The Orange Fish [Hardcover]

Carol Shields (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 1990

Emerging from these twelve beautifully articulated stories are portraits of men and women whose affairs and recoveries in life take us into worlds that are both new and yet unnervingly familiar. The smile of recognition and the shock of surprise await readers of these finely crafted stories.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although a variety of well-realized voices animate the 12 stories in Shields's fine collection, they are all plainspoken and direct--the hallmarks of her sturdy prose. All stories except three are set in her native Canada; most have as protagonists people locked into themselves, suffused with nostalgia, regret, incommunicable longing--and sometimes fulfilled by flashes of communication and tentative hope. In several stories, ordinary people undergo metamorphosis: in the title piece, a couple who acquires a lithograph of an orange fish is suddenly accepted into a charmed circle; in "Chemistry" another group is bonded in a magical way by a shared interest; "Hazel" is a widow who acquires job skills and confidence and expects to take control of her destiny--only to discover that "her life is an accident and she has blundered into the heart of it." The most distinctive story is "Collision," which hinges upon the notion that the earth's atmosphere is composed of the "biographical debris" of everyone who has ever lived. Shields's narrative method is suggested in one tale as "the way a human life drains toward one revealing scene." The author of the accomplished novel Swann should widen her audience with these perceptive tales.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this collection of 12 short stories, Shields focuses on ordinary men and women and the everyday events of their lives: travel, holidays, work, relationships. The first story, "The Orange Fish," concerns a couple whose stale marriage is revived by the purchase of a lithograph of an orange fish. There is a certain magic to this tale, which sets up an expectation that is not fulfilled by the remainder of the stories. In these stories, which fail to ignite the imagination or present a fresh perspective, none of the characters is memorable or even sympathetic and plots are virtually nonexistent. Shields pays far too much attention to detail, expressed in florid language; one can almost imagine her at work, Roget's in hand. The reader is often left wondering, "What was the motivation behind this story? Why should I care?" A disappointing work.
- Kimberly G. Allen, National Assn. of Home Builders, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1 edition (July 17, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670833274
• ISBN-13: 978-0670833276
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,922,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Each Story a Little World, April 29, 2000

By 

Short Story Fan (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orange Fish (Paperback)

Each book that I read by Carol Shields only strengthens my admiration. "The Orange Fish", a collection of short stories, is my recent discovery. Although one of her earliest collections, it still bears her signature mark of strong, daring prose/poetry that draws you into the individual worlds of each story. Most of the stories deal with simple, daily occurrences, with every truthful word Carol Shields invites the reader to enter. You feel as if you are interacting with the characters and talking with Kay about her troubled marriage over a cup of tea in "Times of Sickness and Health." You root for the success of Marta's glass-blowing movies in "Collision." You sympathize with Meershank's writer's block in "Block Out." In effect, as the reader, you inhabit the individual world of each story and want to stay longer. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about ordinary people reflected through the mirror of powerful prose.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Collection, August 26, 2004

By 

Melanie (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orange Fish (Paperback)

This collection was much better than I expected. Many of the stories in the dozen that make up the collection touched me, made me think, and changed how I look at a few important things in life. The first story, the Orange Fish, was very interesting and I loved the many messages and interpretations that the lithograph brought out in the different characters. The couple in this story undergoes a metamorphosis because of their purchase of a lithograph of an orange fish; the idea that a purchase can tranform a marriage seems preposterous, but Shields makes it believable. 'Hazel' was another one of my favourite stories, about a widow who acquires job skills and confidence and expects to take control of her destiny and realizes that much of what happens in her life and in the lives around her occurs by accident. Another story, 'Times of Sickness and Health' struck a chord with me, as it has a precise poetic quality to it and a magical element.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Each Story a Little World, April 29, 2000

By 

Short Story Fan (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orange Fish (Paperback)

Each book that I read by Carol Shields only strengthens my admiration. "The Orange Fish", a collection of short stories, is my recent discovery. Although one of her earliest collections, it still bears her signature mark of strong, daring prose/poetry that draws you into the individual worlds of each story. Most of the stories deal with simple, daily occurrences, with every truthful word Carol Shields invites the reader to enter. You feel as if you are interacting with the characters and talking with Kay about her troubled marriage over a cup of tea in "Times of Sickness and Health." You root for the success of Marta's glass-blowing movies in "Collision." You sympathize with Meershank's writer's block in "Block Out." In effect, as the reader, you inhabit the individual world of each story and want to stay longer. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about ordinary people reflected through the mirror of powerful prose.