Big World (Paperback)

~ Mary Miller (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Mary Miller's Big World is the second book and first work of fiction to come out of Short Flight/Long Drive Books, a publishing arm of the independent literary journal Hobart. The characters in Mary Miller's debut short story collection are at once autonomous and lonesome, possessing both a longing to connect with those around them and a cynicism regarding their ability to do so, whether they're holed up in a motel room in Pigeon Forge with an air gun shooting boyfriend as in "Fast Trains" or navigating the rooms of their house with their dad after their mother s death as in "Leak." Mary Miller's writing is unapologetically honest and efficient and the gut-wrenching directness of her prose is reminiscent of Mary Gaitskill and Courtney Eldridge, if Gaitskill's and Eldridge's stories were set in the south and reeked of spilt beer and cigarette smoke.

About the Author

Mary Miller's stories have been published in dozens of print and online journals, including Black Clock, Mississippi Review, McSweeney's Quarterly, Oxford American, Quick Fiction, elimae, Smokelong Quarterly, and Hobart. Her story "Leak" was selected by ZZ Packer for inclusion in New Stories from the South, 2008. She is currently a student at the Center for Writers in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Hobart (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974954187
• ISBN-13: 978-0974954189
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,221 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and touching stories, October 16, 2009

By	Curtis Smith (PA) - See all my reviews

Mary Miller's Big World presents the world with a new and wonderful voice in the world of short fiction. Her characters are unique and her prose is clean and fresh. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the strongest female voices today, October 13, 2009

By	Richard Thomas "wickerkat" (chicago, il) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered MMs work at the Literary Death Match, an off-site event at this year's AWP Chicago writer's conference. The editor of Hobart, Aaron Burch, read from BIG WORLD. And after that it was all over for me. I got the collection and LOVED it. Keep an eye out for her other work. In fact, SEEK it out. Other similar voices that I have recently discovered, would include Mary Gaitskill (BAD BEHAVIOR), Holly Goddard Jones (GIRL TROUBLE) and Amelia Gray (AM/PM).

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, June 11, 2009

By	Sarah Smart (Southern State) - See all my reviews

Mary Miller's "little" book is a very enjoyable read. The stories, all dealing with young women's struggles, are both sad & funny.