Customer Reviews

Small Worlds: Adopted Sons, Pet Piranhas, and Other Mortal Concerns

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Robert Klose's second book enables the reader to sit down and listen to Klose's story telling as if one were sitting around a family fireplace listening to a favorite uncle. His reprinted stories from the Christian Science Monitor, especially those about his two adopted Russian sons, are like listening to favorite family stories told again and again. One can never tire of these tales, especially the debate over buying Alyosha's new sneakers or Anton's plans to run away. In addition, Klose's personal tales of growing up sketch scenarios into which one could be in the street playing ball with Klose's buddies or tooting the clarinet in the music lesson. The story of Klose's first clarinet recital left us laughing for hours. This is a book for everyone, and reads well as a family book for read-aloud activities. There's something here for everyone, and in true Prarie Home Companion style, we find ourselves laughing and crying together.

After reading Adopting Alyosha (a few years ago) and loving it, I just knew I had to read Klose's new book. I was also familiar with some of his essays written in the Christian Science Monitor (loved them as well). Klose's new book is an extremely pleasurable read. His style of writing brings the reader in entirely. I especially enjoyed the chapter on nostalgia. I highly recommend this book to everyone!!!!

I read many of these columns when they were originally in the Christian Science Monitor. They were warm, soft slippers on a cold, winter night back then.
Now, all together in this one volume, they're the steaming stove, the hot mug of mulled cider and bowl of popcorn PLUS the slippers, all rolled into one.
To say these gems are easy to look at, is easy to say. What's hard, is putting the book down after finishing one...because you want to read just one more before going to sleep.

Robert Klose, a prolific writer from Maine, has compiled an excellent collection of his truly heartwarming essays. His writing style is always direct yet homey and very very captivating. Klose writes of his experiences growing up and what it was like to be young in the fifties and sixties but he also makes you feel a part of his family when writes about raising two adopted sons. This is an excellent book -- an easy read that can be enjoyed by young adults and their elders.

From river pumpkins to chasing down the ice cream truck with the fervor of a young boy, Robert Klose writes about life, travel, learning, parenting, teaching, and just plain living with these heartfelt stories. I could never get enough of the way he captivates his audience. One can't help but reminisce in their own fond memories. Thank you, and keep writing!

I can always count on Robert Klose to provide witty stories that make me ponder, think, and laugh. In this book I read and learned about pet Piranhas, river pumpkins, baseball, and the weekly Mainer trade magazine. All was enjoyable and a treat to read.

Insightful, humorous, poignant & just plain fun to read. I hope there will be more to come.

Klose's illustrative prose captured me from the get-go. His short-stories truly speak to everyday Americana. With essays on lazy Sundays and ice cream sodas, it wasn't hard to commiserate with his writing. Small Worlds is a light read--worth picking up.

Just thinking about this book and the beautifully written stories within makes me smile. These are the kind of stories that can illuminate the heart and quicken the mind. If you read any book this year, make some effort to aquire and read this one, the rewards are worth it. I know I'll be reading this one again in the future.

This is an incredible collection of non-fiction short stories - to call them essays would be unimaginative. The poetic cadence, the unique observations about the world as viewed by a father raising two adopted sons brings the reader new awareness. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, others made me sniffle, and along the way I experienced Maine and the snow and trees and puddles as never before. I dare you to read the chapter "Snow Recedes and Treasures Emerge" without rediscovering the feeling of a child's unblemished delight. Read this book at a leisurely pace in your favorite chair on a quiet morning and experience exquisite writing.