Product Description
An American classic from the bestselling author of the Pulitzer-winning A Thousand Acres.Lidie Newton is an extraordinary female protagonist, a genuine Great American Character, like Huck Finn or Isabel Archer.Lidie and her abolitionist husband join the pioneering westward migration into America's heartland in the middle of the last century. Together with their family and friends, they find themselves caught amidst two great American forces.Vicious arguments about freeing slaves, political shenanigans and peacocking encounters over claims to land are about to erupt into the bloodiest war the world has yet see-the American Civil War.Against this chaotic background,The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton soars across the vista of the birth of the modern United States of America.This classic American novel shows, through the eyes of one remarkable woman, how shattering, tragic and resilient the history of that land is. ... Read more

Product Description
"Glimpses into writers and the circumstances that shape them . . . Valuable gleanings."-Kirkus Reviews

In a second volume of original essays drawn from the long-running New York Times column, Writers on Writing brings together another group of contemporary literature's finest voices to muse on the challenges and gifts of language and creativity.
The pieces range from taciturn, hilarious advice for aspiring writers to thoughtful, soul-wrenching reflections on writing in the midst of national tragedy. William Kennedy talks about the intersecting lives of real and imagined Albany politics; Susan Isaacs reveals her nostalgia for a long-retired protagonist; and Elmore Leonard offers pithy rules for letting the writing, and not the writer, take charge. With contributions from Diane Ackerman, Margaret Atwood, Frank Conroy, Mary Karr, Patrick McGrath, Arthur Miller, Amy Tan, and Edmund White, Writers on Writing, Volume II offers an uncommon and revealing view of the writer's world.
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Customer Reviews (3)

fun to read
A great sampling of writers whose columns were included in the NY Times arts section. Some of the essays are better than others, but is that a surprise?As a writer, I found it interesting.

Not Worth The Time.
"Muse" is right. Muse is all they do in this book. And the musing isnt interesting or helpful. What it reminds me of is a group hug with strangers. As in...what's the point?

Well-Crafted Collection of Essays on Writing
The New York Times weekly column, "Writers on Writing," discusses various aspects of the writing life from the perspective of today's best well-known authors.Jane Smiley collects forty-six of the essays and says, "Read it like eavesdropping or like twisting the knob on an old radio and tuning in stations from far and wide."These brief essays have a confessional feel to them, often declaring writing to be difficult, yet also a worthy task for the truly committed.

Numerous passages detail the obstacles confronted when courting the muse and also offer advice on how to write well.The most entertaining and direct approach stems from crime fiction writer Elmore Leonard and his ten rules to "remain invisible" when writing.He sums them up with the maxim, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite."There are numerous pitfalls that hamper the writing process - the most common is doing everything under the sun but write.

Ann Patchett, author of the critically acclaimed novel "Bel Canto," hilariously explains her battles with procrastination."I have already restored my oven to the level of showroom-floor cleanliness, written a small hill of thank-you notes (some of them completely indiscriminate: `Thank you for sending me the list of typographical errors you found in my last novel'), walked the dog to the point of the dog's collapse.I've read most of the books I've been meaning to read since high school."

What this collection does best is humanize our published idols; the most notable demystification being Arthur Miller's piece on relating his early years of being a struggling writer.Miller may have written the classic play, "Death of a Salesman," but how many knew his first play was a flop and he "resolved never to write another play." The honest feel coupled with an inviting tone make Miller's essay a standout.

However, the entire collection is compulsory reading for any aspiring writers.The piece by Alan Cheuse is a godsend for any late-blooming writer or for those skeptical to pursue a dream as middle-age approaches.Overall, "Writers on Writing" is a delight that will leave you feeling refreshed with pithy insights about the writing world.

Bohdan Kot
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Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk, and Hope brings together Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, O.Henry award recipients,best-selling authors who share personal and compelling challenges and experiences. They reflect on simple, yet powerful choices that provoked change in oneÂ's self and for humanity. All royalties from the sales of this book will benefit The Save Darfur Coalition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A feast of essays from top writers
I am thrilled by the variety of contributors and topics and by the quality of the writing.I heard about the book from one of the featured authors, Tom Grimes.So, of course I read his essay first and was very moved by the story of his struggle with depression and his fear that Prozac would dull his instrument, his desire to write.All of the authors give you something to think about as they explore fear, risk, and hope.They reveal important information about themselves, which in turn causes us to ponder our own responses to risk and fear, and how we turn hopeless situations into hopeful ones. Thank you for putting the book together. It's simply great, kind of a Live Aid in writing. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Fresh Is Right - These Voices are very Unique!
This is the first book I've read in the Best New American Voices series, which I didn't know existed until I was at Borders with my mom in Pennsylvania in June and I saw it on the dollar clearance rack. This series accepts entries from top writing programs and workshops around the country, and chooses the best--in this book there are 15 stories--to publish. I started reading this book on July 25, 2009. A week later, during a camping trip at Vallecito Lake, Colorado, I finished it. Having been a big fan of the Best American Short Stories series for a long time, I was a little skeptical about the Best New American Voices series, thinking, "these writers were just in graduate school when they wrote these stories, how can they be as good as the stories from long-established writers?"

Boy, was I wrong. Granted, some of the stories show signs of amateurism; but then I wondered, "would I even think that if they weren't in this book?" I don't know. Other stories to me seemed to come from tried and true "professional" writers (whatever that means), and I was surprised to know that the authors were just emerging.

Overall, I like this book even better than some of the Best American series I've read, and almost every story grabbed my attention from beginning to end. Sometimes I feel jaded about the Best American stories, which the series editor supposedly picks without knowing the author's name but which happen to feature particular authors over and over again. Sometimes, especially--it seems--depending on the series editor, I think, "what in the world is this story doing in here? It's not even good." But the stories in Best New American Voices were obviously chosen without regard for who the author was, as long as she or he was in a writing program or workshop.

I think my favorite story in this collection is "Alice's House", by Jamie Keene from the University of Oregon. It's about a man who has recently divorced his wife and is getting ready to sell their house and move in with his girlfriend, when his ex wife comes to his house for an unannounced midnight visit. I also liked "Lyndon", by Amber Dermont from the University of Houston, about a young woman whose father recently died. The narrator continues her and her father's tradition of visiting the birth places of U.S. presidents with her mother, with whom she has a strained relationship.

Some of the stories feature quite unique formats, such as "The Jupiter's In", by Sarah Blackman from the University of Alabama, in which each scene starts and ends with missing words or letters, much like the sign on the run-down inn. This story features colorful, unique characters and has a distinctly southern feel. "Begin With an Outline" by Kaui Hart Hemmings from Stanford University is about a narrator attempting to tell an emotional story in a forced outline format. The setting for that story, or at least its background, is Hawaii, and the imagery is very vivid and gripping. "Useless Beauty, or, Notes on Esquire's 'Things a Man Should Never Do After the Age of 30'" by Albert E. Martinez from New Mexico State University (of particular note to me, since I live in New Mexico) is a story told interspersed with excerpts from the article, such as "own a futon," "live with someone you don't sleep with," and "use the word 'party' as a verb." The story itself involves a guy who just turned 30 and who is still hung up on his ex girlfriend. It is set in San Fransisco and, to me anyway, is a commentary on the late 20's/early 30's urbanites who live there.

There are many stories in this collection told from the point of view of a child or young adult, such as Michelle Regalado Deatrick's "Backfire" and Matt Freidson's "Liberty." There are also many stories about the death of a parent, such as Jennifer Shaff's "Leave of Absence", Amber Dermott's "Lyndon", and Sian M. Jones' "Pilot".

All the stories in this series fit the title, being fresh and invigorating reads. I hope to find and read more books in this series and would recommend it to anyone who likes short stories and anyone who wants to read the newest works coming out of America's writing programs.

For more book reviews and other posts of interest to readers and writers, please visit my blog, Voracia: Goddess of Words.

Nice variety
The stories in this collection deal with a number of varied subjects, but most are well written and interesting.I liked it, because there are some styles that I'd not have read if they were not in a collection.I recommend it for anyone who is open minded. ... Read more

Product Description
The eightieth annual anthology in the best-selling, preeminent series contains the work of new talents as well as established authors, including Don DeLillo, Ellen Gilchrist, and Joy Williams, exploring the variety and drama of American life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

TROPICAL TREASURE
I realize it's 2010, and 1995 was about 15 years ago.However, I found this collection in the hotel lobby on a little remote island of Kosrae in the Pacific, and finally got around to tackling it piece-by-piece on a boat and then a plane. Apparently it had been left by an Australian for other tavelers to read, which many of us do on the lttle tropical islands 'cause there ain't no book stores. I read the Amazon reviews and once again, brought to mind about how we all have different preferences in cars, food, movies, lovers, and of course, stories and books. It is an oddball collection of stories but I enjoyed just about every one.I would encourage all to read.You can find my copy in Palau unless someone from the Philippines found it first.Happy reading!

not much to say
I loved this collection so much, that I loaned it out to a friend who never gave it back, and have thought of The Angel Esmeralda and Hand Jive so much that I had to buy it again. The Jennifer Cornell story is quite affecting also.

It must be good if I'm mentioned by name!
My review of this collection is completely biased because of the fact that I appear as a character in one of the short stories. The story is "Hand Jive" by Andrew Cozine and he mentions me by name with the claim that he and I were the smartest students in school. He also goes on to criticize the superhero I created in third grade, for having "too many powers." Unfortunately, my review is tempered by the fact that he incorrectly remembered my superhero's name as "Boy" when I of course know that the real nom de plume was "Comet Boy". As a participant in what is actually an autobiographical story by the author, it is sad to read about the all the personal quirks that tormented Andrew during his life. I'm happy to report that he has turned into a normal, well-adjusted adult (or at least so he seems.)

BASS 95 is a disappointing contribution to a great series.
Short story fans, beware.Jane Smiley has assembled one of the oddest collections of stories ever between two covers.Obviously the original magazines already committed to these authors and stories by publishing them, but for Smiley to call them "best" is unsettling.I thought the first story, Daniel Orozco's "Orientation" (Seattle Review), was the best piece in the book--a knockout tour de force.I also really liked Ellie Gilchrist's "The Stucco House" (Atlantic) and Max Garland's "Chiromancy" (New England Review).Some were near misses for me that some of my students liked (I taught the book in Creative Writing):Kincaid's, Davies', Braverman's.I was shocked to see not one but two creepy stories about grotesquely injured legs allowed to go untended (by Polansky and Dobyns), and Thon's "First, Body" (on a hospital worker who gets trapped under a dead body) is the first story in a BASS anthology I gave a "O" to on a scale of one to ten-- sickening to read.Cozine's very sad tale of a young man's masturbatory personality disorder split my class--some felt it neatly caught gen-x malaise, but one "even hated the paper it was printed on."Well-known writers like Jones, DeLillo, Williams and Jen are not at their best in their contributions here.And why the Atlantic published the farfetched TV-style slick suspense tale "The Artist" (by Falco) is beyond me.I have already found some stories on the 100 title short list at the end I like much better than most of the ones selected.But read the book for yourself and make up your own mind.One thing's for sure: according to these writers, at least, American families are in very deep trouble ... Read more

Product Description
Jerusalem in 1945 is a city in flux: refugees from the war in Europe fill its streets and cafés, the British colonial mandate is coming to an end, and tensions are on the rise between the Arab and Jewish populations. Felix Latimer, a recently orphaned teenager, arrives in Jerusalem from Baghdad, biding time until he can secure passage to England. Adrift and deeply lonely, Felix has no choice but to room in a boardinghouse run by Miss Bohun, a relative he has never met. Miss Bohun is a holy terror, a cheerless miser who proclaims the ideals of a fundamentalist group known as the Ever-Readies—joy, charity, and love—even as she makes life a misery for her boarders. Then Mrs. Ellis, a fascinating young widow, moves into the house and disrupts its dreary routine for good.
Olivia Manning’s great subject is the lives of ordinary people caught up in history. Here, as in her panoramic depiction of World War II, The Balkan Trilogy, she offers a rich and psychologically nuanced story of life on the precipice, and she tells it with equal parts compassion, skepticism, and humor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Book Review
Story sounded interesting but I was not as fond of it as I had thought I would be.Doesn't mean anyone else wouldn't find it interesting.

A WRITER OF BRILLIANCE
Anyone who appreciates superior writers, vivid characterizations and the intersection of history and literature and who has not yet discovered and read any of Olivia Manning's novels must rectify this omission.Of the highest recommendation is Manning's Balkan Trilogy, Levant Trilogy and "School for Love" as well as a fascinating biography about the author written and published after her death. From the Balkan Trilogy, the first novel ("The Great Fortune") is masterfully written. The BBC series based on the two trilogies (Fortunes of War, with Emma Thompson) is a treasure. The recent new edition of "School for Love" with a foreword by Jane Smiley is a must for readers and collectors of fine literature. ... Read more