In the Land of Men [Paperback]

Antonya Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1993

In this powerful collection of stories, Antonya Nelson portrays women whose lives have slipped loose from their moorings and the men who can't really anchor them. Here we meet Roxanne, the tomboy who consistently chooses men who are not her equal; the loving Marta, whose husband keeps a separate house where he retreats when married life overwhelms him; and Bebe, a married mother of two teenagers who leaves it all behind when her lover comes on a motorcycle to claim her. With painfully keen perception, Nelson creates stories that linger in the mind long after they are read, and which create a unique view of relations between the sexes in the small towns and big cities of America.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The land of men in these 10 edgy and unforgettable stories is less a place than a state of mind, defined by violence or the hint of it.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In her stories Nelson beautifully portrays the emotional terrain of women, exploring how they feel about their relationships with family members, spouses, lovers, other women, and pets. Nelson's prose is simple, her plots engaging, and her insights penetratingly accurate. In one story, Rory portrays his relationship with Marta "as a symbiotic one in which he supplied the cloud and she the silver lining." In another, Daniel describes the disintegration of his marriage: "These were the subterranean regions, the underground rivers that continued to move, whatever may have seemed stable and inert above." Regina, a 32-year-old divorcee, wonders whether she's ever been in love and what steps she should take toward achieving human warmth after having to rebuff the advances of another woman. Although men comprise an integral part of these stories, the perspective is very much female. Recommended for public libraries.
- Kimberly G. Allen, Na tional Assn. of Home Builders Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1992 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
• Publisher: Avon Books (P) (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380714884
• ISBN-13: 978-0380714889
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,822,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful collection by Ms. Nelson!, January 14, 2005

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This review is from: In the Land of Men: Stories (Paperback)

I read and loved The Expendables and Female Trouble and couldn't wait to read another Antonya Nelson short-story collection. In the Land of Men is another collection centered on women and their relationships. Nelson's prose has a rather simplistic feel to it, but her stories have beautiful, thought-provoking messages within. This collection is quite similar to Female Trouble in that the main characters are all women dealing with their spouses, siblings, lovers, and themselves. My favorite stories are "Inertia," "How Much We Could See," "Fire Season," and "The Happy Day." I enjoy Nelson's collections of short stories. They are almost as good as Joyce Carol Oates's offerings. She is in my must-read list of authors. I recommend In the Land of Men most highly.