Customer Reviews

The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories from Cliffside, North Carolina

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

 

 

Ron Rash rocks as he delves into life in a small town. From character to setting, Ron gets it right and he delivers. This is more than a witty collection of stories set in a small community in Western Carolina, it's a study into small town characters, their motives, methods, and madness. I found myself laughing out loud and reading bits to a colleague in our Spindale, NC, real estate office. This is a good read. And if you live in Rutherford County - you should read it right away.

This is a book I give as a gift over and over because it is so well written and very entertaining as well. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about characters who are so real, they jump off the page.

I was in Toronto when I first heard of Ron Rash. I saw his name on the back of the 2005 O. Henry Awards collection. I bought it because an old teacher of mine had a story in it, and to kill an eight-hour flight home. When I got back to the UK, somehow I put the volume aside, forgot about it. Three months ago, I finally picked it up and read it. Then I re-read it, then re-read it again. To me, it stood tall and true above the others in the collection. This story was 'Speckled Trout', by an author called Ron Rash. After finishing the story I felt fed, but ravenous for more - the way I felt after first reading the stories of Breece D'J Pancake. Within three weeks, I'd bought and read all of Rash's fiction, and one volume of his poetry.

This, oddly, was the volume of his I read last. Rash loves words: he uses with them precision and care. His prose feels as carved as much as written. Like D.H. Lawrence, Rash grips his subject with both head and heart; a combination rarely seen, and even more rarely seen in balance. Religion, passion, the grip of history: they're all here in these tales. If the stories aren't as polished as those in Casualties, and his new collection Chemistry (shortlisted recently for the PEN/Faulkner award), they're still work of a different calibre. I urge your attention towards them.

I am familiar with the area known as Cliffside; and in Ron Rash's book, I found it easy to relate to the instances and the people that are described. The stories are humorous, and the book is a good one to pick up after a long day at the mill.

Having heard some positive words regarding Rash's writing, I delved into this volume with high hopes. The stories are pleasant and painless, scarcely a ripple of trouble that won't smooth away. The young adult audience targeted by these tales should find them easily palatable and instantly accessible. This work aims slightly South of the reader who feels that TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is the height of American literature. Adults are advised to move on to Rash's later work.

I am a part-time media specialist at Pendleton Library and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have three small children and they were always asking me<as I laughed a lot>"what does it say, mama"?

"Yard of the Month" is my favorite all-time short story. I love to read this aloud to family - for as long as I can keep from laughing. If you know an absent-minded professor, this story will resonate with you. This story is told from the point of view of a child observing his parents interactions with each other and their small-town community.

I learned of Ron Rash recently when a friend mailed me a copy of his excellent short story, "Speckled Trout". After reading that I quickly picked up this collection.

These ten short stories, narrated by three citizens of Cliffside, NC evolve into a novella. Mr. Rash has an ear for earthy dialogue and his characters are real enough for anyone who has spent time among the haves and have-nots of Appalachia. His sight, sound and smell of a small mountain community rings true. There is humor in these pages touched with irony and unspoken sadness.

"There are people in this world who can be happy only if they are unhappy, " he writes, "Unfortunately, these people never want to be happy in their unhappiness alone. So they marry people like Homer."

All too rare in this work are the superbly crafted lines like the above but there is enough here to conclude that this and his other works should be read. In truth I can not say that these stories had the weight and subtly of "Speckled Trout" but I did enjoy them and fully plan to continue to read his work.

Those interested in the genre are also referred to the fine work being done by Bob Sloan, a very talented good old boy from Kentucky.