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In the Garden of the North American Martyrs
Among the characters you'll find in this collection of twelve stories by Tobias Wolff, are a teenage boy who tells morbid lies about his home life, a timid professor who, in the first genuine outburst of her life, pours out her opinions in spite of a protesting audience, a prudish loner who gives an obnoxious hitchhiker a ride, and an elderly couple on a golden anniversary cruise who endure the offensive conviviality of the ship's social director.
Fondly yet sharply drawn, Wolff's characters stumble over each other in their baffled yet resolute search for the "right path."
Fondly yet sharply drawn, Wolff's characters stumble over each other in their baffled yet resolute search for the "right path."
175 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
212 people are currently reading
3332 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Wolff
155 books1,221 followersTobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is a writer of fiction and nonfiction.
He is best known for his short stories and his memoirs, although he has written two novels.
Wolff is the Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he has taught classes in English and creative writing since 1997. He also served as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Stanford from 2000 to 2002.
He is best known for his short stories and his memoirs, although he has written two novels.
Wolff is the Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he has taught classes in English and creative writing since 1997. He also served as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Stanford from 2000 to 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
January 7, 2020
Tobias Wolff is one of my favorite writers. I know him primarily as a master of the short story, and for this I primarily recommend him, but he has written terrific memoirs and novels as well. Literary fiction. A writer's writer. Reading this book decades ago was my first encounter with his work, when I was myself writing a lot of short stories, and I learned a lot from him. I always admired his work, but haven't read him in years.
My review here is of the title story, a work I remember loving, and it did not disappoint. It's a satire, a send-up of "The Academy," primarily of university humanities departments, specifically in this one of the History department, and a timid, well-organized, carefully prepared and altogether too careful professor named Mary, who suddenly finds herself in need of a new job, as her college is closing.
She applies for a job, gets an interview, though in the process she discovers she has no chance for the position, so in the required lecture she goes off script in a highly comic way.
Here's a pdf of the collection, and you can find the story, 13 pages long, on page 123:
https://epdf.pub/in-the-garden-of-the...
Here is a treat, Jane Curtin reading the story; she's perfect for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CFHw...
My review here is of the title story, a work I remember loving, and it did not disappoint. It's a satire, a send-up of "The Academy," primarily of university humanities departments, specifically in this one of the History department, and a timid, well-organized, carefully prepared and altogether too careful professor named Mary, who suddenly finds herself in need of a new job, as her college is closing.
She applies for a job, gets an interview, though in the process she discovers she has no chance for the position, so in the required lecture she goes off script in a highly comic way.
Here's a pdf of the collection, and you can find the story, 13 pages long, on page 123:
https://epdf.pub/in-the-garden-of-the...
Here is a treat, Jane Curtin reading the story; she's perfect for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CFHw...
July 20, 2021
I read this collection of short stories with my #librarianhusband , each of us reading a story to the other on alternate evenings, and then scoring each out of five. It was a lovely project and one we're going to continue. We both loved this book - so many great stories, and no real duff ones, just some we liked less. Favourites include The Liar - a teenage son who can't stop lying, in particular about his mother having terrible illnesses. He isn't bothered about whether he's caught, but she is horrified. And Passengers, where Glen picks up hitch-hiker Bonnie and her dog, and this decision which doesn't work out so well, perfectly reflects Glen's situation at home. Wolff writes about complicated family relationships and friendships with a sharp eye on character and situation, but his writing is also witty, and often made me laugh. Highly recommended.
April 15, 2018
This was a well-balanced story collection. The stories were beautifully written, with believable and relatable (if not always likable) characters. A few of the stories were exceptionally strong and memorable. These were the first short stories I've read by Wolff and I am now a fan.
September 16, 2011
Over the course of this last summer I read quite a few collections of short stories, and I've been finding it hard to decide what rating to give them. Should a five star collection be one made up solely of great stories, with no duds, or can five stars be awarded on the basis of one really outstanding story in an otherwise mediocre collection? "In the Garden of the North American Martyrs" falls somewhere in between, hence the four stars I gave it. Not all of the stories are great; in fact a couple are really pretty dire. Likewise, the collection doesn't have any stories that could truly be labeled outstanding. But, that said, Tobiass Wolff has built his career on short stories and, on the whole, "ItGotNAM" certainly doesn't disappoint.
First, the bad. The collection really sags in the middle; the three or four stories that take up the book's center feel like filler in the worst way. "Passengers," "Maiden Voyage," and "Worldly Goods" are marked by wooden dialogue and forced situations that feel embarrassingly bland when compared to Wolff at his best. In "Maiden Voyage" Wolff juxtaposes the relationships of two married couples on a romantic cruise. The story is supposed to be a musing on the nature of true love, perhaps with the ultimate goal of getting the reader to question the motivations behind his own relationships, but the characters seem hollow and the story ends up feeling forced. "Passengers" and "Worldly Goods" are quite the opposite. Rather than feeling designed to evoke some specific emotion in the reader, they give the impression that Wolff had no idea what reaction he wanted to muster. All three stories feel lazy, and weigh down the collection as a whole.
Now for the good news: the lackluster material in the middle of the collection is sandwiched between Wolff at his very best. The first few stories of the collection are fairly simple character sketches that allow Wolff to show off his precision at describing human interaction and morality. "Hunters in the Snow," a story of three hunters whose day in the woods ends in tragedy, is the standout here. Unlike many of Wolff's stories, which focus on the morality of every day situations, here he dials up the symbolism and surrealism a few notches to give the story the tone of a good old fashioned parable. The actions of the three characters are given real weight, and the reader is given a sense of urgency that Wolff often fails to provide.
The collection ends on a high note with the two stories "Poachers" and "The Liar." In both of these stories Wolff turns his attention to a frequent obsession of his: the dysfunctional family. I think I am right in saying that Wolff himself had a fairly turbulent childhood, and he writes about families in crisis with an air of authority that makes the characters of these last two stories come to life.
After reading, and loving, Wolff's later short story collection, "The Night in Question," I picked up "ItGotNAM" hoping for more of the same. Wolff didn't let me down. While I feel that "TNiQ" is the stronger of the two books, I found "ItGotNAM" to be just as compelling as the later collection. Wolff has a unique ability to shave complicated subject matter down into lean, simple stories, and both collections feel less substantial than they actually are.
All of the other reviews I have seen of "ItGotNAM" suggest that it established Wolff as a master of short stories. While it may be the book that gave rise to Wolff's literary reputation, it reads more like the foundation on which he built his later work than a great collection in its own right. However, while it didn't tug on my heartstrings as much as some of his other work, that isn't to suggest that it's not worth reading. There's something here for everyone; it's an easy, pleasurable read, and it might even give you something interesting to think about. So go ahead and read it, I say. I find it hard to imagine that you'll end up regretting it and maybe you'll find, in Wolff, a new treasured author.
First, the bad. The collection really sags in the middle; the three or four stories that take up the book's center feel like filler in the worst way. "Passengers," "Maiden Voyage," and "Worldly Goods" are marked by wooden dialogue and forced situations that feel embarrassingly bland when compared to Wolff at his best. In "Maiden Voyage" Wolff juxtaposes the relationships of two married couples on a romantic cruise. The story is supposed to be a musing on the nature of true love, perhaps with the ultimate goal of getting the reader to question the motivations behind his own relationships, but the characters seem hollow and the story ends up feeling forced. "Passengers" and "Worldly Goods" are quite the opposite. Rather than feeling designed to evoke some specific emotion in the reader, they give the impression that Wolff had no idea what reaction he wanted to muster. All three stories feel lazy, and weigh down the collection as a whole.
Now for the good news: the lackluster material in the middle of the collection is sandwiched between Wolff at his very best. The first few stories of the collection are fairly simple character sketches that allow Wolff to show off his precision at describing human interaction and morality. "Hunters in the Snow," a story of three hunters whose day in the woods ends in tragedy, is the standout here. Unlike many of Wolff's stories, which focus on the morality of every day situations, here he dials up the symbolism and surrealism a few notches to give the story the tone of a good old fashioned parable. The actions of the three characters are given real weight, and the reader is given a sense of urgency that Wolff often fails to provide.
The collection ends on a high note with the two stories "Poachers" and "The Liar." In both of these stories Wolff turns his attention to a frequent obsession of his: the dysfunctional family. I think I am right in saying that Wolff himself had a fairly turbulent childhood, and he writes about families in crisis with an air of authority that makes the characters of these last two stories come to life.
After reading, and loving, Wolff's later short story collection, "The Night in Question," I picked up "ItGotNAM" hoping for more of the same. Wolff didn't let me down. While I feel that "TNiQ" is the stronger of the two books, I found "ItGotNAM" to be just as compelling as the later collection. Wolff has a unique ability to shave complicated subject matter down into lean, simple stories, and both collections feel less substantial than they actually are.
All of the other reviews I have seen of "ItGotNAM" suggest that it established Wolff as a master of short stories. While it may be the book that gave rise to Wolff's literary reputation, it reads more like the foundation on which he built his later work than a great collection in its own right. However, while it didn't tug on my heartstrings as much as some of his other work, that isn't to suggest that it's not worth reading. There's something here for everyone; it's an easy, pleasurable read, and it might even give you something interesting to think about. So go ahead and read it, I say. I find it hard to imagine that you'll end up regretting it and maybe you'll find, in Wolff, a new treasured author.
June 23, 2018
Like in his novel Old School, the theme of these stories is honesty: how to be sincere with your friends, your family without hurting them? Tobias Wolf knows this puzzle can’t be solved and therefore just presents the situations in which the dilemma occurs as well as the painful escape routes the characters choose. This is Tobias’ debut collection and although the quality of most stories is excellent, there are a few that do not quite reach top level. In one the hitchhiker and chauffeur suddenly bond, after have experienced a nearly fatal accident. This happens too fast, for me, to be fully believeable. There is another one that remains too sketchy overall. Still, a very good collection!
September 18, 2023
One of my favorite short story writers. A master of the form. Strong debut collection that foreshadows the greatness to come.
January 18, 2020
These tight, Hemingwayesque, stories were published in the 1970s, my coming of age. Most are set on the west coast, home of Kesey, Carver and others – the ragged Washington wild countryside is a backdrop. My first Wolff (I’ll be back), I was tipped off by his friend Raymond Carver, whom I recently read. He reminded me that I’ve always planned on reading this author, my only other memory being the movie This Boys Life with De Niro starring (I think) – thereby tainting me. The short story genre is well served by Tobias Wolff, these stories evoke Carver as well as Hemingway and do not have the un-necessary frills of some authors. He writes what he knows, including himself as author, it seems. These tidy short stories convey emotion with action and careful selection of the order of words on the page. It’s an art, somewhat lost. Also, I enjoyed reading about a time before computers, tablets and cellphones, when people did not have those distractions. At first when I read these stories, I thought I would rate this 3 stars (average), but I suspected a bias in myself and this morning re-read one (“Poachers”) and was struck by its excellence. I read before going to sleep at night, and my days are long and mentally taxing, so I suspected I had given short shrift (I had). This morning I thought of music and film (my other loves) where often I don’t truly appreciate / enjoy my favorites until multiple listenings/viewings. On the other hand, sometimes what blows me away at the first becomes tiresome or disappointing upon re-engagement. I tend to read once, in my mindless quest to read more and more books (ego?), instead of savoring what is great. I suspect Tobias Wolff is great, I will add him to my favorites list and play it out. Below are a couple snippets that demonstrate the acuity with which the author describes relationships and bottles emotion.
p. 145: Musings about an estranged wife: “How could Ellen have guessed that George’s interest in wolves? She had an instinct for gifts the way other people had an instinct for finding the right words to say. The world of things was not alien and distasteful to her as it was to Wharton. He despised his possessions with some ostentation; those who gave him gifts went away feeling as if they’d made Wharton party to a crime. He knew that over the years he had caused Ellen to be shy of her own generosity.”
p. 155/166, children observing their mother: “My brothers and sisters and I considered this walk of hers funny and we smirked at one another when she crossed in front of us to stir the fire, or water a plant. We didn’t let her catch us at it. It would have puzzled her to think that there might be anything amusing about her. Her one concession to the fact of humor was an insincere, startling laugh. Strangers often stared at her.”
p. 145: Musings about an estranged wife: “How could Ellen have guessed that George’s interest in wolves? She had an instinct for gifts the way other people had an instinct for finding the right words to say. The world of things was not alien and distasteful to her as it was to Wharton. He despised his possessions with some ostentation; those who gave him gifts went away feeling as if they’d made Wharton party to a crime. He knew that over the years he had caused Ellen to be shy of her own generosity.”
p. 155/166, children observing their mother: “My brothers and sisters and I considered this walk of hers funny and we smirked at one another when she crossed in front of us to stir the fire, or water a plant. We didn’t let her catch us at it. It would have puzzled her to think that there might be anything amusing about her. Her one concession to the fact of humor was an insincere, startling laugh. Strangers often stared at her.”
May 21, 2023
Poachers, Ep in the life of professor brooke, North American Martyrs, and The Liar
Unguardable
October 29, 2021
The reason I think many people don't like short stories is that, as a reader, they have to invest their attention all over again when a new story begins. Get familiar with a new setting and set of characters. Go through that slightly uncomfortable and hesitant feeling that we all have when we start a new novel - will I like it?
Tobias Wolff stories ease that hesitation almost immediately. With each story, the reader is almost immediately in his grip. His characters do nothing special - just go about their daily lives and he describes episodes that happen to them some more bizarre some quite mundane.
But every story is a perfect example of a well-executed show-don't-tell. All the characters have underlying fears, agendas or desires that are never expressed but only hinted at by their actions.
In the Garden of the North American Martyrs is an excellent short story collection. Nearly as good as they come. Wolff is said to be a writer's writer and I agree. The writing is very good throughout the book good and the dialogue is natural. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find dialogue with a good organic flow really the mark of a good writer. Especially if it's a short form and there is not a lot of space to "craft" the character. To give his ways with just a page of dialogue requires great skill.
So yes read it, even if you don't like short stories. You might after this. Also if you like Carver, Wolff will be your cup of tea as well.
Tobias Wolff stories ease that hesitation almost immediately. With each story, the reader is almost immediately in his grip. His characters do nothing special - just go about their daily lives and he describes episodes that happen to them some more bizarre some quite mundane.
But every story is a perfect example of a well-executed show-don't-tell. All the characters have underlying fears, agendas or desires that are never expressed but only hinted at by their actions.
In the Garden of the North American Martyrs is an excellent short story collection. Nearly as good as they come. Wolff is said to be a writer's writer and I agree. The writing is very good throughout the book good and the dialogue is natural. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find dialogue with a good organic flow really the mark of a good writer. Especially if it's a short form and there is not a lot of space to "craft" the character. To give his ways with just a page of dialogue requires great skill.
So yes read it, even if you don't like short stories. You might after this. Also if you like Carver, Wolff will be your cup of tea as well.
January 22, 2025
Another batch of strange stories that I love inexplicably. I cannot get my hands on enough Tobias Wolff.
August 24, 2010
Once again, Tobias Wolff amazes. All the great things you read about him and his work are absolutely true. Every story kind of sucks you in to this new world and new situation each time, and holds you through to the end. And no matter what race, gender or age... All the characters are totally believable, and so it makes you interested in everything they do and everything that may happen to them.
He does this great thing where, all his stories start out as normal as can be, all the while you are waiting for him to pull the rug out from underneath you. The thrill lays within that twist actually happening, or within the anticipation of it happening when it ultimate does not. It's the same reason I love baseball. It's really very beautiful how the lows can be just as entertaining as the highs.
I enjoyed this collection more than The Night in Question. The stories are worth reading if only for the couple on a cruise for their golden anniversary in Maiden Voyage, and the Title story... Which features a much more gruesome gross-out scene than Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle's gross-out scene. One based on the factual torture and death of Christian missionary Jean de Brebeuf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_...
He does this great thing where, all his stories start out as normal as can be, all the while you are waiting for him to pull the rug out from underneath you. The thrill lays within that twist actually happening, or within the anticipation of it happening when it ultimate does not. It's the same reason I love baseball. It's really very beautiful how the lows can be just as entertaining as the highs.
I enjoyed this collection more than The Night in Question. The stories are worth reading if only for the couple on a cruise for their golden anniversary in Maiden Voyage, and the Title story... Which features a much more gruesome gross-out scene than Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle's gross-out scene. One based on the factual torture and death of Christian missionary Jean de Brebeuf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_...
January 4, 2023
Ran out of gas a little bit as the book went on, though I really like the elusive minimalism (sometimes seems a little indebted to Hemingway/Carver) for the first three or four stories but after a certain point it started to seem a bit mannered.
But there's a poetic subtlety here, some precise and incisive social observation, and I think there's a lot to parse out because it's so imagistic, willfully and knowingly obscure, and even almost Symbolist at times-- what does the title of the title story mean, exactly? It just sits there, glimmering.
And I LOVED "Hunters in the Snow."
Worth looking into some more...
March 27, 2020
This was my first exposure to Tobias Wolff. I found the book to be an excellent collection of short stories. Wolff’s writing is masterful, in descriptive passages and dialogue alike. Some of the stories are better than others, and some just resonate more with me, but they’re all good and they all offer thoughtful insights into human behavior. Generally, they are about honesty or fear, or both, and how those characteristics impact the characters’ relationships with people around them or with themselves.
It’s hard for me to write a comprehensive review of a short story collection, so I’ll just settle for making a few comments about a couple of my favorite stories.
“Hunters in the Snow” recounts the story of three friends who go deer hunting together on a bitterly cold, snowy day. One of the friends, nicknamed “Tub,” is overweight and is picked on by the other two. He seems to be the odd man out. Frank and Kenny bicker a lot but seem to be closer to each other than to Tub. But a hunting accident changes the dynamics of the group, and hidden truths about the three friends are revealed.
The title story, “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs,” is another favorite. This one involves a history professor named Mary who loses her job after fifteen years when the college she works at goes bankrupt. She’s found a job at a new experimental college, but she’s not very happy there. So she’s excited when her former colleague Louise reaches out with a potential offer to teach at a better school.
Early in Mary’s career, she saw a brilliant professor lose his job because he expressed ideas that were offensive to the college trustees. As a result, Mary has been very careful about expressing herself. “Her own thoughts she kept to herself, and the words for them grew faint as time went on; without quite disappearing they shrank to remote, nervous points, like birds flying away.” Now, with a job offer at stake, she will have to decide how much of herself to reveal.
This is a book that I’m very glad I found, and it’s one that I expect I may read again someday.
It’s hard for me to write a comprehensive review of a short story collection, so I’ll just settle for making a few comments about a couple of my favorite stories.
“Hunters in the Snow” recounts the story of three friends who go deer hunting together on a bitterly cold, snowy day. One of the friends, nicknamed “Tub,” is overweight and is picked on by the other two. He seems to be the odd man out. Frank and Kenny bicker a lot but seem to be closer to each other than to Tub. But a hunting accident changes the dynamics of the group, and hidden truths about the three friends are revealed.
The title story, “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs,” is another favorite. This one involves a history professor named Mary who loses her job after fifteen years when the college she works at goes bankrupt. She’s found a job at a new experimental college, but she’s not very happy there. So she’s excited when her former colleague Louise reaches out with a potential offer to teach at a better school.
Early in Mary’s career, she saw a brilliant professor lose his job because he expressed ideas that were offensive to the college trustees. As a result, Mary has been very careful about expressing herself. “Her own thoughts she kept to herself, and the words for them grew faint as time went on; without quite disappearing they shrank to remote, nervous points, like birds flying away.” Now, with a job offer at stake, she will have to decide how much of herself to reveal.
This is a book that I’m very glad I found, and it’s one that I expect I may read again someday.
May 1, 2007
This is a great collection of short stories. They vary in length, topic and tone, but all of them have an almost pungent insight into a character's experience of life. They are extremely relatable, and genuinely interesting.
I had read "Hunters in the Snow" in high school, and had found it, along with a classic Wolff story not in this volume ("Bullet in the Brain") to be among the most memorable short stories I had ever read. It's still a chilling, bizarre story. Other stories take us all over North America, from Army recruits preparing for Viet Nam to prep school boys jockeying for social status, from old married couples to ossified professors. The story that took this from four to five stars though, just five minutes ago as I finished, was the last story, "The Liar". I say with no exaggeration that that story was worth the price of the entire book in humor, bizarre truth, and picayune beauty.
I had read "Hunters in the Snow" in high school, and had found it, along with a classic Wolff story not in this volume ("Bullet in the Brain") to be among the most memorable short stories I had ever read. It's still a chilling, bizarre story. Other stories take us all over North America, from Army recruits preparing for Viet Nam to prep school boys jockeying for social status, from old married couples to ossified professors. The story that took this from four to five stars though, just five minutes ago as I finished, was the last story, "The Liar". I say with no exaggeration that that story was worth the price of the entire book in humor, bizarre truth, and picayune beauty.
May 22, 2015
While I didn't think this book was bad in any way, I also was not particularly fond of it, because I thought that some stories were much better than others. I absolutely loved the title story, as I thought it had a great ending and it had a clear moral message. I also enjoyed the last story, "The Liar", because of the interesting characters and the dilemmas they faced. However, I found some of the stories, such as "Next Door," felt to me like had no formal plot or moral lesson; they were simply a series of things that happened, almost like a diary entry. There isn't anything wrong with this format of writing a story, but I personally thought the stories written in this style weren't as interesting as the ones that weren't. Again, stories written in this style aren't always bad, as I felt like "The Liar" was written this way but I still enjoyed it. Overall, the good in this book out ways the bad, and while it wasn't the most enjoyable book I have ever read, I don't regret reading it.
May 22, 2017
2.5. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. One of the stories is about a scholarly type who acts like an asshole and obliquely justifies it to himself, which is the worst most tired subject ever, and that brought the collection down a whole star for me. It would be nice if I could go the rest of my life without hearing another sordid tale about a male professor.
Maybe this would've been better or at least more impressive had I read it when it was still new. By now I've read so many short stories it seems unremarkable, and it's beginning to show its age.
Maybe this would've been better or at least more impressive had I read it when it was still new. By now I've read so many short stories it seems unremarkable, and it's beginning to show its age.
June 19, 2010
I forgot how good this one is. One of the best contemporary short story collections available. Wolff, author of This Boy's Life, cuts to the heart of men and maleness with muscular precision and grace. One of my all time favorites.
June 23, 2019
'Hunters in the Snow' is a transcendent short story, definitely one of the best I've ever read.
The others in this collection are good, but they're kind of similar to each other in feel, and it kind of drags along when you read them back-to-back.
But 'Hunters in the Snow'. Wow. You can just find it online though, so probably don't buy this book.
The others in this collection are good, but they're kind of similar to each other in feel, and it kind of drags along when you read them back-to-back.
But 'Hunters in the Snow'. Wow. You can just find it online though, so probably don't buy this book.
May 17, 2023
Wonderful, and one step closer to understanding my friend Jake.
April 12, 2018
Economy of style renders some very memorable stories
Wolff's debut story collection hits just the right note; he writes with an economy of description, dialogue, and character that practically approaches minimalism. The stories provide a variety of moods, and readers are left with much material for appreciation and analysis. Writers of fiction can learn much from Wolff in terms of honing their craft. Highly recommended!
Wolff's debut story collection hits just the right note; he writes with an economy of description, dialogue, and character that practically approaches minimalism. The stories provide a variety of moods, and readers are left with much material for appreciation and analysis. Writers of fiction can learn much from Wolff in terms of honing their craft. Highly recommended!
July 3, 2021
3.5/5
This collection as a whole is dark and/or uncomfortable. Various content warnings would apply.
My favorite short stories:
1. Hunters in the Snow 5/5
2. The Liar 5/5
3. In the Garden of the North American Martyrs 4.5/5
Bonus: A cartoon described within the Worldly Goods story had me giggling
The other stories had interesting aspects and were well-written, but I'm not sure how I feel about them especially since they didn't have a defined ending. They do seem better together.
This collection as a whole is dark and/or uncomfortable. Various content warnings would apply.
My favorite short stories:
1. Hunters in the Snow 5/5
2. The Liar 5/5
3. In the Garden of the North American Martyrs 4.5/5
Bonus: A cartoon described within the Worldly Goods story had me giggling
The other stories had interesting aspects and were well-written, but I'm not sure how I feel about them especially since they didn't have a defined ending. They do seem better together.
February 26, 2021
Dit werd me een paar jaar geleden aanraden door het algoritme en het sprak me wel aan. Een matige bundel met pijnlijk slechte dialogen en verhalen die vaak nergens heen gaan. Soms lijkt de schrijver iets interessants gevonden te hebben, maar dan slaat het verhaal toch weer rechtsaf in the middle of nowhere te eindigen. Het staat ook bol van het seksisme. Nu kan ik daar best tegen, vooral als de schrijver hier bewust mee speelt of er subtiel kritiek op geeft, maar door de bundel heen werd dat steeds twijfelachtiger. De constante sterke rolpatronen en een hele casual verkrachting, die wordt goed gepraat door de vrouw zelf..tjsa. 2 sterren.
January 6, 2020
Tobias Wolff is definitely up there as one of the best short story and memoir writers of the 20th century.
The way Wolff writes is clear, precise and clean. The way he describes people’s motivations and feelings within a story are Carveresque but altogether original and moving.
This collection (his debut) is a little short compared to his other collections but the stories and prose are tight and a few of the stories are some of the best and most memorable I’ve read.
A strong recommendation. If you haven’t read any Wolff I’d suggest starting with his memoir This Boys Life.
The way Wolff writes is clear, precise and clean. The way he describes people’s motivations and feelings within a story are Carveresque but altogether original and moving.
This collection (his debut) is a little short compared to his other collections but the stories and prose are tight and a few of the stories are some of the best and most memorable I’ve read.
A strong recommendation. If you haven’t read any Wolff I’d suggest starting with his memoir This Boys Life.
February 23, 2024
This had a strangely profound impact on me, given it took so little time to read.
These are frank, wry, and very immersive worlds that come to you in bursts, in the form of a bunch of short stories. There was something devastating in how simple they were, with how much of myself I could see in them from time to time; I felt like some of them had me in a Glassons changing room with those horrible overhead fluorescents that make you look like an irradiated sumo wrestler.
Tobias Wolff is a master of observation. I get the sense he could see through anyone, including people who are just relentlessly ordinary. Everyone has something they don't want someone to see, but this man has the clearest eye for human nature I have experienced in a long time.
I've always wanted to be someone like this. Perception is one of the most fascinating forms of intelligence.
These are frank, wry, and very immersive worlds that come to you in bursts, in the form of a bunch of short stories. There was something devastating in how simple they were, with how much of myself I could see in them from time to time; I felt like some of them had me in a Glassons changing room with those horrible overhead fluorescents that make you look like an irradiated sumo wrestler.
Tobias Wolff is a master of observation. I get the sense he could see through anyone, including people who are just relentlessly ordinary. Everyone has something they don't want someone to see, but this man has the clearest eye for human nature I have experienced in a long time.
I've always wanted to be someone like this. Perception is one of the most fascinating forms of intelligence.
July 27, 2023
A beautiful, understated short story collection which, admittedly, sits in the long shadow cast by Carver. Blue-collar melancholy, misfits, and a general air of middle-aged unfulfilment plagues these stories. Nuanced, simple, but excellent. Wolff has been one of my favourite discoveries in recent years and a writer of whom I’m certain I’ll be a completionist eventually.
August 3, 2025
All of these stories were well-written. Most of them had at least one very funny line or two; however, they would start off at a gallop and then either end abruptly with no resolution, or would end up in the air.
The two that stand out are the title story, and "Hunters in the Snow.". These two stories are nearly perfect, easily 5 stars. I will read more of this author.
The two that stand out are the title story, and "Hunters in the Snow.". These two stories are nearly perfect, easily 5 stars. I will read more of this author.
July 2, 2017
When you read short stories, this is what you expect. I should be giving this 5 stars.
November 4, 2019
4.5 stars
March 23, 2020
What a talented author. Five stars for the second story, "Hunters in the Snow."
December 28, 2021
I’m glad these stories were short otherwise my brain would have exploded.
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