Customer Reviews

Shiloh and Other Stories (Modern Library Paperbacks)

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One of the blurbs for Bobbie Ann Mason's writing describes it as being like "type O blood" in that it can be given to anyone. I can't think of a better way to put it. "Shiloh" is a good place to start reading Mason as it was her first collection of short stories, and is a good introduction to her world.

Mason's characters all live in a world that's relatable. The Kentucky of her characters is rapidly changing from its rural past to a world of subdivisions, northerners and industry. As the past rolls away from them, so does their sense of connection.

But it's not just the stories that make Mason notable, it's the way she tells them. When I first read the short story "Shiloh" for a class back in college, I was struck at the present tense and the immediacy of her prose. Many writers since have written in present tense, but few are able to write a story that's as sharp as Mason. Also, I usually don't like the use of similes but Mason's similes are so imaginative that they don't feel overdone.

Some of the stories to pay special attention to in this collection are the title story, "Detroit Skyline 1949," "A New Wave Format" and "Nancy Culpepper." The last story, along with "Lying Doggo" concern the same characters and were reprinted in a collection also entitled "Nancy Culpepper" in 2006, which I also recommend.

I never get tired of reading Mason's stories; the tales of people feeling displaced within their own surroundings are just as relevant in the new century as they were in the last.

Bobbie Ann Mason is one of the modern masters of the short story, and to see why all you have to do is pick up this collection. The stories all have a melancholy feel and are simple stories of rural Kentucky. They do at times tend to be very similar, so it is best to break this collection up with something else. But reading this shows you the skill Mason has with the short story, and why so many students love her work. I especially loved the touching story "Drawing Names."

How can there be no other reviews of this great book? "Shiloh" itself is superb, ranking with "In the Gloaming" and "The Lottery" as one of the three all-time great short stories (in my opinion). A++++

Mason is an author who focuses on particulars and the events surrounding them. Her writing is in the minimalist style, dealing with actions, thoughts and events with one main focus point. Her stories are like looking at slices of life that are held under a microscope. They are like an x-ray or lab result where we get some information but do not see the whole patient.

My favorite stories from this collection are as follow.

Shiloh - - Leroy's wife, Norma Jean, lifts weights. Leroy no longer works because of an injury. Norma Jean plans to leave Leroy and will tell him about her plans in Shiloh.

Still Life with Watermelon - - Louise gave up her job and paints hundreds of watermelons. She hopes to sell some paintings to a rich old eccentric who collects watermelon paintings.

A New-Wave Format - - Edwin is a bus driver who transports the developmentally disabled. Usually, he plays mellow music while he drives. He begins to experiment with other types of music and experiences personal growth.

Third Monday - - Ruby meets a man who sells bird dogs at the third Monday flea market. He spends every third Monday with Ruby. She is keeping her mastectomy a secret from him.

As you can see by the titillating synopses, these stories are about specific events. Larger and more important issues become evident when the whole story is read.

Bobbie Ann Mason's characters are so real that you feel like you'd meet them when you're at the grocery store or Target buying laundry detergent or frozen waffles. Some of them, I think, are my relatives (or me). She manages to create people who are unique, yet shows us the parts of them that are just like us. I've read and reread this story collection so many times and never tire of it. I've bought every book she's written and am particularly fond of her short stories.

I was given this book by a friend about ten years ago. Somewhere in between, it went walkabout. It is such a haunting, beautiful set of stories that the chance to get it back - and in hardback - is not to be missed. Tales about working class life don't get much truer or more real than this. Very gentle, very thoughtful, very moving. Worth going out of your way for a copy.

This collection of short stories is loved, even revered, by many fledgling short story writers, and with some legitimate reasons. Bobbie Ann Mason constructs a story well, and her characters behave as real people would. She rarely chooses to give the reader much of a sense of the landscapes in which she works, but when she does, she does it beautifully and economically. Frankly, though, I grew weary of the themes in her stories. In the middle of one of the stories, I think I screamed something like, "If I have to read one more story about dysfunctional relationships, I'm going to shoot myself!" I never did go through with it, in part because Mason does give the reader a taste of some likeable male characters in a few of the stories near the end of the book. I myself would never want to write stories which are, ultimately, as bleak as the stories in this collection, but Mason's bitter humor is often endearing, and her characters are interesting (if similarly crafted from story to story). If you want to read about people from rural Kentucky, read Wendell Berry instead; if you're looking for stories about relationships, read Joyce Carol Oates. Save this one for after you're read just about everything else.