A woman recalls the freedom and power of childhood games; a surprise anniversary party goes awry when the husband is hospitalized and the fault lines and strengths of a family are laid bare; a teacher rediscovers her calling amidst unthinkable tragedy; a lonely woman recognizes her responsibility to her sister's troubled life-in this collection of stories the prose and passion of life are brought together in ways that show both the complexity and the simplicity of living. Told against a Midwest background, they focus mainly on women's experiences, yet nonetheless reflect universal conditions. This is what makes Karen Gettert Shoemaker's style so affecting and her stories so appealing. These stories show the importance of knowing the preciousness of this life, whatever form it takes. These are simple stories, told with a grace and elegance that belies their joyful art and craft. ""Crafted with care and grace. This book establishes Shoemaker as a talented chronicler of rural life and domestic gestures, with an eye for what's funny in grief, and what's sad in humor.""-Publishers Weekly ""Short stories at their finest can be the ultimate in fiction: compressed gems that in a few words can create memorable people and emotions out of thin air. Shoemaker's first collection contains such, and readers will laugh and cry at her spare portrayals of loss and friendship. . . . This is a powerful and valuable collection.""-Library Journal
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The 16 stories in this debut collection offer a comprehensive look at pivotal events in the lives of women and girls in the rural Midwest. Shoemaker is at her best writing from the perspective of a child or an adolescent, particularly in "Playing Horses," a story in which a young girl filters the difficult experiences of her youth through her love of horses, and in "Dyanna's Face Reflected in Glass," in which an adolescent girl's jealousy of her best friend backfires when she gets raped by the friend's fianc‚. The title tale offers a more poignant exploration of childhood issues, as a young girl struggles to talk her father into letting her go on a fishing trip with her older brothers. The stories with adult protagonists aren't quite as consistent, but there are still some fine moments, especially in "Crossings," in which a mother and daughter retreat to a lakeside cottage to face death together. Shoemaker's chief asset as a writer is her talent for observation and nuance, which she puts to especially good use when kids have to observe and interpret adult behavior. Though her one male narrator, who writes about his wife's death in a random shooting in "Orphans," is hollow and unconvincing, the rest of her stories are quietly accomplished. If they sometimes feel mannered, they are also crafted with care and grace. This book establishes Shoemaker as a talented chronicler of rural life and domestic gestures, with an eye for what's funny in grief, and what's sad in humor.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Short stories at their finest can be the ultimate in fiction: compressed gems that in few words can create memorable people and emotions out of thin air. Shoemaker's first collection contains such stories, and readers will laugh and cry at her spare portrayals of loss and friendship. Many, like the title story, in which a girl wants to be included in an early morning fishing trip with her father and brothers, evoke painful childhood emotions that resonate throughout adult life. Long-lost childhood friendships that change with time ("Playing Horses") and relationships between sisters ("Back Seat"), and between mother and child ("Crossings" and "Seams") are presented in clear detail. A few knock-off stories of a couple of pages are also included, but overall this is a powerful and valuable collection.
Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
quiet elegance,
By Mark Zieg (Dayton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Night Sounds and Other Stories (Paperback)
Karen Shoemaker's debut collection of stories is beautiful, elegant and heartbreaking. So much fiction I read today relies too much on sensationlism, but not Shoemaker. Her stories are quiet triumphs, and I can return to this book again and again. Though her stories are set in the midwest, I find her topics and scope reaches across the country. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has appreciated the work of Marly Swick, Ann Beattie, Anne Tyler, and more. Enjoy!
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