Spoon River Anthology - Literary Touchstone Classic (Perfect Paperback)

~ (Author) "WHERE ARE ELMER, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Spoon River, Thomas Rhodes, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This complete and unabridged Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology features an extensive glossary and reader's notes to help readers better understand and fully appreciate Masters' work. IN THE TOWN OF SPOON RIVER, ILLINOIS, the dead have been given one final opportunity to speak to the living in the form of epitaphs. Take a stroll through the graveyard; the words on each tombstone create an image of the way the person's life was lived. Together, these tombstones tell of a community that strove for perfection and goodness and relied heavily on faith-but, things don't always turn out as planned... Discover their secrets, heartaches, and regrets; sympathize with their guilt, anger, and sorrow; mourn with those the dead left behind; wander through the history these individuals made through their actions. Ultimately, this cemetery tells of lives that were far from perfect- sometimes, they were even far from good. Through their epitaphs, it becomes clear that these townspeople-neighbors, friends, lovers, family members, and even murderers-saw each other very differently, but now, they all are at rest, as equals, sleeping on the hill.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Prestwick House, Inc. (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580493394
• ISBN-13: 978-1580493390
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #61,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoon River Anthology, August 25, 2007

By	Douglas A. Nelson (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a magnificent collection of short prose and monologues. It's the entire collection and not the stage version (the stage version is condensed and doesn't include all the pieces). All the pieces are given by characters who have come back from the grave to tell a short annecdote about themselves while alive. Some are humorous, some are tragic, and some are moralistic. Most characters are fictitious, but some are not. This is a classic peice of work and extremely well written.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic worth re-reading, August 29, 2007

By	Peggy Davis "Peggy Davis" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's wonderful that a new volume of the Spoon River Anthology has been published after many years. The print is excellent, the size is perfect (a trade paperback.) Edgar Lee Masters' characterizations are timeless, insightful, and beautifully written.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings Back Pleasant Memories, November 4, 2007

By	Christine "cwhd" (Spanish Springs, NV) - See all my reviews

Spoon River is a truly classic collection of creative storytelling and universal emotion. Each character's voice further stimulates the imagination and helps to paint the picture of this fictitious yet very real town. This book is also a gift to actors and theater lovers everywhere. When I was in acting school, I was lucky enough to be assigned the "monologue" of the Lois Spears character (the gratefully blessed blind woman). This was an amazing experience for me as was being introduced to this lovely book.
-Christine Whitmarsh