...this books writting styles are in no match with any other book that i have read pure genious.

This book -- billed as "a portable George Garrett" is just that. It includes samples of his work from many years and shows how he can master almost any form. The stories of his family and of his academic career are especially engaging. But the volume contains one section from his magnificent stories of the Tudor period. This is a book by an author who has not received his due of acclaim.

I just recently finished reading Bausch's book, and was pleasantly surprised. What I find so wonderful is the versitility of each story, how differently Bausch can speak of relationships: compare the two different kinds in "What Feels Like The World" and "The Fireman's Wife." I especially like that Bausch doesn't tell all. There is a treasure within each story, something waiting behind it that is available to the reader if he/she is so inclined to find it. The way he deftly handles his characters, both lovingly and slightly critically, is just amazing. I was really moved by these stories.

Richard Bausch is a masterful storyteller. Ever since I first met him, as a fiction writing student at George Mason University in Fairfax VA, I've been intrigued and mystified by his literary skills. This collection of some of his best stories includes my favorite: "What feels like the World", a heartbreaking tale of a grandfather and his grandaughter. How can your heart not break in that closing passage? I first read "The Man Who Knew Belle Starr" as a college freshmen. That was my introduction. I've been hooked ever since.

This a great book, if only for the sneaking way Andrews's superb writing sudenly shocks the reader into the realization of what great talent he had. I won't give away any of the story- readers should pick up the book and find out for themselves. I will tell you, though, that what attracted me to Andrews in the first place was the tragic story of his all too short life. I may be suspect for reading a book only because of the interest I had in the author's personality. Does this take away from the work ? Possibly, but authors are intriguing people, and their personal stories can be as compelling as their fiction. Andrews has an elegant style that comes across as almost savage at the same time. This book is populated with a vivid gallery of characters that breath life right of the page. Andrews can take his palce among the canon of great the Southern writers that came befor him- Faulkner, O'Connor- and his living contemporaries like the Great George Garrett. Read and enjoy !

Very disappointed to see it is out of print

This sensitive story about an adolescent's surprising, unfolding discovery of his father's motivation in a semmingly sordid past will leave the patient reader with one of the last quarter century's more moving-insight experiences. Clearly written, observant, fully believable, a must for Americans interested in truth..

This is a coming-of-age story of a young man who is lost in the idealism of the early 60's, and having lived the era, I feel the pathos of this character, as well as the humor in the life he leads. The protagonist Walter Marshall,is nineteen years old,innocent,a devoted Catholic with a reverence for his struggling mom, a deep patriotism,and a lingering insecurity about his place in the world. The book is laced with great, laugh-out-loud humor. The characters are rich and believable.And the book has a very surprising ending. And believe it or not, some of us really were that innocent back in those days!This was a nostalgic look back for me. But this book is an enjoyable way to transport yourself to the uncertainties of this era if you weren't around to experience them. Get it, and enjoy!

I had to read this novel for my Us History class, and I'm not the most interested reader when I have to force something upon me to read. My teacher gave us a choice of about 30 books and as I read the brief synopsises of the books she said that this book had humor, love story, and about a man who was just learning about himself in the early 60's. My teacher seemed to enjoy it and so I said what they hey! I read the book and it just took me with this poor young 19 year old kid who was not sure what he's doing but he was doing it quite fast and was just trying to please everyoen in the process. Just to see was transpired it was so interesting and I couldn't put it down. The funniest parts I thought were when he was in confession with the priests. I really recommend this book to anyone! I'm reading another one of his books because I was so impressed but his style of writing I had to read more! I'm reading "In The Night Season" so far so good! This is just one of the many books I've read this past year that I chose that have been so good. I just feel I'm on some type of streak! Hah!

This novel mixes an innocent protagonist, an older and socially-inept girlfriend, organized crime, radio personalities, and "love at first sight" to become one of the funniest books I've ever read. In the tradition of his story, "Aren't You Happy For Me?" Bausch really throws the reader a curveball.

The hero wants to grow up to be President. In the meantime, he's taking radio broadcast classes at the local community college while trying to make time with an attractive German student. The hero's girlfriend is a wealthy girl, slightly older than him, overbearing and obtuse and totally insensitive. When Our Hero's school gets into trouble with the local loan shark, he steps in to save the day. This novel was my introduction to Bausch and still my favorite of his long fiction. Read it.

Richard Bausch in these stories--of an older men with younger women, of a woman recovering from a dysfunctional relationship who hooks up with a horrible golfer who persuades himself he is good, of a man with low self-esteem who stumbles out of a bar drunk one morning to save a busload of children, of a man who wins the lottery only to face the final anomie of life as loss--takes somewhat downtrodden and mundane middle-to-lower class characters and reveals them in their secret glory. He has a way of fully seizing an everyday situation and revealing to us its depths, sometimes switching character point of view within the same story. The stories have the opposite effect of Chinese food according to the culinary cliche: they may seem on the light side while being mentally digested, but in retrospect they confer literary nutrition--staying, like the best fiction, with you long after the book is closed; these then are stories whose characters, if not the most memorable, are so real, so deeply sliced from the pie of modern American life, that their quandries and partial resolutions, their fictional or fictionalized lives, tend to merge with one's own memories.

I first heard of Richard Bausch when he praised some work of Janis Ian's. I went to see what kind of writer he was, and was pleasantly informed. He really develops his characters. They are real to the reader, and you can be sympathetic toward them even as they bumble and stumble through life ... just like we all do. Not alot of fun & happy endings here, but the stories will touch your heart in a good way.

Seems an oxymoron, but anyone who's read other books by Bausch knows it isn't. Bausch portrays deeply painful situations with humor and a sense of abiding compassion for his characters. You will put this book down in pain, both in empathy for its characters and in sorrow that it's over. A wonderful read.

This antholology has some excellent selections, with intelligent choices made as to which works of certain authors to present( Faulkner's are amazing) and a wonderful variety of styles and subjects. As to Cassill himself being a "master" of the short story, however, that may be undue praise, and his own addition to the collection(rather presumptuous and inappropriate for the editor) would have been better replaced by more worthy possibilities. Jack London is unpardonably nowhere to be found. Yet on the whole worth a space on your shelf.

i've been reading the stories included in this anthology, and am almost finished. i must admit that i think there are many outstanding peices of short fiction included here, yet the collection feels at times inadequate. for example, poe's "the black cat" and 'the telltale heart" are not included, which i sorely missed. with several authors, i felt their best works were not included. don't misunderstand me, this is a very good collection, recomended to ANYONE interested in reading short stories. it's just that in only a few cases i was left wondering about the inclusion of some stories and really missing others.

I had to buy this book for my Literature class. It's really heavy, really long and it cost a lot of money. But it turned out that I read a lot more than just for class. I like books, but I'm really into them, so I was really surprised by how much I liked these stories. I am still going through them, learning about authors. "Bartleby The Scrivener," "The Golden Wallpaper," "Araby," "Me and Miss Mandible," and "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" are favorites. I can't understand problem somebody else had with the authors' best work not being included. Judging a book solely on what's there, this is great.

Richard Bausch's collection of short stories are really great to read as in-betweens. My required reading for classes keeps me busy, but I can hardly wait to grab a minute to read another. "Missy"(which is not included in this collection) is great for the short story lover.

As I read these stories I had to constantly remind myself that the author was a man. This is because, not only are most of the stories written from a woman's viewpoint, but it is done so convincingly. I often found myself nodding in the way you do, when someone has gotten it "so right."

I have read women writers who don't do this nearly so well. That is because they insist on painting their pictures with the broad brush strokes of major events--the death of a parent; the breakup of a relationship; recovered memory of past abuse; and, often times, all three at once. But Bausch relies on subtle brush strokes. The only death that occurs is related second-hand, and plays only a supporting roll in the story of the pending break-up of a marriage. Mostly, he writes about the every day things, visits with in-laws, the weekly gathering of friends, things that would not cause the outsider to see anything abnormal. Yet, through subtle clues, like one wife choosing to leave !the group and go to bed, we learn, that everything is not fine. Indeed, there is trouble on the horizon.

If you require major plot lines,and exciting endings, you'll want to pass on this one. But if you are someone who enjoys the true art of short stories, you need to read this. Indeed, Bausch's work could serve as an example of what short story writing should be.

This short story collection is a worthwhile read, and I will be looking up some of the authors featured. In particular, Andrew Sean Greer's story is heartbreaking; William J. Cyr's story has an interesting conversational, matter-of-fact tone; and the curiously named author "wormser" has a short but sweet entry. The best part of this collection, for me, is the interview with author Richard Bausch. I found it thoroughly inspiring, as it touches upon such problems as writer's block and having the confidence and determination to live a writer's life. The best part about Glimmer Train collections as a whole is that they give unpublished writers their first break, in addition to publishing established writers. More literary magazines of this caliber and spirit of inclusiveness are sorely needed!

This is an enjoyable collection of short stories; although, as with other collections, there are a couple of weak links in the chain. Nevertheless, it's worth buying for Andrew Greer's story alone. Others are also quite good, such as Karen Outen's fictional debate on whether to have a baby, Wormser's story about a childhood friend, and William Cyr's original and witty (and, at the same time, chilling) story of a bad stepfather. I also enjoyed the whole presentation--with baby photos of the authors (as well as current shots) and their personal comments. Established author Richard Bausch talks about writing, racism, and life in general in an engaging interview. Definitely worth a read!