- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (Dec 9 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312978820
- ISBN-13: 978-0312978822
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.8 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 159 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,301,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Wide-ranging in setting and tone, yet linked by their sense of irony and reverence for the past, these 13 short stories reflect in miniature the pseudonymous Trevanian's chameleonic career as a genre-defying author of popular fiction (Shibumi; Incident at Twenty-Mile). Most of the tales take place in pre- and post-WWII urban environments, most notably the title story, which features a lonely girl dressed up like June Allyson and a gentlemanly stalker who imitates Jimmy Stewart and W.C. Fields. Trevanian tells the story twice, the first version introducing the volume, the second ending it; each has a different denouement, but both are tragic. A similar period mustiness permeates "Snatch Off Your Cap, Kid!"Aan ode to the tramps and hobos of bygone days; "After Hours at Rick's," an evocation of the timeless, edgy ennui of last call at a pick-up bar; and "The Sacking of Miss Plimsoll," the story of an unusual relationship between a bestselling author and his literary secretary. Basque country serves as the backdrop for two of Trevanian's tales: a young couple come together in a light romantic farce entitled "The Engine of Fate," and a village idiot improves his lot in life by pretending that he has a fortune to bequeath in "That Fox-of-a-Be?at." The author ventures even farther afield with "Easter Story," set in ancient Rome and detailing Pontius Pilate's first meeting with Jesus, and with a retelling of the wise and witty Onondaga creation parable "How the Animals Got Their Voices." Though he employs a number of hoary devices to achieve his effects, Trevanian can be an engaging storyteller, with a knack for getting inside his characters' heads. Several tales get bogged down when his narrative style turns pedantic, but the collection as a whole is enjoyable, if vaguely anachronistic. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Trevanian keeps his fans guessing with long silences (15 years elapsed between The Summer of Katya and Incident at Twenty-Mile) and shifts in genre, from thriller to police procedural to romance to Western. Now comes a shift in format, from novel to short story. The 13 stories in this collection show Trevanian to be a storyteller as versatile as he is skillful, using a variety of voice, time, and place to leave the reader with a smile, a shake of the head, or a shudder. Narrators include an imaginative nine-year-old boy in the 1940s, the slave translator of Pontius Pilatus, and a middle-aged professor at a pickup bar. There is an ancient folk tale, one from the Round Table, and several featuring canny Basque peasants. In the title story, a plain young woman in an anonymous city at mid-century goes out alone at night and is picked up by a well-spoken drifter. Told twice with different endings, this story brackets the others and is the most chilling of all. An admirable collection.
-Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
-Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
There were only three passengers on the bus from downtown: a man, a woman. and a bum. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
There were only three passengers on the bus from downtown: a man, a woman. and a bum. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Gems Are The Exception,
This review is from: Hot Night In The City (Hardcover)
This is my first time reading this author and this collection of short stories has some fine tales but taken as a whole is weak. The body of the work is bracketed by the same tale with a slight twist. As a device it isn't that well done, as even with the opening story the ending is predictable. When you see the story again at the end, it's even more obvious what the result will be.There is one tale of a traveling carnival trickster that is light but manages to make some wry observations that go beyond only justifying the day to day existence the primary character leads. The attempt to close the gap between a stable long-term life and the ability to momentarily con a person may be exaggerated, but the author does score some points. The best stories are a series documenting the life of a small village and the characters that inhabit it. The finest of them all is, "The Apple Tree". A tree separates and defines the lives of two women. The key to the story's success is just how definitive this, "line", is, and the extremely eloquent and poignant manner the author shares it. If all the tales even approached this one I mention, the collection would have been brilliant.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great reading,
By Jennifer Frost (Derry, NH USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hot Night in the City (Paperback)
I picked this up at the airport, having recognized the Trevanian name but been away from him for awhile. Some of these stories were so enjoyable that I read them twice in a row. (esp. the sly Basque ones). The title story did give me the creeps, both times but the others more than made up for it. I'm glad to have this reminder of a good storyteller.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boooooooooooorrrrriiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggg,
By dano (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hot Night in the City (Paperback)
Good Lord. I really like Travanian's work and always have, but man! This collection of (so far) mostly hollow short stories just flat out PUT ME TO SLEEP! I say "(so far)" because I am struggling to get through these tedious stories and just cannot seem to accomplish it.
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