Synopses & Reviews
Jill McCorkle, a master of the short story whose work has been compared to that of Alice Munro and Lorrie Moore, is a writer whose characters insist on our immediate and total attention. Here, in her first collection in eight years, are eleven new stories bristling with her signature wit and weight. One way or the other, all of these stories are about women looking love in the face without flinching. Some of them are confronting the reality of domestic disruption; others are simply flirting with the possibilities-and dangers-of change. McCorkle's characters make mistakes but aren't interested in hiding behind them. They get divorced or quit their jobs or tell people to step aside, and they move on.
From the first story, about a modern-day Cinderella contemplating escape, to the last, Me and Big Foot, an idyll about finding the perfect prince, McCorkle's collection is the genuine article, the work of a great storyteller who knows exactly how-and why-to pair longing and laughter.
Review
"Immensely appealing . . . These spirited and surprising stories are powered by humor and hard-won understanding of the lacerating effects of union. The result: admirable women who are 'sure-footed and steady in real time.'"--Amy Hempel, author of
The Dog of the Marriage Review
"These stories provide what brilliant fiction always provides--insight, felt life, voices of others, fascination--but more than anything else, they give pleasure." --Richard Bausch, author of
Peace Review
"McCorkle is an expert at engineering catharsis through good salty rants, but the best thing about these stories is the sense of romance and wonder in long-overdue journeys of self-discovery." People
Review
"Bold and addictive,
Going Away Shoes is a find."
Review
"There are writers who seem to write it like it is--the quietness of their characters is not exaggerated, nor is their drama. They could live down the street or in the next apartment. Jayne Anne Phillips, Antonia Nelson--these are writers whose characters have no special aura, no golden ticket. Jill McCorkle's characters are like this."
--Los Angeles Times Miami Herald
Review
"McCorkle's latest book gives us 11 reasons to smile . . . 11 cheerfully furious stories about women who have come to a screeching halt in their pursuit of happiness . . . The joy of reading and rereading each of these marvelous stories is to discover the truths encoded into each step of every hard-won journey--and to find ourselves along the way."
--Atlanta Journal Constitution The New York Times Book Review
Review
"The stories are small tributes to tenacity and spirit and choice--even when that choice is simply to keep putting one foot in front of the other." -
-Miami Herald The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Review
"The joy of reading and rereading each of these marvelous stories is to discover the truths encoded into each step of every hard-won journey--and to find ourselves along the way."
Review
"These gems are written by a master craftswoman. Each story deserves savoring, as melancholy and humor work beautifully together in this artful collection."
Review
"[A] remarkable collection . . . Bold and addictive,
Going Away Shoes is a find."
--People Atlanta Journal Constitution
Synopsis
" A] remarkable collection . . . Bold and addictive, Going Away Shoes is a find." --People
The foibles of the people in Jill McCorkle's world are so familiar that we want nothing so much as to watch them walk into--and then get out of--life's inevitable traps. Here, in her first collection in eight years, McCorkle collects eleven brand-new stories bristling with her characteristic combination of wit and weight.
In honeymoon shoes, mud-covered hunting boots, or glass slippers, all of the women in these stories march to a place of new awareness, in one way or another, transforming their lives. They make mistakes, but they don't waste time hiding behind them. They move on. They are strong. And they're funny, even when they are sad.
These stories are the work of a great storyteller who knows exactly how--and why--to pair pain with laughter.
Synopsis
The foibles of the people in Jill McCorkle's world are so familiar that we want nothing so much as to watch them walk into--and then get out of--life's inevitable traps. Here, in her first collection in eight years, McCorkle collects eleven brand-new stories bristling with her characteristic combination of wit and weight.
In honeymoon shoes, mud-covered hunting boots, or glass slippers, all of the women in these stories march to a place of new awareness, in one way or another, transforming their lives. They make mistakes, but they don't waste time hiding behind them. They move on. They are strong. And they're funny, even when they are sad.
These stories are the work of a great storyteller who knows exactly how--and why--to pair pain with laughter.
About the Author
Jill McCorkle is the author of nine previous books—four story collections and five novels—five of which have been selected as New York Times