By Land, by Sea

by William Hoffman

Stories set in Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay region deal with the clash between old and new values and the lure of the sea versus ties to the land

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give William Hoffman's collection of short stories, 'By Land, By Sea', five stars. I was very slow reading this book due to summer activities, trips and family events but it was a perfect book for this month. The stories were short and I could finish one easily and then pick back up and read another when I had time again. I enjoy reading the works of William Hoffman. He lived much of his adult life in the small county where I have always lived. The name places he alludes to in many of his works are places that I am familiar with or the setting and time he is describing is one that I have experienced. I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, but among my favorites were 'Lover' and 'Indian Gift'. The ambiguous nature of human infallibility is evident in both of these stories. These stories in particular left me thinking about the choices we make in life and the dialogue we try to convince ourselves with. Mr. Hoffman had a lot of wisdom to share and I enjoy a look into his thought processes. I always recommend a William Hoffman book.