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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsOld Girlfriends: Storiesby David Updike
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In this brilliantly told short story collection, critically acclaimed author David Updike skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of love and of the heart. From a fathers painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom; from the bumbling of a professor who unwittingly falls for one of his students to the wistful memories of a bittersweet affair tinged in regret, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor. Full of sparkling wonder and poignant melancholy alike, Old Girlfriends is a clear-eyed vision of the world we live in. Drifting from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the first poetic moments, this soulful collection leaves no avenue of expression untouched. David Updike is the author of Out on the Marsh as well as an illustrated quartet for young readers, and his short stories have been published in The New Yorker, Epiphany, and Sargasso, among others. He teaches English at Roxbury Community College in Boston and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his family. In this short story collection, David Updike skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of love and of the heart. From a fathers painful realization that his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom; from the bumbling of a professor who unwittingly falls for one of his students to the wistful memories of a bittersweet affair tinged in regret, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor. Full of sparkling wonder and poignant melancholy alike, Old Girlfriends drifts from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the love's first poetic moments, leaving no avenue of expression untouched. “Old Girlfriends is full of such soft yet charged moments, as the author weaves everyday observances into larger truths. Updike [is] a craftsman with a style his own.”—Boston Globe “Old Girlfriends is full of such soft yet charged moments, as the author weaves everyday observances into larger truths. Updike [is] a craftsman with a style his own.”—Boston Globe “David Updike does himself—and his late father, John—proud with his second collection, Old Girlfriends . . . These 10 ruminative stories set in New England sport a winning sense of whimsy, quiet surprise, and fresh, frank sensuality.”—Elle “David Updike's stories are wonderful—small enough that you are startled by the compressed, strong emotion, expansive in what they suggest about taking a stand, taking a chance, living a meaningful life. Trees are often mentioned here, and I'd say they embody a spiritual presence that presides over the stories, anchored in Earth but reaching for something higher.”—Ann Beattie “David Updike's Old Girlfriends is deceptively simple. In these stories about family and lovers and race, Updike skillfully depicts longing and bafflement as the stuff of our daily lives. Told in measured, that is, skilled prose, these stories soon reveal something more: all is not as it seems, safety is elusive and warmth vanishes as suddenly and surprisingly as it has miraculously appeared. Quiet complexities emerge like ink in magic paper. The wonderment can be seen if one is watchful and David Updike is watching very carefully. Adept in language and beautiful in observation, his report back to us is clear and endearing and then suddenly when you least expect it, startling.”—Susan Minot “David Updike is clearly filled with a special kind of compassion for his characters, the flawed ones, the broken-hearted ones, the ones who break hearts themselves. Old Girlfriends is a deftly written collection, gentle, contemplative, and warming.”—Jami Attenberg “Thoughtful work from a writer clearly unintimidated by the family name.”—Kirkus Reviews Synopsis:From a father's painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom, Updike's brilliantly told short story collection portrays the multi-faceted nature of love.
Synopsis:In this brilliantly told short story collection, critically acclaimed author David Updike skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of love and of the heart. From a fathers painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom; from the bumbling of a professor who unwittingly falls for one of his students to the wistful memories of a bittersweet affair tinged in regret, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor. Full of sparkling wonder and poignant melancholy alike, Old Girlfriends is a clear-eyed vision of the world we live in. Drifting from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the first poetic moments, this soulful collection leaves no avenue of expression untouched. Synopsis:In this brilliantly told short story collection, David Updike portrays the multi-faceted nature of love, capturing the very singular nature of the human heart. From a fathers painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom, to the bumblings of a professor struck with rapture for his student, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor and sincerity. He writes in the piece, Kind of Love, “There were not different kinds of love, the argument seemed to go, but just one great and universal love, of which all the others were fragments, diffractions, variations on a theme…” Drifting from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the first poetic moments, this soulful collection leaves no avenue of expression untouched. About the AuthorDAVID UPDIKE, son of prolific American writer John Updike, is author of several books for young readers as well as the collection, Out on the Marsh. He currently lives Boston, Massachusetts. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
Related SubjectsFiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
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