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I've been collecting the Best American Short Stories series for quite a few years now and they've never disappointed me. The special standouts in the 1998 series include Lorrie Moore's humorous and frightening account of a mother's ordeal with her toddler's life-threatening illness, as well as John Updike's wonderful short story on his tribute to his father. When you need quick brain nourishment, pick up this book and read some great writing from some of today's best authors.
The audiotape is also fantastic with many of the stories being read by Garrison Keillor.
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It would appear from the tone of writing in this book that Mr. Keillor has been studying the work of Kurt Vonnegut very closely. I may be wrong, but it seems like Keillor is deliberately emulating Vonnegut's folksy but sophisticated satirical voice in this particular novel. I keep expecting one of the characters to start reciting "My name is John Johnson, I live in Wisconsin..." or to see the phrase "So it goes." Especially when the Jimmy the Candidate runs into a female space alien in a sexy getup on a country lane next to the World's Biggest Corncob near Walnut Grove, Minnesota while on his campaign tour.
I do not know why some people think Keillor is being anti-Ventura in this book. I especially do not understand the remarks that accuse Keillor of being a hateful "anti-right wing" leftist! Especially in view of all the swipes at Al Gore which are not mean spirited, just vague attempts to paint him as a noncontender. Not to mention the Jimmy character's promise that if he were President he would not be like Clinton, but keep it "in the First Bedroom."
In other words, everything about Jimmy Valente is bigger than life, and that gives Keillor full license to let his imagination run riot. He never had to worry about being excessively colorful or bizarre, because his subject is so cartoonish that "anything goes."
The result is a laugh riot, and clearly Keillor has no nasty agenda with respect to the extremely odd but oddly likable man who currently is his governor. One of the fun little jokes Keillor has is his inclusion of dialogue between Jimmy and his ghost-writer, Garrison Keillor. In those exchanges, Jimmy usually puts down his amanuensis with trenchant humor and a clear sense of who he is.
I have not enjoyed everything Garrison Keillor has written, although I've enjoyed most of it. This book is just a treat. Read it when you've got someone around so you can can read to them some of the more outrageous lines.
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A lot of the entries here are just plain bizarre or pointless. If you manage to get through 'Pieces' and 'The Lake', then admittedly some of the letters and poems are very funny indeed. The closing section - stories - contain some passable (if unsubtle) satires. But there is no obvious theme to the collection, nor any kind of link between pieces. It is the sort of book that is usually rushed out after a writer's death in order to cash in on morbid interest created by his demise. But, as far as I know, Keillor is very much alive.
Barely a quarter of the contents are blessed with the author's dry, acerbic wit, and the reader has to wade through endless baseball stories and punchline-free shaggy dog stories to hit the occasional pot of gold. Faber's motivation in publishing this volume is obvious - to keep the Keillor bandwagon rolling along - but in disappointing loyal fans and alienating new ones, their plan may well backfire.
Mark Campbell (Freelance Writer)
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The first two or three episodes had me laughing out loud, but the longer I listened, the less funny it became. Don't listen to the episodes straight through. Listen to them one at a time, and give yourself a couple of weeks between episodes.
I'd give this five stars, but I don't like Garrison's "singing" at the beginning of each side of the tape -- although he has a nice speaking voice, his singing voice is awful, and the songs are too long (they're only 3-4 minutes at most, but that's 3-4 minutes too long!)
You'd think that after listening to this tape 2 or 3 times that one would tire of it. Quite the contrary. Every time I hear this tape I like it more. My only lament is that it isn't available on CD. Actually, I'm purchasing my 4th copy since I've lent the last three to friends who keep on conveniently forgetting to return them.
I saw other reviewer's fault the performance for having the same endings... they just didn't get it. It's the fact that practically all the episodes come to the same conclusion that makes it so funny. In fact I've laughed so hard that I came down with a case of Loon throat...
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The book is a good source for adults and teens.
Ron Parker has done a good job simplifying technical jargon so the novice has a chance to avoid pestering other shepherds with strange questions.
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While an adult would have to be a true fan to enjoy Keillor's singing on the music cd, my uncritical toddler bounces to the rhythms and enjoys the quirky music. As an adult, the cd with the sketches is more enjoyable. "Laws concerning Food and Drink: Household Principles; Lamentations of the Father" is worth the price of the cd alone.
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