The Point: And Other Stories (Paperback)

by Charles D'Ambrosio (Author) "I HAD BEEN lying awake after my nightmare, a nightmare in which Father and I bought helium ballons at a circus..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jesus Christ, Mount Hood, Carol Ann (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316171255
• ISBN-13: 978-0316171250
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #676,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this review was a long time coming..., May 3, 2000

By	I Hate Amazon "contributor" - See all my reviews

...and actually, it's been quite some time since I've read this, but I've been waiting and waiting for someone to come along and write something--anything--about this collection, which deserves more recognition than it seems to be getting, and certainly deserves a better review than I can give it.

All the stories here have a strong voice in the narration and, if memory serves, each has an undercurrent of sadness that is far more palpable than the general domestic trivia you generally find in the products of graduate programs.

The title story is the most notable in the collection and has been anthologized in such publications as Best American Short Stories and Janet Burroway's book on Writing Fiction. It follows an occasion where an adolescent escorts a drunk and emotionally unstable woman safely back to her home, and during the course of the walk various skeletons emerge from their respective closets. D'ambrosio takes a risk with the final image, which some might find rather heavy handed, but I feel it works beautifully and strongly closes the story.

Perhaps my favorite story in the book is "Her Real Name," which follows the relationship between a traveling man named Jones and the strange young woman he picks up, nameless and seriously ill, who finds solace in her faith in God and the company of her driving companion.

Anyhoo, there are seven stories here, and all are worthy reads, so you might want to check this book out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best, July 27, 2007

By	Cathy A. Wethington (Owensboro, Ky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

it has also been a long time since i've read these (although i've read some of them many times) but this collection made D'Ambrosio my favorite writer. The Point and Her Real Name are particularly wonderful. I read The Point aloud to a group of college students. In preparation to doing this, I read it aloud to myself at least 20 times. It never failed to make me laugh and make me cry. Her Real Name is particularly haunting. Even after not having read it in a long time, I still recall images from it as if i was there. It's a shame D'Ambrosio doesn't produce more, but maybe that's what it takes to write something this good. I'm waiting, somewhat impatiently for that novel mentioned in the Tin House interview.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book of stories, December 9, 2002

By A Customer

This is a really great book of stories--they have such deep emotional power. There's one or two that feel overly "writerly" (i.e. boring), but this book is worth buying if only for the first two stories, "The Point," and "Her Real Name" (though several others are good too).

Incredibly good stories filled with unforgettable moments--the end of "Her Real Name" in particular is one of those you never forget. It's weird that this guy doesn't have more books out...