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A review by jeanetterenee
Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner by Wallace Stegner
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.
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.