| From Publishers Weekly The 22 stories in this collection were selected， say the editors， to "reflect the variety and scope of fiction in this country in the 1980s." As a result， some will please， others may not， but there certainly is something for everyone. The minimalists are represented by Ann Beattie， whose story "Gypsy Moths" offers a sliver of life among young New Yorkers with uncertain marriages. Mark Helprin contributes "The Pacific，" a wonderfully lyrical piece about a woman who works in a factory while her husband is off fighting in World War II. Richard Ford's "Fireworks" is typical of the tough-guy narrative， and， in "Trying to Save Piggy Sneed，" John Irving presents a somewhatbut only somewhatfacetious discussion of why he became a writer. Most of the authors here are well knownGail Godwin， Joyce Carol Oates， Cynthia Ozick， John Updikewhich indicates a certain lack of adventurousness. At the same time， it would have been helpful if the editors had provided biographical information about each writer. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal The 23 voices heard in this collection are well known， but they still sound fresh. Harold Brodkey sets the tone with his tale of two boys on bikes discussing philosophy"Hey-ay， JUH-immyYOU THINK GOODNESS eggZISss(T)s?"and the other writers follow suit with a cast of questing American archetypes， all bent on reconciling the phenomenological and the spiritual， from David Huddle's cynical stripper to Joyce Johnson's pained party-girl to the woman in Richard Ford's "Fireworks" who does a delighted dance with sparklers for her aging lover. A good choice for libraries wishing to develop or extend a collection of representative contemporary writing.David Kirby， English Dept.， Florida State Univ.， TallahasseeCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
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