Synopses & Reviews
Hailed by
The New York Times as "marvelously captivating," William Saroyan's 1940 international bestseller recounts the exploits of an Armenian clan in northern California at the turn of the twentieth century. Based on the author's loving and eccentric extended family, the characters in these 14 related short stories enact humorous and touching scenes from immigrant life.
Aram Garoghlanian narrates the tales, reflecting from an adult's perspective on his boyhood adventures. Beginning with "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse," in which 9-year-old Aram and his cousin redeem themselves from wrongdoing, the stories conclude with "A Word to Scoffers," which features an itinerant preacher's sage advice to Aram as the young man departs from the San Joaquin Valley for the first time.
Synopsis
"Marvelously captivating." — The New York Times. First published in 1940, Saroyan's international bestseller recounts the exploits of an Armenian clan in northern California at the turn of the 20th century. Based on the author's loving and eccentric extended family, the characters in these 14 related short stories enact humorous and touching scenes from immigrant life.
Table of Contents
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse The Journey to Hanford The Pomegranate Trees One of Our Future Poets, You Might Say The Fifty-Yard Dash A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance, with Love Lyrics and Everything My Cousin Dikran, the Orator The Presbyterian Choir Singers The Circus The Three Swimmers and the Educated Grocer Locomotive 38, the Ojibway Old Country Advice to the American Traveler The Poor and Burning Arab A Word to Scoffers