Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories (Back Bay Books) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "WHEN I was in the third grade I knew a boy who had to have fourteen shot in the stomach as the result of squirrel..." (more)
Key Phrases: love washes, paper drive, Miss Crystal, Nora Jane, Crystal Anne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Winner of the 1984 American Book Award for Fiction, thislightful, if eccentric, selection of short stories. "The stories are wonderful to tell aloud . . . Miss Gilchrist once again demonstrates not only her willingness to take risks, but her generosity as a writer as well."--The New York Times Book Review.

From the Publisher

6 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 30, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316313076
• ISBN-13: 978-0316313070
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #529,439 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Ellen Gilchrist is like eating Belgian chocolates., February 13, 1997

By A Customer

Ellen Gilchrist has been shocking and inspiring readers of her short story collections and novels for more than a decade. Victory Over Japan is her second book and a perfect entry into the world of deep, funny, and dangerous women and the men who love them. Gilchrist herself is a walking whirlwind of insights and inconsistencies and her characters (rumored to be thinly veiled portraits of herself and her family) display her wit and grace in every line. The men are strong and rich, the women are beautiful and lucky, stepping into the next adventure with a hair-raising "Whyyy not?!" Gilchrist paints a wide canvas of experiences. We are treated to southern characters whose eccentricities transcend stereotype. The really good news is the characters and their families continue and grow throughout her books. Like eating Belgian chocolates, reading Ellen Gilchrist's Victory Over Japan will be exhilirating, satisfying, and leave you eager for the next delicious encounter.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotionally Invigorating, February 16, 1998

By A Customer

This book was very exciting. It made me feel happy,and sad all at the same time. Gilchrist played on every emotion throughout the entire book. With each introduction of a character, she showed the humorous and serious side of them. The women had serious issue with men that they cleverly sought revenge on.This made the book very clever and surpriseing. I had no idea what Crystal was going to do next. I really enjoyed reading this book to find out what was going to happen next.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty and Pain, April 24, 2003

By	Romantic in Chicago "M" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Ellen Gilchrist spoke to me directly in these stories - and I've read every word she's written ever since. The emotions and pain that her "southern belles" go through are incredibly real to me, who has never even been to Fayetteville, Arkansas or Mississippi, or even the southern Illinois of the 40's of which she writes so poignantly. Sometimes she's a little too much of a mother in some of her work, but I thought these stories were perfect.