Tenney's Landing: Stories

by Catherine Tudish

The lives and histories of the denizens of Tenney's Landing, a small Pennsylvania river town, intersect in ways both incidental and intimate as the townspeople learn that their capacity for hope and forgiveness is greater than they thought. In "Where the Devil Lost His Blanket," Elizabeth Tenney embarks on an unexpected journey to return the remains of her deceased neighbor to South America. In "Jordan's Stand," a gruff old farmer forms an unlikely friendship with a young widow. In "The Springhouse," a woman decides to leave her husband and return to Tenney's Landing, where she becomes the unofficial guardian of all manner of community secrets.

Evocative, resonant, and exquisitely tender, these stories capture moments of change -- upheaval, renewal, and the quieter revolutions inspired by the small eventfulness of everyday life. Catherine Tudish's remarkable debut illuminates the shared human condition through the particulars of a small American town.

Genres: Short Stories

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Catherine Tudish is the author of the acclaimed short story collection Tenney's Landing. Tudish taught writing and literature at Harvard for eight years before moving to Vermont to work as a journalist and fiction writer. She now teaches at the Bread Loaf School of English and Dartmouth College.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to rate this higher, because I did "really" like almost all the short stories while reading them. But, I found many of the ending disappointing, lacking even in any real ending. Not even open-ended, they just felt like the author gave up writing before the end.

I almost gave up reading the prologue, it was boring! I don't care for historical fiction. So, if you don't care about the founding of the town (and it's not necessary to know), skip to the stories!

I would have enjoyed them more if they didn't connect to the town somehow. It interrupted my reading enjoyment trying to think just where I'd "met" that name before, in which story that event was mentioned. Not necessary to have them all refer to Tenney's Landing at all. In one case it was just something like, "We lived four miles from Tenney's Landing to the west..." Or, an aside about a man featured in a previous story. They were fine as stand-along short stories. Tying them together at times felt like it was trying to hard.

My favorite would have been The Springhouse. But, I found myself disliking Carrie more and more. By the end she still had an "I'm better than this small town. I am way too good for a car salesman." "Carrie preferred not to think about Gerald in a goofy hat, hawking cars." Not the first time she is embarrassed by his job. Let's get right down to it, Carrie. You are living with your parents, after leaving your husband. You have a college degree in journalism, but are just working part-time for your father, writing the local calendar, reporting on city board meetings, and a human interest series on local old people, you are NOT all that!

Also, in The Springhouse, quite a few times I wondered if paragraphs had been left out. The scene would change, the action moved, without any transition to let the reader know time had passed. It was confusing.

At least with short stories, if you don't like one, you finish quickly and can read another! I didn't dislike any of these, but most left me unsatisfied at the end.

[M.L. Dunker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim volume of short stories packs a wallop. The first story tells how Lucius Tenney founded the town in the 1800s and anchors the remaining stories with a solid sense of place. It reminded me of Thorton Wilder's Our Town, as the characters interact with each other and their history to form a rich mosaic of lives lived.
My favorite stories - the titalur piece, Tenney's Landing, Dowry, and Dog Stories. But the story that lingers in my heart all these days and days later is the novella closing the book - The Springhouse. With the magic of a Great Gatsby ending, we ride along in the boat with Gerald, Carrie, and Mrs. Banashevsky in the long sweep of river with Chess and Steph waving from shore.
A quiet book full of meaning.

[Susan Emmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never heard of Tudish, but found the collection at a recent library sale.
I liked the pace and capture of local setting and history in these stories. Like other readers, there were sometimes confusing character crossovers among stories.
However, I so liked "Where The Devil Lost His Blanket," "Pigeon," "Killer," and "The Springhouse."
Lively characters and dialog, interesting conflicts and decisions - good stuff.
Reminds me a lot of the small town in Maine where I now live and the interlocking families who have populated it for 200 years.
Well worth a read!

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Tenney’s Landing by Catherine Tudish.

Every once in a while I try a book of short stories but they disappoint me. Half the stories aren’t worth reading and some just make it. The story that fit three of my challenges one is, “The Dowry” where there is plenty of dancing, the second one a character living in a big house and the third was a letter in the title started with a “T”. Catherine Tudish stumbles with clarification in some of her stories in this book with a sense of longing for a deeper understanding of their own.

The author did amaze me of how she wrote every story in this book connected to the fictional Tenney’s Landing, a rural Pennsylvania region but with a different subject and plot. Catherine starts with a prologue at the beginning that describes the small town and some of the characters information. She wrote about memorable characters, fascinating situations with a fine writing style but I always like having some closure when it comes to the endings…

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that short story collections are criminally ignored, and I'm glad that I decided to take on this collection after reading a small description in the Independent Booksellers' newsletter. All the stories are all linked back to the fictional town of Tenney's Landing, Pennsylvania, but only loosely linked to each other. (I have a penchant for stories about small towns.) Tudish deftly dodges the lamentable tendency of most authors to romanticize small towns. My favorite stories - though they are all good:
"The Dowry," "Dog Stories," and "The Springhouse."

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who not only enjoys short stories, but also those about small towns, this book did not let me down. It was a wonderful glimpse into the lives of these people, all of whom are tied together by their small town. It was almost as though you were a voyer into their homes and their histories. Wonderfully written, you feel as if you know these people through the short time you spend with them. A very quick read.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the characters in this book. She also begins the book with a prologue that describes the start of the town and then proceeds to tell the stories of people in that town. The stories can be really moving but none of the stories have an ending. The fact that I am uncomfortable with that may say more about me than the stories themselves, but I have to say I would like some resolution to the stories. Overall, well written.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories, but I usually prefer long fiction. These stories revolved around women who lived in or near the western Pennsylvania town of Tenney's Landing over an extended period of time.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I picked up on clearance at Michigan Tech so I wasn't sure what to expect. A pleasant surprise because it was quite good - human/family/friend relationships in and around a small town in Pennsylvania. Gently told stories of life.

[Jillwitucki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. While I do not usually enjoy a series of short stories, there is a thread. I truely enjoyed this wonderfully crafted book full of interesting, real people.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories provide real connection to the characters, often in difficult situations.

[Mark Larenio]

awesome..try this one..

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the least dark book I've read in a long time. I was reminded of how much I like short stories, and how much I like darkness. It's a gentle, well-written book.

[Brett McLay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grounded storytelling, with a thread connecting rural Pennsylvania.