Self Storage and Other Stories (MVP) [Paperback]

Mary Helen Stefaniak (Author)

Book Description

Series: MVP | Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Fiction. What a joy these stories are! Spun from the stuff of everyday life, they are carefully constructed, lovingly sewn, and touched here and there by the miraculous. Mary Helen Stefaniak knows her craft, and she is a wonderfully humane writer. These are transformative tales. Like the woman in The Dress from Bangladesh, we slip into them, expecting the same old thing, and suddenly we shiver all over, as if touched by an electric tingle. The world around us is the same but we are changed, our awareness heightened, our empathy renewed (Sharon Oard Warner, author of LEARNING TO DANCE AND OTHER STORIES).

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . . Unlike so much new fiction today, these stories are not jagged little pills meant to evoke some dramatic literary response. Rather, these are sensitive, humane stories so artistically depicted that the reader senses an unfolding of everyday life, wondrous and sometimes quirky. The ideas developed are the special kernels of wisdom gathered through living, nuggets involving interesting characters with exquisite facets, brought to awareness to examine and enjoy for truth, beauty, strength, and understanding.

. . . . Add this volume to your collection. Read these stories out loud. They are magic. Each will tingle and transform you in unexpected and joyous ways -- The Iowa Source, Oct. 1997

In Iowa writer Mary Helen Stefaniak's new book, "Self Storage and Other Stories," the familiar world is both funnier and sadder than it seems. . . .

These nine stories make the reader take a sharper look at the mundane. They'll also make you laugh-sometimes out loud.

Stefaniak's very readable, too. She writes clearly, without ponderous words or unnecessarily complex sentences.

....Putting the tragic and the comic cheek-to-jowl like that is Stefaniak's gift. It's a wonderful one for her readers -- Kalamazoo Gazette, Nov. 4, 1997

From the Author

Stefaniak's stories and essays have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including The Crescent Review, The Iowa Review, The North American Review, Short Story, The Yale Review, and Bless Me Father.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: New Rivers Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898231833
• ISBN-13: 978-0898231830
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,571,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Named the best book by a Wisconsin writer for 1997., April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Self Storage and Other Stories (MVP) (Paperback)

Self-Storage received the Banta Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for the best book (fiction on non-fiction) published by a Wisconsin author in 1997. It's a wonderful collection of short stories, fresh and alive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who owns a car!, November 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Self Storage and Other Stories (MVP) (Paperback)

We have all had the car problem of the red light that stays on forever, only to have it disappear at the repair shop. Funniest story ever: getting one of those new "water closets" in your house. (Right next to the Kitchen!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling stories about families., October 13, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Self Storage and Other Stories (MVP) (Paperback)

Here's a dazzling collection of stories most often about the pleasures, pains, and mysteries of family life. The title story, "Voyeurs," is itself worth the price of admission. "The Lonely Seat" is another lovely story. Here and throughout, you'll find beautiful and subtly wrought images, and always Stefaniak's keen understanding of the workings of the human heart.