"One of our most exquisite storytellers" (Esquire) gives us his first collection in over a decade: ten potent new stories that, along with twenty-one classics, display his mastery over a quarter century. Tobias Wolff's first two books, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs and Back in the World, were a powerful demonstration of how the short story can "provoke our amazed appreciation," as TheNew York Times Book Review wrote then. In the years since, he's written a third collection, The Night in Question, as well as a pair of genre-defining memoirs (This Boy's Life and In Pharaoh's Army), the novella The Barracks Thief, and, most recently, a novel, Old School. Now he returns with fresh revelations--about biding one's time, or experiencing first love, or burying one's mother--that come to a variety of characters in circumstances at once everyday and extraordinary: a retired Marine enrolled in college while her son trains for Iraq, a lawyer taking a difficult deposition, an American in Rome indulging the Gypsy who's picked his pocket. In these stories, as with his earlier, much-anthologized work, he once again proves himself, according to the Los Angeles Times, "a writer of the highest order: part storyteller, part philosopher, someone deeply engaged in asking hard questions that take a lifetime to resolve."
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Some of the Best from a Master of the Short Story:
The vast majority of these stories are simply outstanding in their subtlety and irony. Almost to a story, I was enthralled within seconds of reading the first sentence. Wolff is undoubtedly one of the best short story writers out there. I spread reading this out over several months, reading a story or so a day, so that I could savor this impressive collection as long as possible. I am almost disappointed to be finished.
The Stories Continue:
Tobias Wolff is the best storyteller of our time... Many classic stories are included here, so it's a great primer for newcomers. It also includes ten new stories, several of which rank among his best, others that are still great... Far outshines other books I've read this year... Wolff is a writer who never forgets that a story needs to have a story. So many modern collections meander and try to impress with lingual fireworks that fizzle; Wolff gives you a hearty meal to sink your teeth into.
Tobias Wolff's Greatest Hits:
Perhaps in the tradition of Raymond Carver's decision to compile in 'peak-career' his 'greatest hits' compilation of short stories in Where Im Calling From, out comes Tobias Wolff with this fantastic book. These stories are short-short (more in the length tradition of Barthelme than Carver), but you will be amazed on the clarity, load of the subject, conciseness, and impact. The tone and style can shift between stories as well--humurous to morose, declarative to imperative, relaxed to upfront, 'heavy'... more info
Amazing:
This collection of short stories is nothing short of amazing. I've always cherished my collections of Hemingway and Raymond Carver short stories, but am adding this book as one of those that I can read again and again, each time seeing it fresh.
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