot better off savoring just one or two at a time. The maiin problem is that Munro's subject range is narrow. How many stories can you read in one sitting about women from impoverished small-town Ontario, who are misunderstood and often brutalized by their families, boyfriends and husbands? (The reviewers who called Munro's women weak are misreading the stories severely; these women could have hauled the wounded Titanic to port, 2,000 passengers and all, single-handedly. They have the clemency of the very strong, which unfortunately means that weaker, more spiteful souls can walk all over them.) Yet within each story, Munro's elegant, lucid prose style and encyclopedic knowledge of the human mind and heart make themselves felt. I will reread stories such as "Material," "Chaddeleys and Flemings," "Dulse," "The Turkey Season" and "The Beggar Maid" with joy and admiration for their perfect artistry. But I'll have to wait to reread stories such as "Labor Day Dinner," which after an unrelieved diet of Munro stories can almost seem like a parody of the author. Do yourself a favor; buy this wonderful book, but savor its delights sparingly, as you would a box of Godivas.

Good and bad...........2001-01-18

The short stories that were written in this book were very detailed and had excellent style and really kept the reader entranced. The only problem was that each story seemed to be about the same weak female characters.. it was just a different setting for each story. I definitely like how Alice Munro writes about women though, and I'm going to read some of her other works to compare them, and maybe see exactly where she is coming from.

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Sweet Land movie vs. the short story
Great short stories.
Our book club loved this book!

Sweet Land: New and Selected Stories
Will Weaver
Manufacturer: Borealis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0873515560

Book Description

In this paperback original, a stable of fresh stories by award-winning writer Will Weaver (Full Service and Barns of Minnesota) are complemented by a hand-picked selection of favorites from his original collection, A Gravestone Made of Wheat, to offer a fresh, vivid portrait of the changing midwestern landscape. New highlights include “Blaze of Glory,” an enchanting tale of an RV road trip and a senior couple’s “last time”; “The Trapper,” the story of a hard split between an old trapper and a younger female environmentalist; and “The Last Farmer,” the capstone story of this elegant collection that examines the discovery by a high-tech farmer of the history of the old houses on his land. Fourteen stories in all portray the bountiful and whimsical and cruel human spirit and the swirling transformation of America’s heartland.

Customer Reviews:

Sweet Land movie vs. the short story.......2007-09-08

I watched the movie Sweet Land before I read the story, A Gravestone made of Wheat, and I loved it. But after reading the 15 page story, I was wondering why in the world the movie director chose to interpret the story as he did. Seems to me he completely missed the essence of the story - which is as elegantly simple as Karen Blixen's Babette's Feast. The other stories are amazingly well written as well, but the idea behind "The Gravestone made of Wheat" makes it the jewel of the book. I love it!

Great short stories........2007-05-12

I enjoyed all the stories in this collection. Great reading for relaxation in a hurry. Will reread them all.

Our book club loved this book!.......2007-01-05

Will Weaver - what an interesting writer! His word pictures and the way he presents his characters are intriguing. Each story in Sweet Land has a different flavor; some thought provoking and some hysterically funny! Our book club will be adding Will Weaver to our "must read" lists!

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