The Rose City [Import] [Hardcover]

David Ebershoff (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Viking; First edition. edition (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297607227
• ISBN-13: 978-0297607229
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

More About the Author

David Ebershoff is the author of four books of fiction, including The Danish Girl, The Rose City, and Pasadena. His most recent novel is the international bestseller, The 19th Wife. His writing has won a number of awards, including the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Lambda Literary Award. His books have been translated into eighteen languages to critical acclaim. Two of his novels are being adapted for film and television. Ebershoff teaches in the graduate writing program at Columbia University and is an editor-at-large at Random House. Originally from Pasadena, California, he now lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's Understanding, September 7, 2001

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rose City and Other Stories (Hardcover)

David Ebershoff is one of the more exciting new writers of fiction on the scene today. In his latest book of stories he proves that not only does he write well, but he also has that rare ability to create characters so real that we can swear that we've met them. And this is all the more unusual in that the people he creates are far from heroic. They represent that part in all of us that just borders on malfunctional, traits that if pushed further would be gross fodder for the mental hospital. And yet he makes us care for them....passionately.

Ebershoff also firmly understands Pasadena, California - a strange place watched by millions on January 1 each year as a haven for beautiful flowers, purple mountains, palm trees, and terribly affluent people. Without resorting to disdain Ebershoff lets us get to know these sequestered relics from another time who refuse to move out of their historic importance into reality. He takes on the guise of the very young, the aging closeted divas, the used up street walkers and wanabe sex toys, and with each narrator voice he seems to be intuitively right on target. This is a superb collection of stories from a writer who merits our close attention. His next novel will be eagerly awaited by a growing devoted readership.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional reading and thought provoking, December 12, 2002

By 

Thomas Ligotti Reader (Somewhere, on earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rose City and Other Stories (Hardcover)

While reading these David Ebershoff's short stories I kept turning to the back of the book to see his photograph. He reminds me of the boy-next-door and his innocent eyes and slight smile grabs you -- and his short stories are anything less than innocent. Where on earth did Mr. Ebershoff come up with these wonderful gems? They're brilliant! Seven short stories -- seven different themes totally. Readers who want crisp, tight reading will find The Rose City compelling and difficult to sit down. I don't describe plots in my reviews, but anyone who wishes gay-themed short stories that go beyond sex and looking good is in for a major treat. I highly recommend The Rose City. So much in fact I'm giving it a second read immediately. If I could rate the book higher than a 5, I would.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Collection of Short Stories Courtesy Of Ebershoff, June 26, 2002

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rose City: Stories (Paperback)

David Ebershoff cements his reputation as one of the most exciting writers of my generation in this elegant collection of short stories dealing with relationships from the perspective of a gay lifestyle. He writes with much grace and understanding, offering sympathetic portrayals of gay characters ranging in age from ten to forty eight. It's one of the best recent collection of short stories I've read, rising close in stature to Rick Moody's "Demonology". Having enjoyed both "The Danish Girl" and now, "The Rose City", I eagerly await reading Ebershoff's next novel.