Customer Reviews

The Family Diamond: Stories

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I reviewed the author's debut novel, Responsible Men, I said "If Schwarzschild can follow this magnificent book with others of equal quality, he will become one of the major figures in American letters." Based on this new collection of short stories, he's well on his way. This is another impressive performance, and it displays many of the virtues of the previous work: an ability to draw endearing, yet quirky characters; natural dialogue; a strong sense of plot; and a humanitarian underpinning that never oversimplifies or panders. My only regret is that I now have to wait for the next work, instead of being able to catch up on a large backlist. May Schwarzschild be as prolific as he is talented!

This book was chosen for my book club. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a collection of short stories, some of them are connected to each other. The author has a gift for observation, and you will feel as if you know these characters, or have seen these people at the grocery store, church or even your own family. I read this book several months ago, but I still find myself thinking about these stories today. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good read.

When this book was released, there was a signing event in Albany, NY, where I heard the author read from one of the short stories--"Irreversible"--and it was a real crowd pleaser. After reading the rest of the collection, I still count "Irreversible" as my favorite. It engages in a bit of Benjamin-Button-like fantasy, whereas the rest of the stories are firmly grounded in reality.

The stories of Milly and Charlie Diamond make great "bookends" to this story collection, and Schwarzschild weaves the family's thread through the rest of the book, but each story is easy to appreciate independent of the others. "What to Expect" and "Spring Garden" also were personal favorites. I agree with the previous reviewer that Schwarzschild has a gift for observation.