- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton (Sep 27 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393322742
- ISBN-13: 978-0393322743
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,045,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Nine playful yet cumbersomely cerebral short stories explore the relationships between art and experience, intellect and passion, and discernable patterns between seemingly unrelated events.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In this tale of normalcy mixed with eccentricity and lunacy, Wyatt Palmer's father spends his weekends in the family basement, building incomprehensible model houses and filling a drawer with philosophical notes. After he dies, Wyatt's mother goes off the deep end, making up words and talking to herself. Wyatt is eventually raised by his Aunt Ellen, who is writing a new bible. Although Wyatt has artistic talent, after college he marries and cultivates a super-normal life in his Midwestern hometown, working as an assistant city manager. The outside world invades Wyatt's "normal" life when a schoolmate builds a factory that emits toxic fumes inside its own building, which brings about the death of Wyatt's jailbird cousin, Cyril. In the aftermath, Wyatt flees to New York City, where his mother feels at home. Baxter is at his best in his short stories (e.g., A Relative Stranger , LJ 8/87); here, he leaves the reader with less than satisfying resolutions. But his odd characters, set in familiar American landscapes and rendered in a fine, controlled style, remain vivid. Recommended for public libraries.
- Harold Augenbraum, Mercantile Lib., New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Harold Augenbraum, Mercantile Lib., New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Behind the house a crow cawed irritably as the rains began. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Behind the house a crow cawed irritably as the rains began. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The New Cheever,
By
This review is from: Shadow Play (Paperback)
Although I am much more partial to "The Feast of Love," "Shadowplay" is good in its own right. Feast of Love offers readers a glimpse into the interworkings of love and the betrayal of desire. On the other hand, Shadowplay weaves in and out of love, betrayal, enviornmental policy, civic responsibility, familial bonds and the like. It is a complex book full of complex characters who will intrigue the reader from page one until the last. Charles Baxter has a way with words--increasing and decreasing pace in the book which puts the reader deep into the throws of the book. He is the modern John Cheever.Charles Baxter opens only slightly the issue of civic responsibility and enviornmental duty--resting the reader on the edge of the issue as if to call your attention to such problems without exactly giving you an answer. The main character wallows in these questions throughout the book and never fully resolves them himself giving you ample opportunity to devise an end to the story yourself. All in all, I enjoyed the book immensely and have recommended it to several of my friends--thinking they will not only love his writing but might learn a little something as well.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Lovely Book,
By "mlogsdo" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shadow Play (Paperback)
Read this book. It's like listening to a really good jazz piece-- intense and light at the same time. It will knock your socks off. And if you ever get the chance to hear Baxter read any of his stuff live, he's a wonderful speaker and storyteller. One of my favorites.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another positve review....,
By John Kosh Jr. (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shadow Play (Paperback)
Baxter, known for his various short stories, brings all his literary talents to this novel, Shadow Play. I'll let the other readers' comments cover the basic plot and storyline, which is superb, but I do want to pass this bit of information. I came away from this novel feeling as if I had just found a modern-day Catcher in the Rye with an adult Holden Caulfield. The writing is so vivid and accurate that I found myself empathizing with many of the characters' thoughts and situations. What "Catcher" was to me at 16, Shadow Play is to me at 29. A very adult examination of an ordinary life in an ordinary town, written in a very unordinary fashion. A beautiful book for anyone who enjoys a well written yarn.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
