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litdoes's review
4.0
This collection from Arkansas short story writer Ellen Gilchrist focuses on characters who deal with forces beyond their control; from natural disasters like hurricanes, debilitating illnesses, terrorist attacks, accidents, to simply the passing of time and old age. Despite the potentially sombre subject matter, Gilchrist approaches each of the ten stories with a light touch, doling out in small doses, her wit and backporch wisdom that betray her Southern roots.
Longtime readers will be pleased to welcome back the brash and alarming Rhoda Manning, who had seared herself into readers' consciousness in Gilchrist's earlier writing. Rhoda feature in "The Dogs", in a fiery exchange of letters with her new neighbours, and with an interesting development by the end of the story. Writer Anna Hand, another familiar character, makes an appearance via her niece, a documentary writer, in of all places, Heathrow airport, during the terrorist attacks in the summer of 2004 in the piece "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor".
Two stories focus on characters who respond to the call for help. A group of teenagers help out in Adkins in the aftermath of a tornado and are forever changed by a moving event in "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas". Single Mother, new professor and a First Responder with the National Guard, goes on a Mission to New Orleans, suffers betrayal and finds an unexpected turning point in her life that gives her a second wind.
In all of these stories, Gilchrist shows how people deal with the unexpected, and while they may not always handle the situations in the most ideal ways, they always look for that little bit of grace and beauty, and some dignity, when they confront their own mortality.
Longtime readers will be pleased to welcome back the brash and alarming Rhoda Manning, who had seared herself into readers' consciousness in Gilchrist's earlier writing. Rhoda feature in "The Dogs", in a fiery exchange of letters with her new neighbours, and with an interesting development by the end of the story. Writer Anna Hand, another familiar character, makes an appearance via her niece, a documentary writer, in of all places, Heathrow airport, during the terrorist attacks in the summer of 2004 in the piece "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor".
Two stories focus on characters who respond to the call for help. A group of teenagers help out in Adkins in the aftermath of a tornado and are forever changed by a moving event in "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas". Single Mother, new professor and a First Responder with the National Guard, goes on a Mission to New Orleans, suffers betrayal and finds an unexpected turning point in her life that gives her a second wind.
In all of these stories, Gilchrist shows how people deal with the unexpected, and while they may not always handle the situations in the most ideal ways, they always look for that little bit of grace and beauty, and some dignity, when they confront their own mortality.
litdoes's review against another edition
4.0
This collection from Arkansas short story writer Ellen Gilchrist focuses on characters who deal with forces beyond their control; from natural disasters like hurricanes, debilitating illnesses, terrorist attacks, accidents, to simply the passing of time and old age. Despite the potentially sombre subject matter, Gilchrist approaches each of the ten stories with a light touch, doling out in small doses, her wit and backporch wisdom that betray her Southern roots.
Longtime readers will be pleased to welcome back the brash and alarming Rhoda Manning, who had seared herself into readers' consciousness in Gilchrist's earlier writing. Rhoda feature in "The Dogs", in a fiery exchange of letters with her new neighbours, and with an interesting development by the end of the story. Writer Anna Hand, another familiar character, makes an appearance via her niece, a documentary writer, in of all places, Heathrow airport, during the terrorist attacks in the summer of 2004 in the piece "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor".
Two stories focus on characters who respond to the call for help. A group of teenagers help out in Adkins in the aftermath of a tornado and are forever changed by a moving event in "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas". Single Mother, new professor and a First Responder with the National Guard, goes on a Mission to New Orleans, suffers betrayal and finds an unexpected turning point in her life that gives her a second wind.
In all of these stories, Gilchrist shows how people deal with the unexpected, and while they may not always handle the situations in the most ideal ways, they always look for that little bit of grace and beauty, and some dignity, when they confront their own mortality.
Longtime readers will be pleased to welcome back the brash and alarming Rhoda Manning, who had seared herself into readers' consciousness in Gilchrist's earlier writing. Rhoda feature in "The Dogs", in a fiery exchange of letters with her new neighbours, and with an interesting development by the end of the story. Writer Anna Hand, another familiar character, makes an appearance via her niece, a documentary writer, in of all places, Heathrow airport, during the terrorist attacks in the summer of 2004 in the piece "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor".
Two stories focus on characters who respond to the call for help. A group of teenagers help out in Adkins in the aftermath of a tornado and are forever changed by a moving event in "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas". Single Mother, new professor and a First Responder with the National Guard, goes on a Mission to New Orleans, suffers betrayal and finds an unexpected turning point in her life that gives her a second wind.
In all of these stories, Gilchrist shows how people deal with the unexpected, and while they may not always handle the situations in the most ideal ways, they always look for that little bit of grace and beauty, and some dignity, when they confront their own mortality.
liloud0626's review against another edition
2.0
Like so many others, I've been a fan of hers for many years, but I was disappointed in this book of stories. Many of them felt forced, and her clever sense of humor was missing from so many of them. It made me a little sad.
ldv's review against another edition
1.0
Acts of God? More like Acts of Humanity or even Humanism.
The first story, Acts of God, was humourous. "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas" was heart-warming. "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" (about the woman with the loser boyfriend who (the woman not the boyfriend) rescues people in New Orleans from rooftops and returns as a celebrity and meets Mr. Perfect) was eye-rolling chicklit. From there the stories just got worse. "The Dogs" was ridiculous, and the others just silly.
Not my thing.
(Note: I received this as an ARC from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.)
The first story, Acts of God, was humourous. "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas" was heart-warming. "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" (about the woman with the loser boyfriend who (the woman not the boyfriend) rescues people in New Orleans from rooftops and returns as a celebrity and meets Mr. Perfect) was eye-rolling chicklit. From there the stories just got worse. "The Dogs" was ridiculous, and the others just silly.
Not my thing.
(Note: I received this as an ARC from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.)
guiltyfeat's review against another edition
5.0
Yet another fantabulous collection of Gilchrist short stories, including a delicious epistolary one featuring Rhoda that had me snorting in shul this morning. Gilchrist is the only writer I know who can make an act of suicide say something about living. Love, love, love and live.
samhouston's review against another edition
4.0
Ellen Gilchrist has long been considered one of our finest short story writers. And “Acts of God,” her latest story collection, is sure to reinforce her reputation and assure fans that Gilchrist is still very much at the top of her game. The characters in all ten of the book’s stories experience “acts of God” that will forever change – or, perhaps, end - their lives. Whether they suffer hurricane, tornado, flood, terrorist attack, or simply a new neighbor whose dogs never seem to stop barking, most of them manage to benefit from the experience. In fact, even those who die, do so on their own terms.
Two stories, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and “The Dogs,” are particularly outstanding in the way they display the author’s wit and insight into the culture and gentry of the old South. Gilchrist is herself a product of the Mississippi Delta, and she knows her people well. “Toccata” tells of three middle-aged Vanderbilt sorority sisters traveling together to Italy for a much anticipated reunion. Comfortably settled in one of Heathrow’s first class lounges while waiting for their final flight connection, the women are suddenly caught up in an airport lockdown that threatens to scuttle their plans. The conversations between themselves and their fellow travelers are brilliant in the ease with which Gilchrist manages to fully develop so many characters in a handful of pages.
“The Dogs” is told through a series of letters exchanged by a writer and her neighbor whose constantly-barking dogs make it impossible for the writer to work at home. As things between the two escalate, there are letters to and from the writer, her attorney, other neighbors, and the dog owner. The unexpected resolution of the story involves a lesson about shifting alliances that is both funny and ironic. Other favorites of mine include the title story about an elderly couple that escapes their “sitter” for one final day of independence and another titled “Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas” that recounts the day that a tornado positively changes the life of a 16-year-old girl forever.
Ellen Gilchrist’s characters, be they witty, irritating, or sentimental ones, are always memorable, and the stories in “Acts of God” offer just such a cast. They, along with Gilchrist’s remarkable sense of time and place, assure that this collection will be appreciated by her fans.
Two stories, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and “The Dogs,” are particularly outstanding in the way they display the author’s wit and insight into the culture and gentry of the old South. Gilchrist is herself a product of the Mississippi Delta, and she knows her people well. “Toccata” tells of three middle-aged Vanderbilt sorority sisters traveling together to Italy for a much anticipated reunion. Comfortably settled in one of Heathrow’s first class lounges while waiting for their final flight connection, the women are suddenly caught up in an airport lockdown that threatens to scuttle their plans. The conversations between themselves and their fellow travelers are brilliant in the ease with which Gilchrist manages to fully develop so many characters in a handful of pages.
“The Dogs” is told through a series of letters exchanged by a writer and her neighbor whose constantly-barking dogs make it impossible for the writer to work at home. As things between the two escalate, there are letters to and from the writer, her attorney, other neighbors, and the dog owner. The unexpected resolution of the story involves a lesson about shifting alliances that is both funny and ironic. Other favorites of mine include the title story about an elderly couple that escapes their “sitter” for one final day of independence and another titled “Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas” that recounts the day that a tornado positively changes the life of a 16-year-old girl forever.
Ellen Gilchrist’s characters, be they witty, irritating, or sentimental ones, are always memorable, and the stories in “Acts of God” offer just such a cast. They, along with Gilchrist’s remarkable sense of time and place, assure that this collection will be appreciated by her fans.
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