Customer Reviews

Wingtips: Stories by Avery Chenoweth (Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The main character in this collection is believable and bold in revealing himself, even when his behavior and motives are less than admirable. The style reminded me of Peter Taylor. The stories are humorous ones, about a dysfunctional and divided family, with love and pain which show through the humour.

Old fashioned story telling. A heart about it and a narrative that you just don't see a lot of these days. But about that beer. He pays. right?

I really enjoy the way Chenowth writes. He has a distinctive voice which carries his stories along. All nine revolve around various members of the Goodpasture family, starting in the mid sixties, and moving along through to present-day.

Each story focuses on a different member, although some are more represented than others. Most of the stories have a different location, ranging from Cape Cod to Jacksonville, FL. In each we read of the inner hopes and fears of a character, and explore their lives as they live these out.

If you enjoy books with wit and humor, depth and exploration of the relationships between family members, you'll be pleased with this collection.

These stories gently drew me in: to a world of dwindling privilege; to a family losing its way as a family yet still finding something to love in one another; through writing that is charming, heartfelt, and evocative. These stories profoundly affected me.

It's a treat to feel a story is shared rather than told and a credit to the author who can bring you fully into his world. Old world charm, contemporary prose, patience for detail and a candid, genuine voice make this collection well worth owning.

I was pretty sure that I liked this book when I finished it a few weeks ago. I realized the other morning that I've continued to think about the characters during my morning commute, considering the main character's situation closely. Most books leave my head the moment that I close them; this has held on for many days.

Talk about your existential alienation! The characters in this book move through the stories like a group of dispossessed customers at a late night cafe with nowhere to go. An all too familiar feeling to many of us, alas, especially those with enough literary taste to appreciate the subtle, elegant, and often shimmering prose that Chenoweth presents, seemingly without effort. One is reminded of FitzGerald, and even some of Tom Wolfe. A combination of parody and internal angst that skims across the surface of today's society in an urbane style that is a relief from the simplistic "he walked into the room" stories that seemed to have predominated the New Yorker set (except of course, for the exquisite Updike, who Chenoweth reminds us of frequently)of late. A promising first book.

I thoroughly enjoyed several of the stories in the book. Chenoweth is a wonderfully witty writer.

I have one more story to read, but I keep putting it off because I don't want this book to end--it is simply delicious. It is so refreshing not to be wading through another pile of modern angst--I just hope that Chenoweth is back at his computer writing another one. This is truly a gem

Like John Cheever, Chenoweth's stories take aim at family life, leaving comet tails of insight and humor along their path to the target. Bullseye. Dead center.