Overview

'He is brilliant...one of the more beguiling chroniclers of his times' - The Times In this entrancing first collection of stories, a master storyteller focuses on a fresh and fascinating range of human behaviour, revealing himself as an even more versatile and accomplished writer than his acclaimed novels have shown. As with all Russo's characters, we warm to these newcomers almost in spite of themselves. In the title story, a septuagenarian nun resolutely invades the narrator's college writing workshop with an incredible saga; a seasoned Hollywood moviemaker uncovers a 25-year-old flame he never knew he'd harboured; a precious fifth-grader puzzles over life, love and baseball as he watches his parents' marriage dissolve; another child is forced into a harrowing cross-country escape; and an elderly couple rediscover the power - and misery - of their relationship during a long-awaited retreat to a hurricane-swept resort island.

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9780099437529

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Reviews

An author whose laid-back understatements can be as sharp as other writers' boldest declarations....the architect of stories you can't put down. -- The New York Times <br> [Russo] has joined those writers who can be said to have coined their own universe.... [He] achieves an emotional balance through his humor and generosity of spirit. --Chicago Sun-Times <br> The most expansive of contemporary writers. -- The New York Times Book Review <br> Straightforward and engaging from the first page... Mr. Russo makes writing short stories seem effortless. --Wall Street Journal <br> These beautifully crafted stories, made more appealing by their rueful humor, are the work of a writer at the top of his game. - New York Post <br> Russo is a master of the small moment as nuclear explosion, the life-changing turn of the screw. His writing is unornate, but as authoritative (and cool) as marble. . . .The Whore's Child is . . . powerful and moving. - Atlanta Journal Cons

A master at examining subtly, from a different angle each time, the tensions that arise in long-term relationships The Times Russo here confirms that he is equally skilled at shorter fiction that engagingly and shrewdly achieves through subtle humour exactly what it sets out to do Irish Times Russo has more than a dash of style and an almost infallible technique Times Literary Supplement This volume is the work of a consummate storyteller...his writing displays a warmth of wit and humour, along with an ability to inject drama into a narrative Irish Independent

A master at examining subtly, from a different angle each time, the tensions that arise in long-term relationships * The Times * Russo here confirms that he is equally skilled at shorter fiction that engagingly and shrewdly achieves through subtle humour exactly what it sets out to do * Irish Times * Russo has more than a dash of style and an almost infallible technique * Times Literary Supplement * This volume is the work of a consummate storyteller...his writing displays a warmth of wit and humour, along with an ability to inject drama into a narrative * Irish Independent *

Author Information

Richard Russo won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for his fifth novel, Empire Falls. He is also the author of Mohawk, The Risk Pool, Nobody's Fool, Straight Man, Bridge of Sighs and That Old Cape Magic. His original screenplay is the basis for Rowan Atkinson's film Keeping Mum. He lives with his wife in Maine.

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