From the author's foreward- "Any reasonably long life, looked back upon, irresistibly suggests a journey. I see these stories, inventions on a base of experience, as rest stops, pauses while I tried to understand something or digest some action or clarify some response."
This book contains 31 Stegner short stories written in the early career of the writer- 1920s-1950s. The tales are driven by emotions and characters. They take us back in time to a simple, but often harsh, life when living was more basic. The character's relationships to each other and often their environment is chronicled magnificiently in these stories.
To me, these are what short stories should be- they place the reader in the middle a life, a place, a dilemma unique from our daily lives. Stegner is masterful at describing the emotions and thoughts of his characters- from women awaiting overseas letters from soldiers to a farm boy experiencing his first butchering of a pig. The stories will allow readers to remember distinct moments in time that our parents and grandparents lived.
I have many favorites in this collection, particularly ones depicting lives in rural and remote areas in the west.
No comments:
Post a Comment