This is the best work of American fiction writtenin the last ten years. An evocative and skillful work, careful and sage. Deserves to be read.

Not really for the Gide beginner, this book nevertheless contains extremely subtle readings of Gide's work in an attempt to reveal his (often fairly disingenuous) political and sexual strategies. Lucey is careful to give both the original French and his own translations of some of the more sticky, controversial, or just plain mindblowing passages that are made more controversial and certainly far more mindblowing by Lucey's interpretations. Though the book did take some getting into, the effort was well worth it: It's absolutely one of the most stunning "thematic" studies of any author I've ever read. Even though Lucey tries to make things more comfortable and enlightening by providing some biographical context and synopses, I'd recommend reading at least half the novels first and familiarizing oneself with Gide's biography beforehand. Gide's "classicism" will never be the same again, will never have that whiff of stodginess about it that the word implies...

This book was a fun read. For people like me who does not have time to read a whole novel, this book is for you. These romances writers all wrote wonderful short stories. I expecially enjoyed Virginia Henley's story, this is her first contemperory story, and believe me it is as hot and steamy as her full length novels. The rest of the stories was heartwarming, filled with love and the warm Christmas spirit. Although this anthology is good for any time, I heartily recommend that it be read during the Christmas season.

With a growing interest in the life and literary works of the English writer G.K. Chesterton, I was in the market for a modern, one-volume biography of the man. A friend suggested this book, and I am SO glad he did! As literary biographies go, this one is excellent. Coren not only covers the great Chesterton's life with sympathy and humour, but also manages a solid critique and evaluation of the writer's output...and Chesterton's output was very substantial (rather like the man himself)! What is a real joy though, is to read a biography of a fine writer, written by another fine writer. And Michael Coren is all of that. This well-educated, erudite, and witty man is a wonderful author in his own right, and I look forward to further works by him. I suspect that a century from now, people may be reading a biography of Michael Coren, just as we can now read Coren on Chesterton. We can only hope that such a future author creates as pleasant and stimulating a work as the Canadian Michael Coren has here! I'll go so far as to say that this biography is a worthwhile read, even if you don't care about Chesterton. Biography doesn't get any better than this! -A wonderful book.

What's amazing about Michaels is how seamlessly he transitioned from an experimental realist to a master of the realistic short story form. His early stories are marked by a linguistic self-apparency, though he's funny enough to keep it interesting. And, unlike others in this vein, his style is blatantly influenced by Kafka and Beckett. Sometimes the description in the early stories can be too thick, exhausting the possibilites of each situation. The language in the best of them, however - "In The Fifties," "Manikin" (The one about the Turk, I think) - have a wonderful interplay of signifiers, like poetry. "In The Fifties" is an ironized (sp.) list poem in the style of Ginsberg's "Howl".

The later stories acheive such a transparency you can forget how funny they are. Michaels is a master of form. They are narrated in a natural, subdued manner, unlike the glossy, journalistic style we get from some of our other first tier writers. The differentiated narrative strands merge together gradually as the story progresses.

Thematically, Michaels' stories are interesting because they are often set on the cusp of the sexual revolution, and there is much confusion about gender roles in relationships. All in all, one of the best books I've read in awhile.

My parish book group chose this for our gatherings and we are still reaping the benefits of this wonderful collection. We read one story per month and then come together for discussion. The stories touch our lives and are the foundation of fruitful and rich dialogue. As a mother of small children with limited time to myself, I particularly appreciate the opportunity to enjoy such wonderful gems of literature in small bites.

Swanwick's ability to tell a great story never fails to amaze me. The first book of his I read was Jack Faust, and I have enjoyed all his work since. This collection of stories ranks with some of my favorates(Sturgon, Kornbluth, Tenn), and I eagerly anticipate his next novel. Do yourself a favor, and buy this book(and Jack Faust) from Amazon, you will be very glad you did.

This book was read to me by a teacher as a way to learn to write a story outline, and with this book I found it extremely easy. The Librarian and the Robbers was hilarious and easy to follow.

I had forgotten how enjoyable a series of short stories can be! What a great idea, possibly a whole new genre of mysteries foods. Once I began, I became fascinated in intrigued with how each author would integrate food into their story. A very creative group of authors. I hope there is going to be a sequel.

Peacock deserves a far wider readership. The modesty of a man whose books could have been dressed up as classics but were left as the iridescent sports they are is awesome. Wholly satisfying, these anticipate Joyce's and look back to Sterne's comprehensive neutrality. Gryll Grange: greatest novel of the nineteenth century? Certainly the subtlest intellectually.