"One of Canada's top writers at the top of his game. A great read!" — GAIL MACMILLAN, Author, "Ceilidh's Quest"
"Eclectic and entertaining...funky and frenetic story telling...a compelling collection of quirky characters by one of the country's finest literary craftsmen..." — STEPHEN CLARE, The Book Club, CKDU radio, Halifax
”For many years Raymond Fraser has been regarded as the greatest living Maritime fiction writer. In fact he is no less than Canada’s greatest living fiction writer. He’s a superb storyteller whose stories and novels are always universally valid.” — MICHAEL VAUGHAN
“Fraser is a natural story teller. His talent with narrative is second to none in this country...THE GRUMPY MAN stories are an incredible exposé of the human condition.” — MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Daily Gleaner
“A pleasure to read from beginning to end. I doubt many writers could comment on their time as skilfully as Fraser has in this collection, or comment with so much wit and with such great characters.” — JUDY BOWMAN, The Miramichi Leader
“Reading Fraser’s writing is like listening to the voice of an epoch. He explores the things that made the sixties and seventies so legendary.” — MICAH O’DONNELL, The Aquinian
"Enjoyed THE GRUMPY MAN immensely -- the humor, the drama, the rebellion and all. I read it in one read, just couldn't put it down. A true artist." — MARGARET SCOTT
A great and hilarious collection. My introduction to the author. Shades of Fante here, a comical bumbling through the ups-and-downs of life, the highs of drunkenness, and the lows of a bad Hermit hangover.
[Two reviews from winners of "The Grumpy Man" giveaway]
Bonny Macisaac Aug 23, 2013 Bonny Macisaac rated it 5 of 5 stars
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway winner. Received it within two days and just put it down this morning. I loved it! It's humorous, well written, each story just flows. It left me wanting more. Will be following Raymond Fraser and lining up for his next book! I am a true fan. A great Canadian writer and proud to say from Atlantic Canada! Well done..5 stars! P.S.- Will be picking up extra copies for gifts.
Margaret Scott November 1, 2013 Margaret Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars
"The Grumpy Man" was beyond my expectations. The humor and drama were excellent not to mention some rebellion thrown in. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is extremely well written and so worth the read. I have never picked up one of Raymond Fraser books that didn't keep me spell-bound right to the end. They always keep me looking for more, hoping the end will not come so soon. I am now waiting on his new creation "BLISS", I know it will keep me glued to it right to the very end. I give this book "FIVE STARS".
Here are some comments on the 1st edition that came out in 2007:
"One of Canada's top writers at the top of his game. A great read!" — GAIL MACMILLAN, Author, Ceilidh's Quest
“Raymond Fraser is a natural story teller. His talent with narrative is second to none in this country...THE GRUMPY MAN stories are an incredible exposé of the human condition.” — MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Daily Gleaner
“A pleasure to read from beginning to end. I doubt many writers could comment on their time as skilfully as Fraser has in this collection, or comment with so much wit and with such great characters.” — JUDY BOWMAN, The Miramichi Leader
“Reading Fraser’s writing is like listening to the voice of an epoch. He explores the things that made the sixties and seventies so legendary.” — MICAH O’DONNELL, The Aquinian
"A compelling collection of quirky characters by one of the country's finest literary craftsmen." — STEPHEN CLARE, The Book Club radio show, Halifax
"Raymond Fraser happens to be one of the liveliest and most entertaining writers in the country." — ALDEN NOWLAN, Telegraph-Journal
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway winner. Received it within two days and just put it down this morning. I loved it! It's humorous, well written, each story just flows. It left me wanting more. Will be following Raymond Fraser and lining up for his next book! I am a true fan. A great Canadian writer and proud to say from Atlantic Canada! Well done..5 stars! P.S.- Will be picking up extra copies for gifts.
I won this book on goodreads. It arrived really fast! Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The stories were fun and well written and real. Definitely recommend this book. Proud to be Canadian :)
Instead of saying what I think, I'll let some others say what they thought.
“Raymond Fraser is a natural story teller. His talent with narrative is second to none in this country...THE GRUMPY MAN stories are an incredible exposé of the human condition.” — MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Daily Gleaner
"One of Canada's top writers at the top of his game. A great read!" — GAIL MACMILLAN, Author, "Ceilidh's Quest".
"Enjoyed THE GRUMPY MAN immensely, the humor, the drama, the rebellion and all. I read it in one read, just couldn't put it down. I am amazed at how the author is able to put so much into a few pages – and it all makes so much sense! A true artist." — MARGARET SCOTT
“Fraser is a superb storyteller whose stories and novels are always universally valid. He is no less than Canada’s greatest living fiction writer.” — MICHAEL VAUGHAN
This collection of short stories from Canadian Raymond Fraser is both wonderful and at times frustrating. His fictional narrator for most of the time is a profane, substance-abusing lout with very few redeeming qualities. When the stories are very brief, Fraser shines brightly. But when he spends too much time with his narrator, those longer stories fall short of what they might have been.