A collection of eleven connected stories follows Dan Foley as he is initiated into his family's funeral business, attends college in St. Petersburg, Florida, transforms his brother's war tales into his own, and becomes obsessed with the girl at the theater's ticket window. A first collection.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An existential sadness pervades this affecting first collection of interlinked stories, which chronicle a man's attempts to take control of his life and his defeat at destiny's firm hands. We meet Dan Foley as a youngster accompanying his undertaker father "on removal," during which he learns that death can reveal terrible secrets. In his subsequent misadventures, some inherently more dramatic than others, he grows up to become a Florida architect and the father of two children, yet still feels distant from his own experience. In "Foley Returns" a criminal cousin reaches across the years to remind Dan that the "old routes of comfort" and the "soothing geography" of family relations can simply disappear. But lessons always come too late, and he persists in trying to manipulate his fate. "Foley's Motto" shows him attempting to adhere to such vague maxims as "love something" and "expect nothing," only to find that destiny has another idea--in this instance, divorce. Chiarella, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker , sets forth these hard truths in unvarnished, seemingly artless prose that assumes transcendent power.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Chiarella chronicles the stages of his protagonist's life in a series of 11 short stories, ranging from childhood to old age. Dan Foley is an imaginative and somewhat eccentric character, not unlike John Irving's T.S. Garp. As a youth, he and his drunken brother Hank serve as indifferent apprentices in his father's mortuary. Neither son elects to take over the business. Hank leaves home without saying goodbye, creating a bit of a family schism, and Foley utimately graduates from the University of Florida with a degree in architecture. He meets Grace, his future wife, while working in a movie theater during college. They have two children, to whom Foley is devoted, and eventually divorce. A benign storyteller, Foley engages in lies and magical thinking, which sometimes get him into trouble. The tales of Foley (a.k.a. Berard) have appeared in The New Yorker , Story , and The Florida Review . Recommended for public libraries.
- Kimberly G. Allen, National Assn. of Home Builders Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Kimberly G. Allen, National Assn. of Home Builders Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some Great Stuff,
By A Customer
This review is from: Foley's Luck: Stories (Hardcover)
There's a thread of Raymond Carver running through these stories. Especially "Foley as Crabman." It'd be interesting to see the author's original vision for the collection, but the book is a worthy read despite the edited structure.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A page turner; funny, sophisticated, and truely enjoyable,
By A Customer
This review is from: Foley's Luck: Stories (Hardcover)
A fantastic collection of comtemporary short shorties. Chiarella is definately one of America's future literary stars. Foley's Luck is a fantastic read, I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did!
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful and Powerful Read!,
By
This review is from: Foley's Luck: Stories (Hardcover)
It is a shame this book is out of print, as it is undoubtedly one of the best short story collections of the 1990s. Chiarella has a grasp of the human condition as acute as that of Lorrie Moore's, and he has a way of writing frankly and openly in a manner that pays homage to the late Raymond Carver. "Foley's Luck" is a collection of poignant stories that follows the main character, "Foley," through life, love, loss, and everything in between. Chiarella manages to pack an incredible punch into each one of these stories (a couple of which originally appeared in "The New Yorker"), and you will most likely find yourself finishing the book in one or two sittings. Chiarella's writing flows beautifully and this book deserves to be put back into print.
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