A Patrimony of Fishes: Stories [Paperback]

DOUG LAWSON (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"His characters are contemporary, but their struggles are timeless...It's a wonderful collection." -- Ann Beattie

"UFO's, car chases, and elephants...they all turn up...[This is] an irresistable book by a young writer." -- Ed Falco

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Valentine; 1 edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888996048
• ISBN-13: 978-1888996043
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,473,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a spicy soup of intelligent American writing, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Patrimony of Fishes: Stories (Paperback)

"A brilliant first collection of short stories by author Doug Lawson, A Patrimony of Fishes fuses Raymond Carver, Flannery O'Connor and the X-Files into a spicy soup of intelligent American writing. Lawson's prose is both sparkling and patient, pausing to unfold the intricacies of his characters before exploding into a car chase. His themes are basic and mature: hope, lost youth, betrayal. Yet, they bubble up through characters whose obsessions and passions fill the landscape.

"Readers will savor every page, and hope that A Patrimony of Fishes is just the first fresh catch of many to come from this fine writer."

from The Virginia Quarterly Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story collection, September 22, 2009

By 

Jessy Randall (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Patrimony of Fishes: Stories (Paperback)

This is a fantastic story collection. I recommend starting with the heartbreaking story "Elephants" and then, as an antidote, reading "The Particular Lechery of Jacob," which unfolds in a beautiful and surprising way. But all the stories are good. Like, upsettingly good, where you go, wow, that guy is good.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Patrimony of Fishes: Stories (Paperback)

Enjoyed it--I read the story "After Kimberly" in Glimmer Train Stories, went right out and bought the book. It's a great first collection; a book of rare insight and telling description.