From Publishers Weekly
With the publication of this virtuoso collection, Gurganus ( Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All ) has again produced a book of literary merit that deserves wide readership. In 10 stories and two novellas written over the last two decades, we meet a delightful array of characters who share the common denominator of white skin, if little else. Narrated almost entirely in an astonishing range of first-person voices, this fiction displays the depth and breadth of Gurganus's skill as a gifted raconteur. In "Condolences to Every One of Us" a woman describes a disastrous African package tour that leads to the death of two tourists. "Breathing Room" is the story of a man who is overtaken by a once sickly younger brother. At age six, he "ached to simply arch right over him, to settle like a jar with air holes and enough floor space so he'd not be bored." But the story ends in a melancholy tone: "Bradley's thirty-four, and thriving; that makes me thirty-six." "America Competes" is a hilarious send-up of arts competitions. "Reassurance" is a delicate letter from the grave of a Civil War casualty that takes up at the final line of Walt Whitman's letter "Death of a Pennsylvania Soldier." The final piece, "Blessed Assurance," is a funny, sad, confessional tale told by a man reflecting on his traumatic youth, when he collected funeral insurance premiums from poor blacks. Gurganus is a champion storyteller with particularly American roots, in the tradition of Mark Twain. This is a collection to be savored and reread while we wait for more.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Gurganus's colorful collection of stories and novellas, written from the mid-Seventies to the late Eighties, is a fine follow-up to last year's best-selling novel Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All ( LJ 5/1/89). Many of the stories are personal, even dedicated to family members, and they have decidedly autobiographical overtones. "Minor Heroism" tells of a war-hero father's awkward relationship to his creative, sensitive son. In "Breathing Room," the older son watches as his once pale, asthmatic little brother eclipses him in size and strength. In "A Hog Loves Its Life," Grandfather tried to pass on some country wisdom to his bookish grandson. Gurganus has a fluid, humorous style that gently pokes fun at and yet honors his Southern roots. This is a poignant, entertaining collection. Recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/90.
-Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., Va.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
