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At the Jim Bridger
Welcome to the short stories of Ron Carlson, where strange beach towels turn up in your suburban living room; where the ordinary son of a family of geniuses spins a rollicking tale of happiness and disappointment; and where a desperate ex-con with a broken heart must hide out in a desert hotel, only to make a startling discovery. Epic in scope and confessional in tone, At the Jim Bridger enfolds the reader in a world of love and mystery, and makes us feel better than just about anything written on the page.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
5 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Ron Carlson
84 books126 followersRon Carlson is an American novelist and writer of short stories.
Carlson was born in Logan, Utah, but grew up in Salt Lake City. He earned a masters degree in English from the University of Utah. He then taught at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where he started his first novel.
He became a professor of English at Arizona State University in 1985, teaching creative writing to undergraduates and graduates, and ultimately becoming director of its Creative Writing Program.
Carlson also taught at the University of California, Irvine.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Carlson
Carlson was born in Logan, Utah, but grew up in Salt Lake City. He earned a masters degree in English from the University of Utah. He then taught at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where he started his first novel.
He became a professor of English at Arizona State University in 1985, teaching creative writing to undergraduates and graduates, and ultimately becoming director of its Creative Writing Program.
Carlson also taught at the University of California, Irvine.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Carlson
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 15, 2024
updated 14 March 2024.
I loved the book and taught from it.
Amazing lives of thought and occupation; these characters have families (wives and two mothers, and even one with children) and fantasies and they love deeply and are astonished by the world. Carlson writes about genius better than almost anyone I’ve read. He brought me to tears with “Gary Garrison’s Wedding Vow” and stopped me in my tracks with just about every story.
Every book has errors; this one has “Canadian” geese. Blame someone in New York for failing to catch it. I'll blame Carlson.
I found Ron Carlson's short stories when I was a grad student in writing. His writing is gorgeous, no denying that. I taught "The Potato Gun" for years to my high school and college students. However, when I read his novel right after graduation, I found it eye-rolling bad. A pointless and meandering testosterone snack of a novel. I was embarrassed for him.
Then I reread this collection after almost twenty years and wondered if I'd read them all? Was I so enamored of the writing itself that I failed to notice stories that all seem like they were written by a brilliant and talented white boy of 27? I noted some of the same problems I found in his novel. These are stories purely about white men and masculinity. Cars, drinking, team sports. Sex, of course. He does better writing about a smart man (the first story) than a dull-witted one (the last story), and his exceptionally intelligent men are particularly on target. The way a wife uses analogy to communicate with her genius-husband about emotion is spot on. None of the stories include characters of color. None of the stories is about women, not even “Gary Garrison’s Wedding Vow” not even though Gary is short for a woman's name, not even though that story contains the only time in the entire book where a woman speaks to someone other than to a man about sex or cars or sports or hunting or money. When I reread that story I realized neither Gary nor her mother are realistic as people, and Gary isn't even the main character of that story.
Now I am more disappointed in myself.
final note: I found, when I was part way through rereading, that Carlson resigned his job at UC Irvine when his abuse of a high school sophomore was revealed from when he was in his 30s. After I finished reading, I found more scandal involving abuse of a domestic partner.
I loved the book and taught from it.
Amazing lives of thought and occupation; these characters have families (wives and two mothers, and even one with children) and fantasies and they love deeply and are astonished by the world. Carlson writes about genius better than almost anyone I’ve read. He brought me to tears with “Gary Garrison’s Wedding Vow” and stopped me in my tracks with just about every story.
“Cooper found fatherhood a roller coaster. You were up on top, but not for long, and the whole thing felt a lot like you’d repaired it yourself. At night and in a hurry” (“The Potato Gun” 133).
Every book has errors; this one has “Canadian” geese. Blame someone in New York for failing to catch it. I'll blame Carlson.
I found Ron Carlson's short stories when I was a grad student in writing. His writing is gorgeous, no denying that. I taught "The Potato Gun" for years to my high school and college students. However, when I read his novel right after graduation, I found it eye-rolling bad. A pointless and meandering testosterone snack of a novel. I was embarrassed for him.
Then I reread this collection after almost twenty years and wondered if I'd read them all? Was I so enamored of the writing itself that I failed to notice stories that all seem like they were written by a brilliant and talented white boy of 27? I noted some of the same problems I found in his novel. These are stories purely about white men and masculinity. Cars, drinking, team sports. Sex, of course. He does better writing about a smart man (the first story) than a dull-witted one (the last story), and his exceptionally intelligent men are particularly on target. The way a wife uses analogy to communicate with her genius-husband about emotion is spot on. None of the stories include characters of color. None of the stories is about women, not even “Gary Garrison’s Wedding Vow” not even though Gary is short for a woman's name, not even though that story contains the only time in the entire book where a woman speaks to someone other than to a man about sex or cars or sports or hunting or money. When I reread that story I realized neither Gary nor her mother are realistic as people, and Gary isn't even the main character of that story.
Now I am more disappointed in myself.
final note: I found, when I was part way through rereading, that Carlson resigned his job at UC Irvine when his abuse of a high school sophomore was revealed from when he was in his 30s. After I finished reading, I found more scandal involving abuse of a domestic partner.
June 19, 2017
Quite a variety here, not all (as the title suggests) situated in a wilderness (Wind River area) or even outdoors. My favorites were "The Ordinary Son," "Evil Eye Allen," "The Potato Gun," and "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows." None strikes with as a "perfect story," whatever that is, but they all get inside characters, some of whom have very ordinary experiences. Some of them, in retrospect, seem to have been shaped to arrive at a particular end, like a sort of narrative joke (the last two). By the same token, they are charming for having arrived. "At Copper View" and "Evil Eye Allen" thrust one back into the dreams and feelings of high school, why we endured and acted the way we did.
March 19, 2018
At the Jim Bridger, the title story from this collection, ties with my other favorite short story, The Paperhanger by William Gay. So much in the writing to admire, so difficult to emulate. It's good to have a dream...
August 23, 2023
The levels of storytelling in the collection’s titular short story is simply jaw dropping.
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October 5, 2025This was a nice changeup for me as I try to get into new authors that aren't always in the horror/thriller genre. Evil Eye Allen is one of the premiere short stories in this collection about a high school friendship, and the creation of an odd magic show. I think my favorite of the bunch however is the final tale in the book entitled At The El Sol. It's about a drifter on the run who has made many mistakes in his life culminating with his planned con and swindle at a casino with 2 others. He documents all of this part of his life in a sort of memoir while laying low and finding work at The El Sol motel. This is the 2nd collection I've read from Ron Carlson (1st Eden Hotel) and his writing style is an easy flowing read.
Recommended to cleanse the pallet if you're looking for some wholesome nostalgic stories.
Recommended to cleanse the pallet if you're looking for some wholesome nostalgic stories.
October 1, 2017
Thank you to The O. Henry Prize 2016 for introducing me to Ron Carlson! He says that Cheever is one of his influences, and his highly detailed portraits of suburbia make that clear. This feels a little bit like when I first discovered Tobias Wolff.
April 22, 2018
I love everything Ron Carlson has written. My favorites in this collection are "The Potato Gun" and "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows," but there isn't a bad story in the bunch.
April 5, 2011
“At the Jim Bridger” is a collection of short stories written by Ron Carlson. The collection consists of nine traditional stories and what seems to be two non-fiction interludes after every three stories. The interludes are not stories themselves but seem to be more along the lines of a self reflection as well as creative notes to the reader. These interludes work well to break up the transitions from certain stories to give the reader a vague glimpse of the mind of a man who created them.
Each of the stories involves some form of a boy or man who must come to terms with their own realities. For example, in “Towel Seasons” a man considered to be a genius in mathematics and his wife must figure out how to mutually communicate with one another. The reality of his genius prevents the two from understanding one another and they must come to terms with that truth. One of the stories I enjoyed the most, one that also shows the perspective from the opposite of “Towel seasons,” is “The Ordinary Son” in which a boy realizes he alone stands as the ungifted individual in a family of geniuses. The story does well to portray the character’s frustration with his family and his own awkwardness while never explicitly stating how he feels in the direct.
Each of the stories is told from a different perspective and about differing central ideas, though they all incorporate some form of sarcastic humor and have a similar theme. Through the use of this humor the reader is able to sense the frustrations of the characters with their own individual realities. The reader gets the sense that the sarcasm is used to otherwise hide what the character is truly feeling. The narrator tends to describe the actions and descriptions of other characters more than the specifics of the scenery. In the case of the first person point of view, the actions of other characters are given more emphasis. By using sarcasm to describe these characters shows the protagonist’s fixation on them and that in turn portrays his frustration.
The language itself is relatively simple and easy to understand. There are no words or phrases that would give most readers any sort of trouble, and the use of metaphors are easily recognizable. Despite being in multiple perspectives, the sparing use of dialog and the use of the same underlying language patterns make each story sound very similar. In addition, the use of humor and sarcasm for most entries makes them even more indistinguishable from each other. This can be mostly forgiven when realizing that each subject (with the exception of “genius” being used twice) is different. The texts seem more preoccupied with portraying, for better or worse, the universality of its themes. This seems intentional on the part of the author and is more of a conscious decision rather than any inability to do otherwise. Despite attempting to portray universality, the lack of a central female protagonist in any of the stories may hinder this approach for some readers.
Each of the stories involves some form of a boy or man who must come to terms with their own realities. For example, in “Towel Seasons” a man considered to be a genius in mathematics and his wife must figure out how to mutually communicate with one another. The reality of his genius prevents the two from understanding one another and they must come to terms with that truth. One of the stories I enjoyed the most, one that also shows the perspective from the opposite of “Towel seasons,” is “The Ordinary Son” in which a boy realizes he alone stands as the ungifted individual in a family of geniuses. The story does well to portray the character’s frustration with his family and his own awkwardness while never explicitly stating how he feels in the direct.
Each of the stories is told from a different perspective and about differing central ideas, though they all incorporate some form of sarcastic humor and have a similar theme. Through the use of this humor the reader is able to sense the frustrations of the characters with their own individual realities. The reader gets the sense that the sarcasm is used to otherwise hide what the character is truly feeling. The narrator tends to describe the actions and descriptions of other characters more than the specifics of the scenery. In the case of the first person point of view, the actions of other characters are given more emphasis. By using sarcasm to describe these characters shows the protagonist’s fixation on them and that in turn portrays his frustration.
The language itself is relatively simple and easy to understand. There are no words or phrases that would give most readers any sort of trouble, and the use of metaphors are easily recognizable. Despite being in multiple perspectives, the sparing use of dialog and the use of the same underlying language patterns make each story sound very similar. In addition, the use of humor and sarcasm for most entries makes them even more indistinguishable from each other. This can be mostly forgiven when realizing that each subject (with the exception of “genius” being used twice) is different. The texts seem more preoccupied with portraying, for better or worse, the universality of its themes. This seems intentional on the part of the author and is more of a conscious decision rather than any inability to do otherwise. Despite attempting to portray universality, the lack of a central female protagonist in any of the stories may hinder this approach for some readers.
April 21, 2010
Ron Carlson is a masterful writer of short stories, that being said, I feel like this book does not stand up to his other collections - The Hotel Eden, Plan B For Middle Class & The News of the World.
I first found Ron Carlson after reading a magazine review of his latest novel, The Signal: A Novel. Instead of taking on that novel, I started with his short stories and fell in love with them.
"At the Jim Bridger" is Carlson's newest book of stories and I had extremely high hopes for it. However the up and down quality of the stories didn't grab me like the other books have.
One of the greatest reviews I've ever read regarding Ron Carlson's short stories is as follows "Trying to sum up a Ron Carlson story is like trying to hold sparkling spring water in your bare hands - no matter how you cup your fingers, some of the magical stuff leaks out." - The Seattle Times.
This collection has 9 stories and 2 very short interludes, some of my favorites were -
At the Jim Bridger
The Potato Gun
The Ordinary Son
At the El Sol
At Copper View
If you've never read Ron Carlson and you want to check out his short stories, please do yourself a favor and start with any of his other books. Of his four novels, I've read "The Signal" and enjoyed it immensely and I hope to read his award winning Five Skies soon.
Enjoy~
I first found Ron Carlson after reading a magazine review of his latest novel, The Signal: A Novel. Instead of taking on that novel, I started with his short stories and fell in love with them.
"At the Jim Bridger" is Carlson's newest book of stories and I had extremely high hopes for it. However the up and down quality of the stories didn't grab me like the other books have.
One of the greatest reviews I've ever read regarding Ron Carlson's short stories is as follows "Trying to sum up a Ron Carlson story is like trying to hold sparkling spring water in your bare hands - no matter how you cup your fingers, some of the magical stuff leaks out." - The Seattle Times.
This collection has 9 stories and 2 very short interludes, some of my favorites were -
At the Jim Bridger
The Potato Gun
The Ordinary Son
At the El Sol
At Copper View
If you've never read Ron Carlson and you want to check out his short stories, please do yourself a favor and start with any of his other books. Of his four novels, I've read "The Signal" and enjoyed it immensely and I hope to read his award winning Five Skies soon.
Enjoy~
May 6, 2009
Ron Carlson will be at the LA Times Bookfair so I picked this collection up at the library. It is excellent. Even a week later, I remember all three stories I've read vividly. He is insightful, his dialogue sparkles and I really feel for his characters.
5/6/09
I met Ron and really enjoyed being able to cite specifically how his stories inspired me and helped me solve problems in my own work. (Typing that sounds so pretensious as I can only hope to be as good a short fiction writer as he is someday.) But we had a nice conversation and I hope I get to study with him someday, especially after learning he's just up the road at UC Irvine. He seems like a real stand-up guy.
This collection really is one of the best I've read. Most have one or two stories that standout, but this is top rate all the way through. And even have some happy endings for you cynics.
5/6/09
I met Ron and really enjoyed being able to cite specifically how his stories inspired me and helped me solve problems in my own work. (Typing that sounds so pretensious as I can only hope to be as good a short fiction writer as he is someday.) But we had a nice conversation and I hope I get to study with him someday, especially after learning he's just up the road at UC Irvine. He seems like a real stand-up guy.
This collection really is one of the best I've read. Most have one or two stories that standout, but this is top rate all the way through. And even have some happy endings for you cynics.
September 5, 2011
Found a copy at a library book sale. It's been sitting on my "to read" pile for a while. Finally picked it up. Really liked it. Gave it 4 stars and may move it to 5 on a reread. This is a really good collection of short stories but probably not one for readers who like to have a "conclusion" to their stories. A good example is the story "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows." It tells a story but at the end some readers might ask "What happens to Mark and Juanita?" It tells a story but doesn't wrap it up at the end by saying, "And they all lived happily ever after." or anything of that sort. Hell, I wonder what happens to Gary. But that seems to be the point, to leave us wondering. What did that mean? Where do they go from here? To leave us thinking. I'm thinking that I'm going to read more of his work.
November 23, 2010
Why don't I remember these stories after reading them. I almost had to completely re-read Evil Eye Allen to convince myself that I had read it. Maybe it's because they are so straight forward; no fireworks pop, no symphonic army of salvation bells rings. I even misremembered a Rick Bass story into the collection, and I read these in the past month. I know I did. I read them outside my room at a rundown resort motel, in the shrinking shadow of a copper mine. I remember it clearly. There was a girl, and a fight, and someone from the past, a welcome return.
November 13, 2014
Fabulous stories. In the title story, a man saves another man’s life by warming that man’s naked body with his own naked body. Very powerful on many fronts.
The story is a graphic portrayal of the local environment. It is a ragged metaphor for the lives these people live: rough, savage, yet lovely, full of verve—a testament to what RC teaches. Root your narrative in the physical surroundings.
I love what the two men share, which is so much more than what happens in the tent. And yet it is unvoiced. What they share is largely physical, emotional.
The story is a graphic portrayal of the local environment. It is a ragged metaphor for the lives these people live: rough, savage, yet lovely, full of verve—a testament to what RC teaches. Root your narrative in the physical surroundings.
I love what the two men share, which is so much more than what happens in the tent. And yet it is unvoiced. What they share is largely physical, emotional.
October 13, 2015
I read about half the stories. The titular story is memorable, Evil Eye Allen made me laugh many times out loud, and The Towel Season has a rich subtext about language and meaning.
They evoke the 70's for me, and being in Boy Scouts, and being a kid who couldn't fully understand the meaning of the adult behavior that I observed. And the woods were still nearby, and life was not so rigidly tracked.
They evoke the 70's for me, and being in Boy Scouts, and being a kid who couldn't fully understand the meaning of the adult behavior that I observed. And the woods were still nearby, and life was not so rigidly tracked.
January 27, 2008
Carlson has a gift for the eccentric and evocative. His stories vary pleasantly, but many seem to inhabit the contradictions of human lives, the cozy opposites in which we live and are puzzled. He excels at being touching without being sentimental.
My favorites include "Single Woman for Long Walks" and "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows."
My favorites include "Single Woman for Long Walks" and "Gary Garrison's Wedding Vows."
July 8, 2007
The title story is a very good story. All the elements of storytelling and short story writing are depicted in this collection with skill. Each story is tender, complex and touches on the human experience.
February 16, 2008
Mr. Carlson is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. To say the least, he has a way with words. And, he has the extraordinary ability to make ordinary people remarkable characters and their situations memorable.
April 9, 2009
In all his stories he describes the lonely feeling in all its glory, and he's generally funny. Towel Season is one of my all time favorite short stories for the the above reasons, plus the intimate language the husband and wife use to find each other.
December 13, 2010
I discovered the stories of Ron Carlson on NPR's Selected Shorts. Found a bunch of his books via Amazon.
He's one of those writers who energizes the imagination, since he is so fully in touch with his. The world opens a little, tilts in new directions. Love him.
He's one of those writers who energizes the imagination, since he is so fully in touch with his. The world opens a little, tilts in new directions. Love him.
June 21, 2007
really fucking good.
April 3, 2009
"Gary Garrison..." broke my heart, and it's been a long time since I've read a story that could do that.
September 30, 2014
Towel season recommended by SQT
December 9, 2010
Brilliant writing by a master of the short story form. Another one to add to the list of favorites.
June 27, 2011
This is an excellent collection of stories. Mr. Carlson might be one of the best short-story writers around.
October 15, 2012
Such a beautiful collection of short stories. Each one feels true and also heartbreaking in the most understated yet overwhelming way.
January 31, 2020
I confess, I love Ron Carlson. His stories, regardless of topic, have an upbeat feel. His characters are all people I want to know!
October 19, 2016
Some of the stories were more relate-able than others. Carl and I heard the first, "Towel Season," on NPR ages ago, and that one was probably the best of all of them.
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July 10, 2009I've already read "Towel Season" and loved it.
April 5, 2012
i like this guy.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews