- Paperback
- Publisher: Harper Perennial US; Reissue edition (July 18 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060976713
- ISBN-13: 978-0060976712
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,160,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Here the very talented Hempel works in a hard-bitten, often mannered mode with material made familiar in her first book, Reasons to Live . The stories in her new collection follow people through crises and emergencies, from traffic accidents to mastectomies, as they take risks, waiting "for the moment that would snap me out of my seeming life" yet frequently "cut off from meaning and completion" in the end. A housewife in "Under No Moon" is mysteriously bent on seeing a comet, but in a minor comedy of errors fails to do so. The earnest and foolish young mother in "The Center" attempts to sponsor a destitute child, all the while behaving with the self-serving zeal of a super-yuppie consumer. In "The Harvest," one of the strongest stories, a narrator reconstructs, then deconstructs, the events leading up to and following a motorcycle injury that leaves a lasting psychological wound. Mordant and unsentimental, Hempel works with a sharp wit that sometimes shaves away too ruthlessly at characters, limiting the depth of her sympathy--and ours.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
A book of short stories always brings with it the possibility of intriguing titles, and there are several grabbers in this collec tion. In "The Most Girl Part of You," one watches Big Guy, a kind of charming lug who has an obsession with ice water, as he plays the mating game with the narra tor. "And Lead Us Not into Penn Sta tion" is a testament to the insensitivity, lack of compassion, and passive accep tance of others' suffering that seems to permeate much of modern urban life. "The Rest of God" leaves the reader caught in the undertow of emotion at a beach picnic as a husband and wife are swept together briefly by a cosmic surge. Other titles include "The Day I Had Ev erything," "Tom-Rock Through the Eels," and "In the Animal Shelter." Hem pel handles her themes of disorientation, dissolution, and deliverance well. She writes in a conversational style that dis plays both wit and a wry intelligence. This collection would fit nicely with other works of contemporary fiction.
-Francis Poole, Kentucky Wesleyan Coll., Owensboro
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
-Francis Poole, Kentucky Wesleyan Coll., Owensboro
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Minimalism at its best,
By
This review is from: At The Gates Of The Animal Kingdom (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is one of my favorite collections of short stories. They say that Raymond Carver is the master of minimalism in the short story genre but Hempel's work is definitely on par. Each story is a look at life from a different angle. She takes the moments and events that we simply experience without a second thought or glance and turns them so that they reveal something extraordinary. She is not verbose - so if you feel you can't enjoy a story without heavy description and don't have the desire/patience to think about the weight of small events or it overwhelms you to realize that even the subtleties of life have a momentum of their own - you won't appreciate this. There is also a lot that is inferred but not said. She chooses her words very carefully - just as a poet one line can resonate. In the Animal Shelter is only 4 short paragraphs but one of the most powerful in this collection. I discovered her writing as an undergraduate in the early 90's and I still reach for her books and find something new to enjoy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
she's beyond words really.,
This review is from: At The Gates Of The Animal Kingdom (Mass Market Paperback)
Never reading Hempel is like dying a virgin. The expectations cast by the stories in "Reasons to Live" would be impossible for most writers to overcome, but somehow she does it, without missing a beat. If i could give more stars i would. My favourite stories from this book being, "The Harvest" "At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom" "Murder" and "Rapture of the Deep". The effort she must've put forth in writing in such a minimalist style illustrates how much Hempel cares about each sentence. The stories are elegant and to the point, not a second is wasted, not a word is misplaced. If you're ever lucky enough to find this book, consider yourself blessed (for whatever reason its out of print). She is the needle in a haystack. Her stories pierce straight to the heart, and will stick with you for the rest of your life.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Snappy and Fast Acting,
By
This review is from: At The Gates Of The Animal Kingdom (Mass Market Paperback)
Hempel's prose style snaps hard and fast to the point of the story, without filling us up on meat. It's like eating only the best parts of the meal and throwing green beans and potatoes onto the floor for the dogs. I read through three or four books of Hempels in about the same number of days. They were all just delicious. Of them, this one stuck out as the best.
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