Reviews

Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner by Wallace Stegner

larryerick's review against another edition

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4.0

This was my first full fledged immersion into this author's work (after a failed attempt at reading one of his novels), and I was immediately impressed with the skill set he brings to the page. Wendell Berry's and Alice Munro's level of word craft came to mind at first, but it soon became clear this author was not offering any of Berry's sense of humor, and, by the end, it became obvious it would never be offered. The story settings were often reminiscent of Ivan Doig's work, but ultimately I found what I have read from Kent Haruf came closest to what I read here. There was also a rather jarring splash of John Updike in the mix. Amidst the entire collection, at least three different sets of stories are connected. In one case, the second story in its set comes spaced well after the first, and I was a bit startled to realize it took up immediately after the earlier one. This separation in the full collection is particularly odd when, later in the collection, three stories in a row are from a new set, but not obviously following immediately in narrative time. All this is probably a bit inconsequential when laid against the author's overall tone in his stories. I was constantly reminded of a story I had been told (perhaps erroneously, because I can't find confirmation of it now), in which Andrew Carnegie supposedly told his daughter, "Life would be so much easier for you once you realize life is hard." This story collection repeatedly points out various folks in various situations and settings, struggling hard and often not even achieving "two steps forward and one step back" status. Unfortunately, it was never clear to me whether the author just thought life was hard or if he was ultimately pointing out that he wondered if it was all worth it. The good news is he writes so well, you feel obligated to hear him out, regardless.

bobbo49's review against another edition

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4.0

Like all story collections, Stegner's is a bit uneven, although his writing is beautiful, as always. The tales, like most of his books, are based on his life experiences to some degree. And at their best, the stories are compelling, vivid, emotional, real.

brookebookshelf's review against another edition

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3.0

It took me a long time to get through these short stories because some of them were so depressing. Incredibly well-written and poignant observations of life.

blacklake's review

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4.0

[b:Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner|1349898|Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner|Wallace Stegner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1251935012s/1349898.jpg|1339567] is a large collection of short stories that largely concentrate on the American West in the first half of the 20th century. I’ve read a couple of [a:Wallace Stegner|157779|Wallace Stegner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1252177524p2/157779.jpg]’s novels—[b:Angle of Repose|3359|Angle of Repose|Wallace Stegner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163437175s/3359.jpg|283706], and [b:Crossing to Safety|9820|Crossing to Safety|Wallace Stegner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166065576s/9820.jpg|1488871], which I really responded to, and knew that with this collection I’d be settling in for a few weeks’ appreciative and thoughtful reading. I was also interested by the note at the beginning that let me know that some of this material made it into novels later on, so I was happy, too, to be getting a taste of his other books. I wasn’t prepared for the harshness to many of these stories, and at times I found it very difficult to pick up the book again. It is hard to read these kinds of things, over and over, and it occurs to me that it is one thing to read a story like this in a magazine, and another some long time after, and quite another to read them one after another in succession without a break. If I had known it would be like this, I would, I think, not have read them this way. So yet again I find myself grateful for not knowing ahead of time what I was in for.

I love how the people talk. So many of them talk like people I know, or people in family stories I’ve heard. My dad grew up in Montana, and I grew up in the Bay Area of northern California, and I like hearing about places like these, and others I’m not so familiar with. I like the new words I learn, especially the ones I gradually get a feel for, and I like knowing how people work. It’s amazing how little you ever know about the jobs you don’t do, and no matter how many times we have the small conversation about what we do, it never comes out as clearly as it does in these stories. These are people I remember, in the end, and the relationships between wives and husbands, and fathers and sons are real ones, and it’s amazing to me how Stegner seems to be on everyone’s side without ever moving from one position to another. It’s wonderful how substantial the stories are—like some kind of rich ore he’s got, where he only has to point out a vein or two, and he lets you find the rest.

jeanetterenee's review

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5.0

Wally Stegner...sigh...my literary crush.

There are 31 stories in this collection, written over a period of about 50 years. Naturally, the subject matter and quality varies. Stegner himself chose the stories for inclusion, as well as their arrangement in the collection. He clearly knew his best writing, because the better stories are in the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book.

In the Foreword, Stegner says about the stories:
"I lived them, either as a participant or spectator or auditor, before I made fictions of them...and because the world and I were changing at an ever accelerating rate, some stories reflect events, social attitudes, and even diction that now seem dated."
Yes! This is what makes the collection worth reading. It covers so many time periods and lifestyles that are forever gone, preserved in literary amber by one who actually lived through those bygone eras.

The stories cover a variety of historical topics: the 1918 influenza epidemic, WWII wives waiting for letters from their soldier husbands, ranching life on the plains of Saskatchewan, and Prohibition days in Salt Lake City. All from someone who was there.

I think the most perfect story in the collection is "Double Corner." It showcases Stegner's talent for creating a powerful sense of place, as well as his ability to express the beautiful and heartbreaking impulses that make us human. If you read no other stories in this book, at least read this one.
"Double Corner" is about a little family of California fruit growers who try to take on the task of caring for the husband's mother rather than placing her in an old folks' home. But the mother has dementia, and all their love and good intentions may not be enough to keep her safe and keep themselves from falling apart. Stegner lets us see how difficult it is for everyone when a loved one is losing mental faculties, and how frightening life becomes for the one with dementia.
"Grandma's mind was a terrified little animal trembling in a dark hole while danger walked outside."

I also really liked "Volcano," a very short piece that takes place in Mexico. It's an excellent example of writing to show rather than just tell.

arenaudyouknow's review against another edition

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3.0

Really enjoyed the first half, although I started to get tired of short stories about animals dying... The second half stories just weren't as engaging for me and I just skimmed a few. But Stegner's writing is so beautiful and poignant nonetheless. Excited to try another of his novels.

bookishheather's review

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adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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