Three Balconies: Stories and a Novella

by Bruce Jay Friedman

The first collection of new short fiction by Bruce Jay Friedman in more than two decades, helping to cement his reputation as one of the country's leading black humorists. A New York Times Editor's Selection.

210 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

American comic author whose dark, mocking humour and social criticism was directed at the concerns and behaviour of American Jews.

After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1951 with a B.A. in journalism and serving in the U.S. Air Force for two years, Friedman worked in publishing for several years before achieving success with his first novel, Stern (1962). The title character is a luckless descendent of the biblical Job, unable to assimilate into mainstream American life. Virtually all of Friedman's works are a variation on this theme; most of his characters are Jewish by birth, but they feel alienated from both Jewish and American culture. His works are also noted for focusing on absurd characters and situations.
-Encyclopædia Britannica

Reviews

[Diogenes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixteen evocative, ironic and amusing short stories and a disappointing novella (mostly absent of the things that Friedman does so well). Some noir, some black humor, most with an ethnic (Jewish) slant.
One very short tale, The People Person, is surprisingly fun as it relates to politics today, although it was first published in 2008.
These stories are ideal for short breaks between chores, temporarily taking your mind off anything that that might be plaguing you.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two-star rating reflects my personal tastes. Very subjective. I found the writing shallow, facile, and formulaic. The book comprises a number of short stories and a novella. The plots of some stories mimic each other, the characters situations turning upside down at the end.

Friedman sketches his characters with interesting detail, but in the end not to much purpose. The novella dragged on, with much filler material.

This is my first, and possibly my last, BJ Friedman read. I was attracted to it out of curiosity, and that has been adequately satisfied.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was book 2 for week "three". Most of the stories in this book are about middle-aged, Jewish, men who are dealing with getting older (and I realize that doesn't sound super interesting but they were quite good). The overall theme of the stories makes me wonder how much of the author's life was in these stories.