Pieces: A Collection of New Voices [Paperback]

Stephen Chbosky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

MTV has discovered the authors of tomorrow. Read them today in Pieces.

This unique short-story collection is more than a good read -- it's an exciting glimpse into the future of fiction. The winners of MTV's "Write Stuff" competition share their voices and visions in tales that are endearingly raw, undeniably bold, and engagingly inventive.

In Next Time, a housewife encounters a gunman -- an experience that changes her life, and her mind, in surprising ways...Pinball is an edgy tale of a young mail clerk's hidden sex life...After her broken engagement, a cook in New York goes to work for a chic SoHo couple in Roam...Mother captures the tragedy of a woman's illness, as witnessed through her daughter's eyes...In Day of the Dead, a humorously doomed relationship begins when a twentysomething's boyfriend returns from an Outward Bound trip and moves in with her...Two old high school friends reunite -- and compare their very different lives -- in Black Cowboy.

Along with other stories and an introduction by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Pieces is filled with the excitement of discovery -- as a host of newcomers present their works to a wide and eager audience.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

stephen chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. He helped edit and contributed material to John Leguizamo's Broadway show, sexaholix. He also edited Pieces, a collection of short stories for Pocket Books. Most recently, he wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed film adaptation of Rent. He also co-created and served as executive producer of the post-apocalyptic drama, Jericho, which found a place in television history when its cancellation prompted fans to send over 40,000 pounds of nuts to the network in protest. the perks of being a wallflower is his first novel. As well as being an author, Steven Chbosky is a film director and screenwriter. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: MTV Books; Original edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671001957
• ISBN-13: 978-0671001957
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an amazing collection of stories, August 9, 2001

By 

Stephen S. Mills (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pieces: A Collection of New Voices (Paperback)

This collection of short stories left me wanting more from many of the authors included, many of which are working on novels. I was first led to this book by the editer, Stephen Chbosky, whose novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as become a personal favorite, one I've already read twice.

The stories included are all refreshing and range greatly in style and subject matter. I was amazed by so many of them and was stunned by the authors interesting, hip and refreshing take on telling a story. I don't normally read short stories, but I really liked reading them because so many of them are very short, 10 pages or less and you can read them quickly and be done with those characters. Also if there is one you don't care much for it's not very long and you can move on to another more interesting story.

Some of my favorite stories were, "Polariod," which gets you into the mind of crowd all standing around the Eiffel Tower. The way the story is told is awesome and leaves you satisfied. "The Carnival" was another favorite, it's amazing use of metaphor will leave you breathless.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in finding new, fresh, authors who aren't afraid of shocking you.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pieces, December 6, 2003

By 

Laura (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pieces: A Collection of New Voices (Paperback)

Pieces isnt a bad book at all! I had some low expectations for it due to some of the other reviews, but all in all I was pleasantly surprised with most parts of the book. It isnt very reminiscient of "Perks of Being a Wallflower" if you're expecting that.

Overall, I give it a B, some of the stories were horrible (Mother, White Carousel Horse) and then, some were marvelous,(Roam, Forbidden Fate). Others were mediocre.

Dont listen to the people saying this book is "too much to take" because I am 16 and a high school junior. I found it to be a good read that kept me interested and entertained.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly believable, August 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pieces: A Collection of New Voices (Paperback)

The thing that I most enjoyed about this book was that I could actually relate to the stories. Stephen is not only a wonderful writer, but a spectacular editor as well. He did a great job bringing this book together and making it into what it is today.