A Private State: Stories

By Charlotte Bacon

Book Overview

Here is a finely crafted collection of stories about women who have arrived at awkward edges in their lives. Some are adolescents, some at the brink of old age, and some find themselves suddenly ill... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558491147
• ISBN13: 9781558491144
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Quite strong

All our old elusive friends from English Class -- Psychological Depth, Moral Complexity, Wit (sparkling of course), Astute Observation, Lucidity and Grace -- are evident in these fine tales of women sliding into nuances of awareness they never sought and perhaps wouldn't have welcomed. Reminiscent of Cheever, yes; but also Chekhov and (at their very best) Ann Beattie and Alice Munro. Rather impressive stuff.

An excellent combination of E.Annie Proulx and John Cheever

Like E. Annie Proulx, Charlotte Bacon's writing is fresh and compelling, sprinkled liberally with incandescent imagery. Like Cheever, seemingly small events, like a weekend in the country, a troubling discovery made by a daughter in her father's apartment, or a whale-watching trip, all mark tidal points in the lives of her characters. With nary a false note, this young writer carries us through the lives of men and women facing the end of marriage, the beginning of a pregnancy, the repercussions of the loss of a job on a wealthy family. Such grace and assured prose is rare in young writers, and I'm already waiting for her next. An excellent collection of stories (and prize-winning, too, if you check the book jacket).