Facing the Music (Front Porch Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Larry Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 1996 | Series: Front Porch Paperbacks

This is the work of a writer unafraid to gaze directly at characters challenged by crisis and pathology. But for readers who are willing to look, unblinkingly, along with the writer, there are unusual rewards.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fireman-turned-writer Brown's 1988 debut collection of short stories.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The stories in this collection by an able new talent are set in the South. The protagonist of the best piecesincluding the title story and a fine work entitled "Samaritans"is usually a boozy, middle-aged man who can't quite make sense of his life. Although Brown hails from Oxford, Mississippi, the hometown of William Faulkner, his laconic, matter-of-fact style resembles Raymond Carver's more than Faulkner's. Highly recommended. Paul Kaplan, Highland Park P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st Front Porch Pbk. Ed edition (January 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565121252
• ISBN-13: 978-1565121256
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mississippi adds another author to its list of greats, January 7, 2001

By 

S. A. Loibner II "Loibner" (Little Rock, Arkansas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facing the Music (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

It has been my opinion over the last three years that the best authors in America writing today are southerners: Ellen Gilchrist, Nancy Peacock, Clyde Edgerton. Two of the best are from Mississippi: Lewis Nordan and Larry Brown.

I won't lie--Nordan is the better of the two, but "Facing the Music" is proof that Brown can hold his own. In this collection of short stories, Brown gives readers a real-life view of southern relationships. Full of drunkeness, violence and bitterness, these stories paint a true picture of love in the South. There is, however, a tenderness in some of these stories that make you understand why lovers even try in the first place.

Give this one a chance. You wont regret it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This debut indicated he was going far., February 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Facing the Music (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

He also indicates he likes women, beer and dogs. In this wonderful collection of short fiction, Larry Brown takes you cruising to smokey bars searching for juicy women. He takes you back home where undesired wives are bitter at their non-willing partners. He takes you to the edge of a horrible accident caused by a child, vigilant at getting back at the driver for killing his dog. He also takes you to the backroads and side streets of Mississippi, where life is thick, humid and the people are thirsty for something to happen.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, bold beginning for great Southern writer, December 6, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Facing the Music (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

FACING THE MUSIC is a series of short stories that Larry Brown wrote while still trying to get his grasp on writing from within. Even from the opening words of this collection, one can discern that he's speaking to the reader from the depths of his soul. Following this lead, most of the stories are engrossing personal portraits of the rotting corpses within personal relationships. Brown accurately arouses feelings in the reader in most of the stories, especially the harrowing 'Kubuku Rides'. And, supplies the occasional chuckle and smile, as well. The only drawback may be how experimental some of his prose is (for instance, the former story is written within a dialect) But, nonetheless-when he communicates the feelings and not the words on the page, his thoughts are the kind that can keep you up late at night pondering your own lives.