Visit from the Footbinder and Other Stories

by Emily Prager

Emily Prager's sensational first book of fiction, which was acclaimed as "splendid and original" (New York Times), is now available in the popular Vintage Contemporaries series.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1982

About the author

Emily Prager is an American author and journalist.

Prager grew up in Texas, Taiwan, and Greenwich Village, NY. She is a graduate of The Brearley School, Barnard College and has a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Trudee Bealka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Footbinder story. It's been over 20 years since i have read it and i still think about it.

[Maddalena Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection, specifically adored the story A Visit from the Foot Binder. A story that has stayed with me, rich with details, over the years. A story one never forgets.
Highly recommend it.

[Karen Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The five stories in this collection, published in 1982, vary wildly. The title story is subtle and thoughtful; the closing story is more direct, but also implies more than it says. One of the shortesst storis is so introverted it nearly disappears. And then there are the two bawdy tales: one veers into absurd satiric humor.
While these more raucous stories aren’t my cup of tea, I have to admire Prager’s range: she’s able to go from exquisite subtlety of the Footbinder to conversational drama of Linen to the broadest bawdy humor. And yet, even in that humor, she captures recognizable moments of truth. If Prager’s mission was to highlight the social pressures women face, she succeeded, and it’s only because that territory has been well-trod in the forty years since publication that it sometimes falls a bit flat.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Kathy Campbell Mazzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too offbeat for me

[green beetle els · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 god the footbinder story

[Chris Coughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Stars for Footbinder and Alumnae Bulletin though

[Mrs Reddy Katzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i first read this book when i was in my very early teens and have always remembered the first two stories, so ive read them again ! Emily Praguer books arent produced any more which is a shame because these stories will be lost forever. i really enjoyed A visit from the footbinder and the second story but i didnt feel the need to read the rest.

[Meg Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story was good, but from that it all went downhill. I recall that one story in the book was so terrible that I only continued reading to see where on earth she was tying to go with the whole thing. If only she had stayed with the initial theme.

[Brian Degger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange stories, on the border of speculative fiction

[Sara]

The Jerzy Kosinski story will not leave me, probably ever.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend this thought provoking read to every woman.

[Jason Pym · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories - only the first has a Chinese connection. Bizarre stuff, but always interesting.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monumentally classic.

[Michi Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories blew my mind when my college roommate read them to me in 1988. It might not have the same effect on my jaded mind today, but the images this author left with me back then still float around my brain. The stories are radical and feminist and I recommend this book. It's actually a collection of stories, not just one long story, separated into different little spin-offs with their own characters.