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Bezig met laden... The Age of Grief (1987)door Jane Smiley
Deathreads (32) Bezig met laden...
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. An uneven collection of short stories and a longer piece, ultimately worth reading for the strength of the novella that gives the book its title. The wonder is that Smiley skillfully uses a variety of narrative voices both male and female in this collection, from a fugitive radical from the Sixties to a gentle and contemplative dentist confronted against his will with evidence of his beloved wife's infidelity. Some of the stories ("Long Distance") are so slight as to be barely there, while others ("The Pleasure of Her Company") so exquisitely detail the emotional life of the protagonist as to be almost painful to read. Overall, recommended. ( ) Me gustó más de lo que esperaba y me sorprendió. Se lee fácilmente, pero no por eso es menos compleja y profunda. La voz narrativa es tal vez su mejor atributo y lo que más disfruté: la de el personaje principal, un papá contemporáneo que decidió se un “padre involucrado” llamado Dave. Tiene 35 años. Es dentista, está casado, tienen muy buen nivel económico y 3 hermosas hijas. Dave está convencido de que su esposa (Dana) está enamorada de otro hombre y decide evitar que ella sepa que él sabe porque considera que así salvará su matrimonio. Se convierte en un una narración que retrata el matrimonio, la convivencia familiar y la crianza desde los ojos y acciones del hombre y con personajes muy bien definidos. Como cereza del pastel, la portada es hermosa. * “Tengo la impresión de que el matrimonio es un pequeño contenedor en el que a penas caben unos pocos hijos. Dos visas interiores, dos seres reflexivos, de la complejidad que sea, qué brotan de él, una y otra vez, rompiéndolo...” * “Siempre he creído que un hombre que tiene una esposa y amante lo tiene todo, pero una mujer con un marido y un amante... no da abasto. ¿De dónde saca el tiempo para el amante?” * “Y ahora la gripe. (...) La gente sin hijos no puede imaginar siquiera hasta qué punto estas enfermedades te ponen a prueba.” The first half of this slim volume is comprised of short stories. The second -- and I think, best -- half is a long short-story (or novella), "The Age of Grief." This short, powerful and tenderly rendered story about the precarious nature of marriage carries the book. Jane Smiley is a masterful writer of character and nuance. This would have been just a 3-star read for me if not for the eponymous novella that closes out the collection. It's the story of an ordinary man and his love for his family, including his wife whom he believes to be cheating on him. There is a section where the family deals with the flu that was just wonderful - funny and sad and heart-stirring. The rest of the collection is composed of fairly slight short stories that were fine but didn't do much for me. Smiley's writing is excellent, of course, but the stories were not compelling to me. Notes: Read for the American Author Challenge. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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The luminous novella and stories in The Age of Grief explore the vicissitudes of love, friendship, and marriage with all the compassion and insight that have come to be expected from Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize--winning author of A Thousand Acres. In "The Pleasure of Her Company," a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret of their happiness. In "Long Distance," a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape. And in the incandescently wise and moving title novella, a dentist, aware that his wife has fallen in love with someone else, must comfort her when she is spurned, while maintaining the secret of his own complicated sorrow. Beautifully written, with a wry intelligence and a lively comic touch, The Age of Grief captures moments of great intimacy with grace, clarity, and indelible emotional power. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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