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Fishing the Sloe-Black River
The short fiction of Colum McCann documents a dizzying cast of characters in exile, loss, love, and displacement. There is the worn boxing champion who steals clothes from a New Orleans laundromat, the rumored survivor of Hiroshima who emigrates to the tranquil coast of Western Ireland, the Irishwoman who journeys through America in search of silence and solitude. But what is found in these stories, and discovered by these characters, is the astonishing poetry and peace found in the mundane: a memory, a scent on the wind, the grace in the curve of a street. Fishing the Sloe-Black River is a work of pure augury, of the channeling and re-spoken lives of people exposed to the beauty of the everyday.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
20 people are currently reading
796 people want to read
About the author
Colum McCann
79 books4,485 followersSign up for Colum's newsletter: http://bit.ly/mccannsignup
Colum McCann is the author of three collections of short stories and six novels, including "Apeirogon," published in Spring 2020. His other books include "TransAtlantic," "Let the Great World Spin," "This Side of Brightness,""Dancer" and “Zoli,” all of which were international best-sellers.
His newest book, American Mother, written with Diane Foley, is due to be published in March 2024.
American Mother takes us deep into the story of Diane Foley; whose son Jim, a freelance journalist, was held captive by ISIS before being beheaded in the Syrian desert.
Diane’s voice is channeled into searing reality by Colum, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
"American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out," says Sting.
Apeirogon (2020) became a best-seller on four continent.
“Let the Great World Spin” won the National Book Award in 2009. His fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Paris Review and other places. He has written for numerous publications including The Irish Times, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, The New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
In December 2023 Colum (as co-founder of Narrative 4) was the 2023 Humanitarian Award nominee, awarded by the United Nations delegations at the Ambassador's Ball in New York City.
Colum has won numerous international awards. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Irish association of artists, Aosdana. He has also received a Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres from the French government. He is the cofounder of the global non-profit story exchange organisation Narrative 4.
In 2003 Colum was named Esquire magazine's "Writer of the Year." Other awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Rooney Prize, the Irish Independent Hughes and Hughes/Sunday Independent Novel of the Year 2003, and the 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award. He was recently inducted into the Hennessy Hall of Fame for Irish Literature.
His short film "Everything in this Country Must," directed by Gary McKendry, was nominated for an Academy Award Oscar in 2005.
Colum was born in Dublin in 1965 and began his career as a journalist in The Irish Press. In the early 1980's he took a bicycle across North America and then worked as a wilderness guide in a program for juvenile delinquents in Texas. After a year and a half in Japan, he and his wife Allison moved to New York where they currently live with their three children, Isabella, John Michael and Christian.
Colum teaches in Hunter College in New York, in the Creative Writing program, with fellow novelists Peter Carey and Tea Obreht.
Colum has completed his new novel, "Apeirogon." Crafted out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material, McCann tells the story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan. One is Israeli. One is Palestinian. Both are fathers. Both have lost their daughters to the conflict. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories they recognize the loss that connects them, and they begin to use their grief as a weapon for peace.
In the novel McCann crosses centuries and continents. He stitches together time, art, history, nature and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our times.
It is scheduled for release in the U.S in February 2020.
Advance copies will be available here on GoodReads!!!!
Colum McCann is the author of three collections of short stories and six novels, including "Apeirogon," published in Spring 2020. His other books include "TransAtlantic," "Let the Great World Spin," "This Side of Brightness,""Dancer" and “Zoli,” all of which were international best-sellers.
His newest book, American Mother, written with Diane Foley, is due to be published in March 2024.
American Mother takes us deep into the story of Diane Foley; whose son Jim, a freelance journalist, was held captive by ISIS before being beheaded in the Syrian desert.
Diane’s voice is channeled into searing reality by Colum, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy.
"American Mother is a book that will shake your soul out," says Sting.
Apeirogon (2020) became a best-seller on four continent.
“Let the Great World Spin” won the National Book Award in 2009. His fiction has been published in over 40 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Paris Review and other places. He has written for numerous publications including The Irish Times, Die Zeit, La Republicca, Paris Match, The New York Times, the Guardian and the Independent.
In December 2023 Colum (as co-founder of Narrative 4) was the 2023 Humanitarian Award nominee, awarded by the United Nations delegations at the Ambassador's Ball in New York City.
Colum has won numerous international awards. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Irish association of artists, Aosdana. He has also received a Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres from the French government. He is the cofounder of the global non-profit story exchange organisation Narrative 4.
In 2003 Colum was named Esquire magazine's "Writer of the Year." Other awards and honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Rooney Prize, the Irish Independent Hughes and Hughes/Sunday Independent Novel of the Year 2003, and the 2002 Ireland Fund of Monaco Princess Grace Memorial Literary Award. He was recently inducted into the Hennessy Hall of Fame for Irish Literature.
His short film "Everything in this Country Must," directed by Gary McKendry, was nominated for an Academy Award Oscar in 2005.
Colum was born in Dublin in 1965 and began his career as a journalist in The Irish Press. In the early 1980's he took a bicycle across North America and then worked as a wilderness guide in a program for juvenile delinquents in Texas. After a year and a half in Japan, he and his wife Allison moved to New York where they currently live with their three children, Isabella, John Michael and Christian.
Colum teaches in Hunter College in New York, in the Creative Writing program, with fellow novelists Peter Carey and Tea Obreht.
Colum has completed his new novel, "Apeirogon." Crafted out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material, McCann tells the story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan. One is Israeli. One is Palestinian. Both are fathers. Both have lost their daughters to the conflict. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories they recognize the loss that connects them, and they begin to use their grief as a weapon for peace.
In the novel McCann crosses centuries and continents. He stitches together time, art, history, nature and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our times.
It is scheduled for release in the U.S in February 2020.
Advance copies will be available here on GoodReads!!!!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
December 18, 2018
Reflections of the past, mostly in Ireland, but the characters are in different places - New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Dallas but Ireland is there. This is a collection of sad and beautifully written stories, the writing I’ve come to expect from Colum McCann. I can’t say I loved every story, but most of them were touching, about ordinary people, characters reflecting the depth and complexity of what it means to be human.
The opening story “SISTERS” drew me in from the first sentences. “I have come to think of our lives as the colors of that place — hers a piece of bog cotton, mine as black as the water found when men slash too deep in the soil with a shovel. I remember when I was fifteen, cycling across those bogs in the early evenings, on my way to the dancehall in my clean, yellow socks.” The image of the yellow socks in the end of this sad story about a woman trying to make amends with her sister, an ailing nun, whom she hasn’t seen in years was lovely. Sisters are also the center of a story later in the collection, “A WORD IN EDGEWISE”. It reads as if it could be a rambling letter or the narrator is just quite a talker who won’t let you get a word in, reminiscing about their younger days, talk of makeup and husbands and family. Then it’s clear in the end after we’ve heard just about their life story. Funny and poignant and I’ll remember the image of sunflowers.
Two others that were standouts for me are “BREAKFAST FOR ENRIQUE”, about a gay man caring for his lover who is dying of AIDS and “ A BASKET FULL OF WALLPAPER” about a quiet mysterious Japanese man who moves to Ireland. Fans of McCann’s writing will enjoy this collection. I certainly did.
August 17, 2019
[3+] This is McCann's first book and very least favorite so far but the writing is still eloquent. The collection started out strong but later stories didn't resonate with me. An uneven experience but worth it for the writing.
July 10, 2014
Rating: 3.75* of five
The Publisher Says: The short fiction of Colum McCann documents a dizzying cast of characters in exile, loss, love, and displacement. There is the worn boxing champion who steals clothes from a New Orleans laundromat, the rumored survivor of Hiroshima who emigrates to the tranquil coast of Western Ireland, the Irishwoman who journeys through America in search of silence and solitude. But what is found in these stories, and discovered by these characters, is the astonishing poetry and peace found in the mundane: a memory, a scent on the wind, the grace in the curve of a street. Fishing the Sloe-Black River is a work of pure augury, of the channeling and re-spoken lives of people exposed to the beauty of the everyday.
My Review: Twelve stories written by an Irish-by-Irish-American talent whose work garnered praise from no less a short story luminary than Edna O'Brien. Justly so, may I add.
These are stories that go down easy, slipping into the eyes with no great effort and causing the brain no hiccups. Then, an hour later, why are they repeating like uncooked garlic? Because, dear readers of them, you've been *snookered*!
McCann's characters are delineated deftly, his settings established economically, and his stories told without fuss. But the end result is more than the sum of its parts. An example, decribing Flaherty the Irishman living in New Orleans, from "Step We Gaily, On We Go":
A washed up has-been boxer, Flaherty? Or a never-was dreamer? A lonely old man, surely, but why? What happened here? This is my favorite story in the collection, and I use it as an example of what I think McCann does best: He gives you the picture, and lets you decide what interests you most about it. Most short stories aren't that good, frankly, because they're just exactly the wrong length to do anything well, except in the hands of the talented.
"Cathal's Lake", the final story in the collection, is my runner-up favorite and would be even if only for its first line: "It's a sad Sunday when a man has to dig another swan from the soil." Cathal, a dirt farmer of no notable qualities, and his dog Wingnut are spending their morning digging up swans, see, and Cathal's mind (such as it is) wanders into some strange reveries...soldiers in battle, teen toughs in battle..."All this miraculous hatred. Christ, a man can't eat his breakfast for filling his belly full of it." It's sad to say that this is an evergreen trope in our world, this mindless exploration of anger and hate in calm and peace. It's a good story.
It's a good collection. I'd recommend it to anyone whose desire is to see *just enough* of a story and a character and a setting to get the story, but still want to hear the tale.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: The short fiction of Colum McCann documents a dizzying cast of characters in exile, loss, love, and displacement. There is the worn boxing champion who steals clothes from a New Orleans laundromat, the rumored survivor of Hiroshima who emigrates to the tranquil coast of Western Ireland, the Irishwoman who journeys through America in search of silence and solitude. But what is found in these stories, and discovered by these characters, is the astonishing poetry and peace found in the mundane: a memory, a scent on the wind, the grace in the curve of a street. Fishing the Sloe-Black River is a work of pure augury, of the channeling and re-spoken lives of people exposed to the beauty of the everyday.
My Review: Twelve stories written by an Irish-by-Irish-American talent whose work garnered praise from no less a short story luminary than Edna O'Brien. Justly so, may I add.
These are stories that go down easy, slipping into the eyes with no great effort and causing the brain no hiccups. Then, an hour later, why are they repeating like uncooked garlic? Because, dear readers of them, you've been *snookered*!
McCann's characters are delineated deftly, his settings established economically, and his stories told without fuss. But the end result is more than the sum of its parts. An example, decribing Flaherty the Irishman living in New Orleans, from "Step We Gaily, On We Go":
Give life long enough and it will solve all your problems, including the one of being alive. Should write that one on the stairwell, he chuckles to himself as he shuffles down the rat-gray steps of the apartment complex. He walks slowly, his big shoulders pitching back and forth in the folds of an old brown overcoat. Thick fists, blotched here and there with liver spots, pop out from the cuffs and a magenta handkerchief sprouts from the breast pocket. Beads of sweat gather beneath the peak of his flat tweed cap as he negotiates the corner on the third floor. Damn, he thinks, it's hot under this whole rigout.
A washed up has-been boxer, Flaherty? Or a never-was dreamer? A lonely old man, surely, but why? What happened here? This is my favorite story in the collection, and I use it as an example of what I think McCann does best: He gives you the picture, and lets you decide what interests you most about it. Most short stories aren't that good, frankly, because they're just exactly the wrong length to do anything well, except in the hands of the talented.
"Cathal's Lake", the final story in the collection, is my runner-up favorite and would be even if only for its first line: "It's a sad Sunday when a man has to dig another swan from the soil." Cathal, a dirt farmer of no notable qualities, and his dog Wingnut are spending their morning digging up swans, see, and Cathal's mind (such as it is) wanders into some strange reveries...soldiers in battle, teen toughs in battle..."All this miraculous hatred. Christ, a man can't eat his breakfast for filling his belly full of it." It's sad to say that this is an evergreen trope in our world, this mindless exploration of anger and hate in calm and peace. It's a good story.
It's a good collection. I'd recommend it to anyone whose desire is to see *just enough* of a story and a character and a setting to get the story, but still want to hear the tale.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
July 11, 2021
This is a new edition of McCann's 1993 debut short story collection, another chance find in the library. I should have written this review immediately after reading it, as I find reviewing story collections difficult at the best of times, and this one doesn't even have an index.
There is plenty to enjoy here - the writing is polished and some of the scenarios are quite striking. More of the stories are set in America than in Ireland, though all involve characters with Irish roots, and McCann's ability to inhabit much older characters is impressive.
There is plenty to enjoy here - the writing is polished and some of the scenarios are quite striking. More of the stories are set in America than in Ireland, though all involve characters with Irish roots, and McCann's ability to inhabit much older characters is impressive.
March 24, 2013
The audiobook Fishing the Sloe-Black River is a book of 12 short stories, narrated by Clodagh Bowyer, Tim Smallwood, Paul Nugent, Fiana Toibin, Sean Gormley, John Keating and Ed Malone. The Irish patois was perfectly executed by all except for the one story narrated by Ed Malone. Only he failed to space the words and give an intonation that fitted the lines well! I noted how if a narrator emphasizes the wrong words the meaning of the sentence would be messed up! Paul Nugent and Fiana Toibin must be Irish! Fiana even sang some songs for us! The lilt and the off-key tone could not have been improved upon.
I would not recommend listening to one story after the other, as I did. They all became jumbled in my head. I couldn't keep any of them straight. Some I didn't understand. So many people and such miserable existences; I was truly saddened. Usually this author makes me smile but only one story did that for me, and this was the second to the last one entitled "A Word in Edgewise"(Fiana Toibin). You soon realize that this is one woman reminiscing, as she lovingly and delicately paints makeup, for the last time, on the dead woman lying before her. Her lips, her cheeks, her eyebrows had to be done up just right! What these two did together! Shared jokes. Swimsuits today were nothing more than dental floss! Maybe their suits were more substantial but they were "a wiggling too" back then! Re condoms: "It must be like washing your feet with socks on!" If you are anything like me you will smile. But this was the only story that had me smiling, and this is unusual for McCann. The stories were too depressing.
Many marvelous details that pepper his longer novels are repeated in these short stories. Repeated, they are less fun. Songdogs and fishing and marmalade cats and blue anoraks and even exact phrases from the novels are here.
So this book was just OK. This is my first two star rating for a McCann book. Read something else by McCann. This is not representative of what he can write. However, I am not going to return this book to Audible. Why? Because I did like that one story, the one mentioned above. It was that good ; I will listen to it again. It is beautiful and funny and sad, all rolled together.
I would not recommend listening to one story after the other, as I did. They all became jumbled in my head. I couldn't keep any of them straight. Some I didn't understand. So many people and such miserable existences; I was truly saddened. Usually this author makes me smile but only one story did that for me, and this was the second to the last one entitled "A Word in Edgewise"(Fiana Toibin). You soon realize that this is one woman reminiscing, as she lovingly and delicately paints makeup, for the last time, on the dead woman lying before her. Her lips, her cheeks, her eyebrows had to be done up just right! What these two did together! Shared jokes. Swimsuits today were nothing more than dental floss! Maybe their suits were more substantial but they were "a wiggling too" back then! Re condoms: "It must be like washing your feet with socks on!" If you are anything like me you will smile. But this was the only story that had me smiling, and this is unusual for McCann. The stories were too depressing.
Many marvelous details that pepper his longer novels are repeated in these short stories. Repeated, they are less fun. Songdogs and fishing and marmalade cats and blue anoraks and even exact phrases from the novels are here.
So this book was just OK. This is my first two star rating for a McCann book. Read something else by McCann. This is not representative of what he can write. However, I am not going to return this book to Audible. Why? Because I did like that one story, the one mentioned above. It was that good ; I will listen to it again. It is beautiful and funny and sad, all rolled together.
July 10, 2014
A very good story collection, by one of my favorite authors.
July 19, 2014
This, McCann's debut short story collection, is the last of his books that I've read, and while not perhaps as consistent as some of his later work, it shows the promise that he has since fulfilled, and has enough in it to make the collection worth reading.
The 12 stories are told mainly in the first person, but are widely varied in content. There are male and female protagonists, both old and young, and settings vary between different areas of USA and Ireland.
Highlights I particularly enjoyed included the tale of the Japanese wallpaperer living in a small town in postwar Ireland, and 'From Many, One', when a husband learns something new abut his wife. I found 'Breakfast for Enrique', about an Irish fish gutter, living in SF, caring for his ailing partner particularly touching.
There are a number of other strongpoints in the collection, and while I didn't buy the magical realism of the title story, those who have enjoyed McCann's later work won't go wrong by checking this collection out.
The 12 stories are told mainly in the first person, but are widely varied in content. There are male and female protagonists, both old and young, and settings vary between different areas of USA and Ireland.
Highlights I particularly enjoyed included the tale of the Japanese wallpaperer living in a small town in postwar Ireland, and 'From Many, One', when a husband learns something new abut his wife. I found 'Breakfast for Enrique', about an Irish fish gutter, living in SF, caring for his ailing partner particularly touching.
There are a number of other strongpoints in the collection, and while I didn't buy the magical realism of the title story, those who have enjoyed McCann's later work won't go wrong by checking this collection out.
January 16, 2008
Getting/giving a book that wasn’t asked for by an author you/they don’t know can be pretty tricky, to say the least. A great aunt I love and admire gave me this one Christmas and I had zero interest to crack it open. Eventually I did and I couldn’t stop kicking myself to waiting so long to dig into such a powerful collection of stories. Each story has a unique style, writing voice and McCann can be funny and devastating with equal aplomb in some truly original premises. I was influenced by this to try and alter my own writing style but didn’t improve a bit. This is a really a wonderful little book worth you checking out.
June 29, 2014
I am a huge fan of short stories, and I enjoy the variety of voices found in a collection of stories, as opposed to a novel. That said, it is rare that I am completely taken with every voice presented in a collection, and even more rare that I find individual stories to be as compelling and rich as a good novel. This is probably the best collection of short stories I have encountered to date. Every character is complex and intriguing, and each story involves a twist not easy to accomplish in the space provided. I now have to read everything McCann has written. This should be a fun ride.
March 7, 2016
In my opinion, one of the best collection of modern Irish short stories you are going to find. These haunting stories linger with you long after you've read them. He writes beautifully and uniquely, but it never gets in the way of the actual story. There are touches of magic realism too, enough to make some of the stories quirky and distinct. This is a book you can come back to, again and again and randomly pick any story, they are all so good.
July 29, 2024
4.25⭐
A dozen stories--his first collection.
Standouts:
"Sisters"
"A Basket Full of Wallpaper"
"Through the Field" (but mysterious ending...what happens(ed)!)
"Stolen Child"
"Around the Bend and Back Again"
Painting quarters (coins) ("From Many, One")
Buried swans (?) ("Cathal's Lake" )
A dozen stories--his first collection.
Standouts:
"Sisters"
"A Basket Full of Wallpaper"
"Through the Field" (but mysterious ending...what happens(ed)!)
"Stolen Child"
"Around the Bend and Back Again"
Painting quarters (coins) ("From Many, One")
Buried swans (?) ("Cathal's Lake" )
June 21, 2025
Hur ofta läser man en novellsamling där alla noveller är bra?
February 10, 2017
It is very hard for me to rate this book. If I rated in on how much I enjoyed it the rating would be a 2. But, if rating it on the merit it deserves I would have to assign 4. I went with merit.
This is my first read of McCann's work. It is evident he is certainly a talented storyteller and adept writer. The collection of short stories were sweeping, most written from a first person point of view. and he nails the voice each and every time. Even thought most of the stories are set in Ireland a few were not. Two were set in Texas and I was impressed with his knowledge of the geography and his ability to accurately capture the Texas voice. All too often I find authors use a heavy hand in portraying "Texas-Speak" and the hyperbole comes off as a caricature. Not McCann. He nailed it. It was subtle and accurate. It felt authentic and I trusted him with his other stories. He apparently spend a year and a half in Dallas.
So, why do I say it was a 2 for me? The stories are DARK and often disturbing. While the characters were well-drawn, I had sympathy for only one - the Japanese immigrant in "A Basket Full of Wallpaper."
In the end I would say this is an impressive work but not for me.
This is my first read of McCann's work. It is evident he is certainly a talented storyteller and adept writer. The collection of short stories were sweeping, most written from a first person point of view. and he nails the voice each and every time. Even thought most of the stories are set in Ireland a few were not. Two were set in Texas and I was impressed with his knowledge of the geography and his ability to accurately capture the Texas voice. All too often I find authors use a heavy hand in portraying "Texas-Speak" and the hyperbole comes off as a caricature. Not McCann. He nailed it. It was subtle and accurate. It felt authentic and I trusted him with his other stories. He apparently spend a year and a half in Dallas.
So, why do I say it was a 2 for me? The stories are DARK and often disturbing. While the characters were well-drawn, I had sympathy for only one - the Japanese immigrant in "A Basket Full of Wallpaper."
In the end I would say this is an impressive work but not for me.
March 3, 2022
Dies ist tatsächlich McCann’s erstes Buch. Eine Kurzgeschichtensammlung, in der er gewissermaßen seinen Themenkatalog vorstellt, aus dem er auch in späteren Jahren immer wieder schöpft.
Wie unterschiedlich die Hauptcharakteren auch sind, alle sind es Iren. Viele davon das was man heute gehässig "Wirtschaftsflüchtlinge" nennt: Auswanderer nach Amerika.
Es sind kleine melancholische Geschichten, doch voller Güte seinen Charakteren gegenüber, viele davon ganz nah in der ersten Person verfasst. Es lässt sich lesen McCann beherrsche "die Kunst der radikale Empathie" und das stimmt.
Eine andere Rezension lobt seine "Beneidenswerte Aufmerksamkeit für das Schöne wie das Alltägliche, gefüllt mit dem Gewicht des ganzen Lebens" und auch da schließe ich mich an.
Schwestern: Auf grade einmal 25 Seiten schafft McCann es hier ein Leben zu zeichnen. Ein kompliziertes Leben und eine komplizierte Beziehung zweier Schwestern, die unterschiedlicher kaum sein können, aber beide auf ihre Art zu entkommen versuchen und nicht nur aus Irland.
Frühstück für Enrique: Eigentlich dürfte sich der junge Ire dieser Geschichte keinen gemütlichen Morgen gönnen, denn er wird in der Arbeit erwartet. Es gibt Fische auszunehmen am Hafen San Franciscos und das Gehalt wird dringend benötigt. Stattdessen kauft er Frühstück, denn das Wetter ist warm genug um mit Enrique auf dem Balkon zu essen. Und Enrique geht es gut genug um aufzustehen. Gerade so. Das Wort AIDS fällt nie in dieser Story und so mag es sogar voreingenommen sein dies anzunehmen, für mich liest es sich aber auf keine andere Art. Keine fröhliche Story freilich, aber auch keine triefend traurige. "Einfach was ist" und dadurch umso stärker.
Ein Korb voller Tapeten: Einen Sommer lang hilft der Jugendliche Sean dem örtlichen Tapezierer.
Der ist, ein Novum im beschaulichen irischen Städtchen, Japaner und ein stilles Enigma, was ihn zum Quell unzähliger Geschichten -- eine so wahr wie die andere denn nie widersprochen -- macht. Auch Sean trägt zu seiner Legendenbildung bei, doch wirklich wissen tut niemand was ihn nach Irland verschlagen haben mag. Auch nicht am Ende, als man nach seinem Tod nur feststellt wie klein sein Haus von innen geworden ist. Eine Tapete über der anderen, über- und übertapeziert hat Stück für Stück ein wenig Raum genommen, doch auch unter allen Schichten bleibt sein Geheimnis verborgen. Die Geschichte ist sehr leise und unaufgeregt, aber das "Schlußbild" mit der Tapete wirkt nach.
Fischen am tiefschwarzen Fluß: Frauen fischen am Fluß erfolglos nach ihren verlorenen Söhne während ihre Männer ein Fußballspiel ohne Nachwuchs austragen. Ich weiss was die Geschichte will, aber sie ist mir zu surreal.
Munter schreiten wir voran: Was als leichtgewichtige Story über einen sympathisch trotteligen Ex-Boxer beginnt, der sich zum Spleen gemacht hat Damen Kleidung im Waschsalon zu stibitzen. Ob seine Frau heute die Bluse mag, oder wird er sie doch wieder — einem unzeitigen Nikolaus gleich — in seiner Nachbarschaft an die Türklinke einer anderen Frauen, die sie gut brauchen kann, hängen? Was so launig beginnt hat einen sehr tragischen Unterbau.
Durchs Feld: Als ein Gartenarbeiter in einem Jugendgefängnis erfährt, dass sich einer der jungen Delinquenten nur deshalb gestellt hat, weil er auf der Flucht zu viel Angst vor der Dunkelheit hatte, ist ihm nichts wichtiger als mit seiner Familie und der des befreundeten Erzählers auf einem abgelegenen Feld in einer lichtlosen Nacht zu tanzen, auf das seine Kinder nie Furcht vor der Dunkelheit erlernen sollen.
Wurde väterlichen Liebe schon mal so eigenartig und gleichzeitig so zärtlich dargestellt?
Gestohlenes Kind: Ein irischer Sozialarbeiter in einem Brooklyner Kinderheim für Blinde hat Probleme sich damit abzufinden, dass einer seiner ehemaligen Mündel plant einen behinderten Vietnam-Veteran zu heiraten, muss aber dann einsehen, dass sie eine wohl doch eine gute Partie für einander sind.
Ich glaub hier fehlt mir ein Verständigungsebene, was vielleicht damit zusammenhängt, dass die Story gleich einem Yeats-Gedicht benannt ist. Irgendwas entgeht mir.
Von vielen einer: Hier muss der Erzähler lernen, das er seine Frau weitaus weniger kennt als er zuvor dachte, als er den Weg einiger von ihr kunstvoll bemalter Viertel-Dollar-Münzen nachspürt.
Linksherum und wieder zurück: Ist die Frau aus dem Wagon nur ein Freigeist, oder gehört sie wirklich in die Nervenheilanstalt in der sie grade Einsitzer muss? Der Erzähler, in der Anstalt mit Putz- und Hausmeisterarbeiten beschäftigt ist sich sicher, sie ist batshit-crazy! Aber eben auch faszinierend. Immer mehr kommt er unter ihren Bann und wird dabei schließlich nicht nur Gehilfe bei ihrer Flucht, sondern auch bei ihrem letzten großen Aufbäumen gegen den Verlust ihrer Welt. Es ist faszinierend zu sehen, wie der doch eher simple Erzähler langsam Stück für Stück von ihrer seltsamen Poesie ergriffen wird. Und auch wenn alles tragisch endet, bleibt trotzdem irgendwie ein Sieg.
Entlang der Kaimauer : Hier schließt ein junger Ire mit seinem Schicksal ab gelähmt zu sein in dem er sein Fahrrad Stück für Stück in den Fluß wirft. Sein Vater mag es nach dem Unfall teuer repariert haben, aber er weiß, dass es keinen Weg mehr zurück gibt. Ich lese es aber nicht als Aufgeben, sondern als Abschluß und Akzeptanz.
Weißt du noch?: Begleitet von einem nicht enden wollenden Redeschwall schminkt Eileen ihre Schwester für die letzte Reise und schwelgt dabei in allerlei Erinnerungen an ihre gemeinsame Vergangenheit. Eine wirklich wunderschöne Geschichte, der viel Liebe durchzogen von einer leisen Traurigkeit innewohnt, aber auch beständige Freude an einem einfachen, guten Leben.
Cathals See: Hier bin ich hin- und hergerissen. Diese Story über die tragischen Verluste an Menschenleben während der "Troubles" in Nordirland ist wunderschön geschrieben, aber ich kann einfach nichts mit dem — ich nenne es mal "magischen Realismus" — anfangen, der da miteingeflochten ist. Denn die Hauptperson ist darin dabei einen Schwan aus seinem Erdgrab zu befreien, der aus der Seele eines wieder gewaltsam verstorbenen Jungen entstanden ist und nun auf dem leider schon sehr überfüllten See seine Runden ziehen darf. Das ist mir einfach zu komisch.
Wie unterschiedlich die Hauptcharakteren auch sind, alle sind es Iren. Viele davon das was man heute gehässig "Wirtschaftsflüchtlinge" nennt: Auswanderer nach Amerika.
Es sind kleine melancholische Geschichten, doch voller Güte seinen Charakteren gegenüber, viele davon ganz nah in der ersten Person verfasst. Es lässt sich lesen McCann beherrsche "die Kunst der radikale Empathie" und das stimmt.
Eine andere Rezension lobt seine "Beneidenswerte Aufmerksamkeit für das Schöne wie das Alltägliche, gefüllt mit dem Gewicht des ganzen Lebens" und auch da schließe ich mich an.
Schwestern: Auf grade einmal 25 Seiten schafft McCann es hier ein Leben zu zeichnen. Ein kompliziertes Leben und eine komplizierte Beziehung zweier Schwestern, die unterschiedlicher kaum sein können, aber beide auf ihre Art zu entkommen versuchen und nicht nur aus Irland.
Frühstück für Enrique: Eigentlich dürfte sich der junge Ire dieser Geschichte keinen gemütlichen Morgen gönnen, denn er wird in der Arbeit erwartet. Es gibt Fische auszunehmen am Hafen San Franciscos und das Gehalt wird dringend benötigt. Stattdessen kauft er Frühstück, denn das Wetter ist warm genug um mit Enrique auf dem Balkon zu essen. Und Enrique geht es gut genug um aufzustehen. Gerade so. Das Wort AIDS fällt nie in dieser Story und so mag es sogar voreingenommen sein dies anzunehmen, für mich liest es sich aber auf keine andere Art. Keine fröhliche Story freilich, aber auch keine triefend traurige. "Einfach was ist" und dadurch umso stärker.
Ein Korb voller Tapeten: Einen Sommer lang hilft der Jugendliche Sean dem örtlichen Tapezierer.
Der ist, ein Novum im beschaulichen irischen Städtchen, Japaner und ein stilles Enigma, was ihn zum Quell unzähliger Geschichten -- eine so wahr wie die andere denn nie widersprochen -- macht. Auch Sean trägt zu seiner Legendenbildung bei, doch wirklich wissen tut niemand was ihn nach Irland verschlagen haben mag. Auch nicht am Ende, als man nach seinem Tod nur feststellt wie klein sein Haus von innen geworden ist. Eine Tapete über der anderen, über- und übertapeziert hat Stück für Stück ein wenig Raum genommen, doch auch unter allen Schichten bleibt sein Geheimnis verborgen. Die Geschichte ist sehr leise und unaufgeregt, aber das "Schlußbild" mit der Tapete wirkt nach.
Fischen am tiefschwarzen Fluß: Frauen fischen am Fluß erfolglos nach ihren verlorenen Söhne während ihre Männer ein Fußballspiel ohne Nachwuchs austragen. Ich weiss was die Geschichte will, aber sie ist mir zu surreal.
Munter schreiten wir voran: Was als leichtgewichtige Story über einen sympathisch trotteligen Ex-Boxer beginnt, der sich zum Spleen gemacht hat Damen Kleidung im Waschsalon zu stibitzen. Ob seine Frau heute die Bluse mag, oder wird er sie doch wieder — einem unzeitigen Nikolaus gleich — in seiner Nachbarschaft an die Türklinke einer anderen Frauen, die sie gut brauchen kann, hängen? Was so launig beginnt hat einen sehr tragischen Unterbau.
Durchs Feld: Als ein Gartenarbeiter in einem Jugendgefängnis erfährt, dass sich einer der jungen Delinquenten nur deshalb gestellt hat, weil er auf der Flucht zu viel Angst vor der Dunkelheit hatte, ist ihm nichts wichtiger als mit seiner Familie und der des befreundeten Erzählers auf einem abgelegenen Feld in einer lichtlosen Nacht zu tanzen, auf das seine Kinder nie Furcht vor der Dunkelheit erlernen sollen.
Wurde väterlichen Liebe schon mal so eigenartig und gleichzeitig so zärtlich dargestellt?
Gestohlenes Kind: Ein irischer Sozialarbeiter in einem Brooklyner Kinderheim für Blinde hat Probleme sich damit abzufinden, dass einer seiner ehemaligen Mündel plant einen behinderten Vietnam-Veteran zu heiraten, muss aber dann einsehen, dass sie eine wohl doch eine gute Partie für einander sind.
Ich glaub hier fehlt mir ein Verständigungsebene, was vielleicht damit zusammenhängt, dass die Story gleich einem Yeats-Gedicht benannt ist. Irgendwas entgeht mir.
Von vielen einer: Hier muss der Erzähler lernen, das er seine Frau weitaus weniger kennt als er zuvor dachte, als er den Weg einiger von ihr kunstvoll bemalter Viertel-Dollar-Münzen nachspürt.
Linksherum und wieder zurück: Ist die Frau aus dem Wagon nur ein Freigeist, oder gehört sie wirklich in die Nervenheilanstalt in der sie grade Einsitzer muss? Der Erzähler, in der Anstalt mit Putz- und Hausmeisterarbeiten beschäftigt ist sich sicher, sie ist batshit-crazy! Aber eben auch faszinierend. Immer mehr kommt er unter ihren Bann und wird dabei schließlich nicht nur Gehilfe bei ihrer Flucht, sondern auch bei ihrem letzten großen Aufbäumen gegen den Verlust ihrer Welt. Es ist faszinierend zu sehen, wie der doch eher simple Erzähler langsam Stück für Stück von ihrer seltsamen Poesie ergriffen wird. Und auch wenn alles tragisch endet, bleibt trotzdem irgendwie ein Sieg.
Entlang der Kaimauer : Hier schließt ein junger Ire mit seinem Schicksal ab gelähmt zu sein in dem er sein Fahrrad Stück für Stück in den Fluß wirft. Sein Vater mag es nach dem Unfall teuer repariert haben, aber er weiß, dass es keinen Weg mehr zurück gibt. Ich lese es aber nicht als Aufgeben, sondern als Abschluß und Akzeptanz.
Weißt du noch?: Begleitet von einem nicht enden wollenden Redeschwall schminkt Eileen ihre Schwester für die letzte Reise und schwelgt dabei in allerlei Erinnerungen an ihre gemeinsame Vergangenheit. Eine wirklich wunderschöne Geschichte, der viel Liebe durchzogen von einer leisen Traurigkeit innewohnt, aber auch beständige Freude an einem einfachen, guten Leben.
Cathals See: Hier bin ich hin- und hergerissen. Diese Story über die tragischen Verluste an Menschenleben während der "Troubles" in Nordirland ist wunderschön geschrieben, aber ich kann einfach nichts mit dem — ich nenne es mal "magischen Realismus" — anfangen, der da miteingeflochten ist. Denn die Hauptperson ist darin dabei einen Schwan aus seinem Erdgrab zu befreien, der aus der Seele eines wieder gewaltsam verstorbenen Jungen entstanden ist und nun auf dem leider schon sehr überfüllten See seine Runden ziehen darf. Das ist mir einfach zu komisch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2014
What a gem of a book this is! A collection of short stories, mostly set in Ireland. The man can turn a phrase like few other authors. The first story, Sisters has been in my thoughts for the past several days. What amazes me as a reader is that one person can have so many different stories to tell, from such divergent themes. You know that old question if you could have dinner with a famous person who would you choose? I would choose McCann. How did he come up with all these different stories?
I will say, I am an American reader and so some of the references were unknown to me. If I knew more Irish history/culture I'm sure some of these stories would make even more sense to me but really it was fine.
So glad I found this little gem at the used bookstore! I find that some of McCann's older works are hard to track down.
Lastly, I know some don't really like short stories but what I enjoyed was that I could pick up the book when I just had a little reading time and was swept away and blown away at McCann's amazing story. Especially good for those who read multiple books at once.
I will say, I am an American reader and so some of the references were unknown to me. If I knew more Irish history/culture I'm sure some of these stories would make even more sense to me but really it was fine.
So glad I found this little gem at the used bookstore! I find that some of McCann's older works are hard to track down.
Lastly, I know some don't really like short stories but what I enjoyed was that I could pick up the book when I just had a little reading time and was swept away and blown away at McCann's amazing story. Especially good for those who read multiple books at once.
June 17, 2014
Some of the stories in this volume are perfection, like "Cathal's Lake," "A Word in Edgewise," and "Around the Bend and back Again". Many of the others were just okay, though. I will be copying about four stories out of this before returning it, so that I have them to re-read.
February 15, 2010
Just finished this collection of story stories and as always, enjoyed his way of telling a story.
June 18, 2023
I love buying and reading these types of books.
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.
The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.
For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...
Top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
As we read, we need to remember the different characters and settings of a particular story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you need to remember the details during the time you devote to reading the book. Therefore, reading is an exercise for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading Is a (free) Form of Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV series and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading? Most importantly, it's free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and Focus
We all agree that there can be no reading without focus, and we need to concentrate on every page we read to fully understand the story. In a world where gadgets only speed up and shorten our attention span, we must constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, so it improves your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you come across a word you don't know? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will improve as well as your ability to communicate effectively. Also, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. Now more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. That's why you put your phone away and pick up a book and tell your brain it's time to calm down. Also, since reading helps you relieve stress, reading right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve your sleep quality.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always full of fun and interesting facts. Whether we read fiction or non-fiction, books have the ability to provide us with information we might not otherwise know. Reading various topics can make you a more knowledgeable person and therefore improve your speaking skills.
7. Reading Is Motivating
By reading books about heroes overcoming adversity, we are often encouraged to do the same. Whether it's a romance novel or a self-help book, the right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive.
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https://theboatyacht.com/boats-for-sale/
https://numberoneboats.com/boats-for-...
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https://numberoneboats.com/yachts-for...
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.
The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.
For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...
Top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
As we read, we need to remember the different characters and settings of a particular story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you need to remember the details during the time you devote to reading the book. Therefore, reading is an exercise for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading Is a (free) Form of Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV series and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading? Most importantly, it's free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and Focus
We all agree that there can be no reading without focus, and we need to concentrate on every page we read to fully understand the story. In a world where gadgets only speed up and shorten our attention span, we must constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, so it improves your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you come across a word you don't know? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will improve as well as your ability to communicate effectively. Also, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. Now more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. That's why you put your phone away and pick up a book and tell your brain it's time to calm down. Also, since reading helps you relieve stress, reading right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve your sleep quality.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always full of fun and interesting facts. Whether we read fiction or non-fiction, books have the ability to provide us with information we might not otherwise know. Reading various topics can make you a more knowledgeable person and therefore improve your speaking skills.
7. Reading Is Motivating
By reading books about heroes overcoming adversity, we are often encouraged to do the same. Whether it's a romance novel or a self-help book, the right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive.
https://numberoneboats.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/
https://theboatyacht.com/boats-for-sale/
https://numberoneboats.com/boats-for-...
https://theboatyacht.com/yachts-for-s...
https://numberoneboats.com/yachts-for...
January 17, 2024
This is fantastic collection of short stories, of which there isn't a weak one in the lot. Considering this was his first publication, I absolutely have to start reading more by McCann! The stories that hit me the hardest were "A Basket Full of Wallpaper", "Stolen Child", "A Word in Edgewise", "Fishing the Sloe Black River" and "Cathal's Lake". McCann has an incredible ability to make the characters and actions seem believable, no matter how far afield the settings may range, even when on occasion you can see in advance where the story is headed. And even when one or two of them seemingly veer into the realm of folklore.
I happen to have read another short story collection immediately before this, similarly the first publication by an Irish contemporary of his, and truth be told this far surpasses the other even though you can't scroll through Instagram these days without seeing pictures of the other author's work. Where that author seems to force extraordinary circumstances into her stories apparently for shock value, or maybe even titillation, McCann's occasional thrust into an episode or character of violence is more as a trigger or counterpoint to explore the effects upon, or feelings of, the other characters in reaction. His stories are much more on the reader's level that way, and never seem to be stretching credibility (even when intentionally doing so!). In fact, some of McCann's finest moments are highlighting the special nature of the ordinary within our lives, that is worth remembering, that is worth the telling, and which thus resonates with the ordinary reader all the more.
I just hope that his later works will wring the same emotions out of me.
I happen to have read another short story collection immediately before this, similarly the first publication by an Irish contemporary of his, and truth be told this far surpasses the other even though you can't scroll through Instagram these days without seeing pictures of the other author's work. Where that author seems to force extraordinary circumstances into her stories apparently for shock value, or maybe even titillation, McCann's occasional thrust into an episode or character of violence is more as a trigger or counterpoint to explore the effects upon, or feelings of, the other characters in reaction. His stories are much more on the reader's level that way, and never seem to be stretching credibility (even when intentionally doing so!). In fact, some of McCann's finest moments are highlighting the special nature of the ordinary within our lives, that is worth remembering, that is worth the telling, and which thus resonates with the ordinary reader all the more.
For a moment I felt a vicious hatred for him and his quiet ways, his mundane stroll through the summer, his ordinariness, the banality of everything he had become. He should have been a hero or a seer. He should have told me some incredible story that I could carry with me forever. After all, he had been the one who had run along the beach parallel to a porpoise, who filled his pockets full of pebbles, who could lift the stray orange cat in his fingers.
I just hope that his later works will wring the same emotions out of me.
February 1, 2025
Over the last decade I’ve now read enough short story collections to get into a different mindset than that which comes on reading a longer novel.
There’s no time for character development. In order to grab the readers attention early, the opening paragraphs are often obscure and puzzling. Endings are left open, and in general the stories are weird. Characters are outsiders with a propensity to reflect on life’s wrongs and their own mistakes along the way.
Colum McCann’s twelve stories in this collection fits this summary.
I’m sure a fair bit of attention is given to ordering the stories for maximum effect. Sisters which opens the book is the story that I felt could be expanded into longer form if McCann was inclined. Sheona and Brigid may be sisters but they are polar opposites. Who is at the centre of the story? It shifts, and this is my favourite of the stories. Bringing up the rear is Cathal's Lake ; soldiers and swans: what have they got in common? It beats me and this is the weirdest representation in the collection.
(that said, the eponymous story of the collection’s title “Fishing the Sloe Backed River” presents its challenges. Ask twenty people to explain women fishing for sons, and you will get twenty different answers!)
If you read the collection not as a series of stand-alones, but in order to pick up recurring McCann themes, I guess the two ongoing elements are the view of the USA as a huge country that can and does gobble up visitors and escapees. The Irish in America (Where McCann lives) are everywhere.
The second message I took is that many people are suffering from extreme mental anxiety; reflecting fractured lives and an ongoing struggle to survive the brutality of everyday life.
I do like the rhythm of Colum McCann’s writing and the best compliment I can give this collection of stories is to say that I would not have expected such off-the-wall flights of fancy from an author whose mainstay (and well written )historical fiction is so conventionally structured.
There’s no time for character development. In order to grab the readers attention early, the opening paragraphs are often obscure and puzzling. Endings are left open, and in general the stories are weird. Characters are outsiders with a propensity to reflect on life’s wrongs and their own mistakes along the way.
Colum McCann’s twelve stories in this collection fits this summary.
I’m sure a fair bit of attention is given to ordering the stories for maximum effect. Sisters which opens the book is the story that I felt could be expanded into longer form if McCann was inclined. Sheona and Brigid may be sisters but they are polar opposites. Who is at the centre of the story? It shifts, and this is my favourite of the stories. Bringing up the rear is Cathal's Lake ; soldiers and swans: what have they got in common? It beats me and this is the weirdest representation in the collection.
(that said, the eponymous story of the collection’s title “Fishing the Sloe Backed River” presents its challenges. Ask twenty people to explain women fishing for sons, and you will get twenty different answers!)
If you read the collection not as a series of stand-alones, but in order to pick up recurring McCann themes, I guess the two ongoing elements are the view of the USA as a huge country that can and does gobble up visitors and escapees. The Irish in America (Where McCann lives) are everywhere.
The second message I took is that many people are suffering from extreme mental anxiety; reflecting fractured lives and an ongoing struggle to survive the brutality of everyday life.
I do like the rhythm of Colum McCann’s writing and the best compliment I can give this collection of stories is to say that I would not have expected such off-the-wall flights of fancy from an author whose mainstay (and well written )historical fiction is so conventionally structured.
April 12, 2018
Fishing the Sloe-Black River is very Irish. Even the title has to do with an Irish saying. The 12 stories that make up this book by Colum McCann, his first story collection, deal with mostly an Irish experience. Especially in the title story, about the mother's of emigrated sons fishing for them (literally), it helps to know some about what was going on in Ireland around the time of the original publication (1996 in the US, 1994 in the UK/Ireland). This also applies, to a lesser degree, to the final story, "Cathal's Lake." This is a story about the victims of the Troubles begin reborn as swans with little explication. But on a closer read, this story features the many strengths of McCann. He writes empathy beautifully without losing control of emotions and language, and character. Whether it's about a sister searching for her sister in a resting home for nuns on Long Island in "Sisters," a man making breakfast for his dying lover in "Breakfast for Enrique," or a monologue of a story as a sister does the makeup for her sister in "A Word in Edgewise," McCann knows how to illuminate the quiet wonder of the soul. And those are just a sampling. All the rest, with no two alike, offer the same quality. McCann draws you into his stories and let's you ruminate on them. The stories aren't flashy, and neither are the characters. But the writing is deep and thoughtful. All the characters are offered humanity and respect and fortitude. So what difference does it make that it's all very Irish? Here, none at all.
January 24, 2021
Short stories. I LOVED this book. I actually picked it up at a Free Little Library months ago for that challenge # but I read something else for that # and realized that a river is mentioned in every short story in this collection. In many of the stories the river actually is a character in the tale. Thirty+ years ago, short stories were among my favorite styles of fiction. I even subscribed to Short Story magazine! I have read very few short stories in the last 10 years or so. Now I realize what I've been missing. Maybe it's the quick finish, short term commitment that I enjoy or that it gives me the opportunity to see a tiny slice of the life of many characters. I have read MANY full length fiction books which would have been much stronger if edited into short stories. I will be reading more short stories.
My favorite story from this collection is "A word in edgewise." Here are words from a review which I just found...
"A Word in Edgewise" is one of the most extraordinarily moving pieces of short fiction I can remember. To tumble a bit into the technical, the craft and artfulness of the control of voice and image, of pace and pathos, of energy and empathy are impeccably masterful. Read it. You will never forget. - https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-...
Quotable:
“Excuse me, any chance of a dance before I get carpet burns on my tongue?”
My favorite story from this collection is "A word in edgewise." Here are words from a review which I just found...
"A Word in Edgewise" is one of the most extraordinarily moving pieces of short fiction I can remember. To tumble a bit into the technical, the craft and artfulness of the control of voice and image, of pace and pathos, of energy and empathy are impeccably masterful. Read it. You will never forget. - https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-...
Quotable:
“Excuse me, any chance of a dance before I get carpet burns on my tongue?”
February 18, 2024
Fishing the Sloe-Black River, by Colum McCann, 1993. Colum McCann has become one of my favorite authors. Fishing the Sloe-Black River is the third book of short stories I’ve read from McCann, the first he wrote. The stories are set in Ireland or the United States, as are the other books of his I’ve read – the novels Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic, and novellas/short stories Everything in this Country Must and 13 Ways of Looking.
What was most interesting to me about these stories as a whole was the broad range of central characters McCann wrote into them. I think the depth, intimacy, and vitality of his characters is a huge strength of McCann’s in his novels. This book, coming quite early in his writing career, almost seemed like a sketchbook, an exploration of characters as well as themes. I appreciated it as reading a great writer honing his craft. My favorite stories were “A Basket Full of Wallpaper” about a Japanese immigrant to the west of Ireland and the Irish teenager he employs to help him hang wallpaper, and “Stolen Child” which told of the connection between an Irishman recently arrived in New York working as a social worker in a home, and a black, blind young woman beginning to make her way in the world.
I just got McCann’s 2020 novel Apeirogon in the mail, set in Palestine and Israel. Looking forward to reading that soon.
What was most interesting to me about these stories as a whole was the broad range of central characters McCann wrote into them. I think the depth, intimacy, and vitality of his characters is a huge strength of McCann’s in his novels. This book, coming quite early in his writing career, almost seemed like a sketchbook, an exploration of characters as well as themes. I appreciated it as reading a great writer honing his craft. My favorite stories were “A Basket Full of Wallpaper” about a Japanese immigrant to the west of Ireland and the Irish teenager he employs to help him hang wallpaper, and “Stolen Child” which told of the connection between an Irishman recently arrived in New York working as a social worker in a home, and a black, blind young woman beginning to make her way in the world.
I just got McCann’s 2020 novel Apeirogon in the mail, set in Palestine and Israel. Looking forward to reading that soon.
April 5, 2023
I had started this book of 12 stories about six or so years ago and then misplaced it. I found it again while spring cleaning. It was a nice surprise and I set out to re-read the stories I read earlier and finish the ones I had not. Once again, I am mesmerized by McCann's tight, gorgeous command of language. This relatively short book (196 pages) is focused on modern Irish people who have either emigrated or still cling to home. That seemed to be the common thread.
In the title story, "Fishing the Sloe-Black River," women go to a riverbank to fish for sons to replace the ones who have moved away from Ireland. One of my favorites, "A Basket Full of Wallpaper," was evocative of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, not just in name. In it, a Japanese survivor of Hiroshima moves to a small Irish village and compulsively wallpapers his cottage over and over, creating an ever-thickening insulation against the maddening world. Gilman's protagonist is lost in the wallpaper in the room to which she is confined as she descends into madness. Another favorite was "Cathal's Lake," a tale in which a new swan appears in the farmer's pond each time someone is killed in Irish factional violence until his pond is completely filled with swans.
In the title story, "Fishing the Sloe-Black River," women go to a riverbank to fish for sons to replace the ones who have moved away from Ireland. One of my favorites, "A Basket Full of Wallpaper," was evocative of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, not just in name. In it, a Japanese survivor of Hiroshima moves to a small Irish village and compulsively wallpapers his cottage over and over, creating an ever-thickening insulation against the maddening world. Gilman's protagonist is lost in the wallpaper in the room to which she is confined as she descends into madness. Another favorite was "Cathal's Lake," a tale in which a new swan appears in the farmer's pond each time someone is killed in Irish factional violence until his pond is completely filled with swans.
August 27, 2023
Het was mijn schrijfdocent David Troch die me deze bundel kortverhalen aanraadde. Wat opzoekwerk leerde me dat ‘Vissen in de nachtzwarte rivier’ het debuut van Column McCann was. En wat voor één. Dit is oerdegelijk vakwerk, een les in schrijven op zich, van een auteur die later ook schrijfdocent zou worden. (Hij doceert Creative Writing aan het Hunters College in New York, zie ook: ‘Brieven aan een jonge schrijver’, De Harmonie, 2017) Knap hoe hij zijn verhalen opbouwt, de karakters van zijn personages uitwerkt en vooral hoe hij de lezer volledig onderdompelt in een bepaalde sfeer. Werkelijk alles klopt.
De kortverhalen, waarvan een deel zich afspeelt in Ierland en een ander deel in Amerika, zijn meestal donker van aard en de personages situeren zich grotendeels aan de onderkant van de maatschappij. Er spreekt weinig hoop uit, maar wel veel mededogen, waardoor alles heel invoelbaar blijft en ze op een meer abstracter niveau - zoals alle sterke literatuur - fungeren als metaforen voor de menselijke conditie. Vooral ‘Zie ze vliegen’ en ‘Door het veld’ zijn verhalen die me nog lang zullen bijblijven.
De kortverhalen, waarvan een deel zich afspeelt in Ierland en een ander deel in Amerika, zijn meestal donker van aard en de personages situeren zich grotendeels aan de onderkant van de maatschappij. Er spreekt weinig hoop uit, maar wel veel mededogen, waardoor alles heel invoelbaar blijft en ze op een meer abstracter niveau - zoals alle sterke literatuur - fungeren als metaforen voor de menselijke conditie. Vooral ‘Zie ze vliegen’ en ‘Door het veld’ zijn verhalen die me nog lang zullen bijblijven.
April 16, 2024
Een heel knappe verhalenbundel, ruim dertig jaar oud, maar op kwaliteit staat geen datum!
McCann weet als geen ander een sfeer te scheppen, een situatie te tekenen of een personage tot leven te brengen. Vaak gaan de verhalen over dagdagelijkse zaken, niets noemenswaardig, maar de wijze van vertellen, de rake typering van de personages en vooral die mooie, beeldende taal, maken deze verhalen tot wereldklasse.
Het verhaal van twee zussen, een vrouw die besluit een uitgebreid ontbijt te maken voor haar zieke man, een groep vrouwen die staan te vissen terwijl hun mannen wat verderop een potje voetballen, een poetshulp in de psychiaterie die samen met een patiënte een nachtelijk avontuur beleeft, stuk voor stuk niets wereldschokkend, maar een goed auteur heeft niet meer nodig dan het alledaagse om literatuur te maken.
McCann weet als geen ander een sfeer te scheppen, een situatie te tekenen of een personage tot leven te brengen. Vaak gaan de verhalen over dagdagelijkse zaken, niets noemenswaardig, maar de wijze van vertellen, de rake typering van de personages en vooral die mooie, beeldende taal, maken deze verhalen tot wereldklasse.
Het verhaal van twee zussen, een vrouw die besluit een uitgebreid ontbijt te maken voor haar zieke man, een groep vrouwen die staan te vissen terwijl hun mannen wat verderop een potje voetballen, een poetshulp in de psychiaterie die samen met een patiënte een nachtelijk avontuur beleeft, stuk voor stuk niets wereldschokkend, maar een goed auteur heeft niet meer nodig dan het alledaagse om literatuur te maken.
January 14, 2022
This collection of short stories was positively riveting. I felt like I was sitting next to the characters as they were telling me about their adventures--not coming of age quests, or epic fantasy tales--everyday life in all its mundane beauty. I could feel the tension within the scenes and laugh when they did. The style was so conversational and welcoming, not something I've found very often in published short story collections. I borrowed it from the library, but will certainly purchase a copy for my own collection.
August 15, 2018
Still hard on the McCann fandom. Despite being his first published work, everything you love about him is right there. Enviable attention to the beautiful and the mundane filled with all the weight of entire lives. Impressive variety of stories from the hidden corners of Ireland and America; favorites are retired boxer stealing clothes from the laundromat and the secret mission of a madwoman and an orderly. "he simply stands there, rooted to his shadow"
January 10, 2019
I absolutely adored this book. McCann's writing was delicious to read, perfectly crafted with not a single word out of place or without purpose. Short story collections tend to be hit and miss, but I cannot think of a single story that I didn't love. My particular favourites were The Sisters, A Basket Full of Wallpaper, Through the Field, A Word in Edgewise, and, possibly my favourite, Cathal's Lake. Please read this book. Thank you, Andrea for introducing me to Colum McCann.
May 12, 2021
Colum Mc Cann ranks as one of the finest novelists of our time. This volume of short stories does not represent his best writing; however, it’s his first book, and having read his later work first, I appreciate from this collection his evolution into the brilliant, lyrical voice with which he envelopes his readers. These stories capture grief, longing and apathy expertly and hint at the extraordinary talent yet to manifest itself.
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