"The Muddy Fork and Other Things" is a masterful and varied collection spanning 30 years of Crumley's career. Six pieces of journalism, 8 short stories, an interview, and the first portions of 2 novels - "The Muddy Fork" and "The Mexican Tree Duck" - add up to an eloquent, vital and memorable volume.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The section headings for the nonfictional and fictional entries in this anthology (``Journalistic Lies'' and ``Fictional Truths'') betray Crumley's bias regarding the blurred distinction between the two. Most of the pieces reflect the West that has been the writer's home: a land of men, cars and a greed that has left visible marks on the landscape, from the killing of the buffalo to the ``air-conditioned paradise on the Gulf Coast plain'' known as Houston. The stories read like sketches for lengthier works. In fact, two of the best entries (the title piece, set in Crumley's native South Texas, and the ``The Mexican Tree Duck,'' a detective tale) are beginnings of book-length works in progress. Crumley's ( The Last Good Kiss ) stories are earthy and often unnerving, the characters people who seek to flee their past only to find it waiting for them at their destination. In ``Three Cheers for Thomas J. Rabb,'' for instance, a football hero who accidentally kills an opponent on the gridiron is drafted into the army only to find events repeating themselves--not once but twice.
Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A stunning narrative talent" -- THE NEW YORK TIMES
"James Crumley is a first-rate American writer...pyrotechnically entertaining, sexy, compassionate." -- THE VILLAGE VOICE
"James Crumley is a first-rate American writer...pyrotechnically entertaining, sexy, compassionate." -- THE VILLAGE VOICE
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mystery miscellany,
By
This review is from: Muddy Fork & Other Things (Paperback)
Crumley's an original who doesn't write enough. Like the characters of his books, he's a hard drinker, and it unfortunately affects the output. But would he be the same writer if he wasn't the same drinker? We'll never know, so we'll just have to enjoy what precious little escapes. In The Muddy Fork there's a little bit of everything, most of it illuminating on Crumley, as well as on the slightly seamy side of the West. This is the modern Western, warts and all, as unlike John Wayne as cyberpunk is unlike Asimov. My favorite stuff here is the non-fiction, but the short fiction and the brief interview is worthwhile. The novel excerpts (from uncompleted novels) I could have missed, at least while Crumley is still alive and the possibility remains that he may finish one of these.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Only one star out tonight...,
By
This review is from: Muddy Fork & Other Things (Paperback)
What da ya want? an encapsulated regurgitation of lost words? It will suffice to say "Not here not now!" Dive into the work if you want a thrill. Dig a fresh one and begin again. This is your time, for he's gone. -sour mash
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
