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Smokestack Lightning: Stories
Thirteen stories set in and around the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts, this volume is now in its third printing.
“Stephen O’Connor is a storyteller in the great tradition of Sherwood Anderson and William Saroyan.” David Daniel, author of Renuion and Coffin Dust
“Emotional, rich in word craft, Stephen O’Connor’s stories evoke strong responses and a solid following …” Bill Brocato, Houston Literary Review
“Stephen O’Connor is funny, mysterious, tough yet romantic, like everybody from Lowell, I guess, but with the Howlin' Wolf bred in.” David Lenson, The Massachusetts Review
“Stephen O’Connor is a storyteller in the great tradition of Sherwood Anderson and William Saroyan.” David Daniel, author of Renuion and Coffin Dust
“Emotional, rich in word craft, Stephen O’Connor’s stories evoke strong responses and a solid following …” Bill Brocato, Houston Literary Review
“Stephen O’Connor is funny, mysterious, tough yet romantic, like everybody from Lowell, I guess, but with the Howlin' Wolf bred in.” David Lenson, The Massachusetts Review
180 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2010
13 people want to read
About the author
Stephen O'Connor
6 books3 followersStephen O'Connor is an award-winning writer from Lowell, MA, where much of his fiction is set. He is the author of two books of stories and four novels. For more information, visit lowellwriter.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 5, 2012
Good writers can give you a sense of place so strong you feel like you've lived there. Stephen O'Connor gives us that life in his collection of stories.
He gives us not just a sense of the region of New England, or of Massachusetts, but of the mean streets of Lowell, a place that will implant itself in your memory after reading these stories. You'll feel like you're drinking at the bars, talking to the locals.
It is also a city haunted by the ghost of Jack Kerouac, and they claim him as one of their own. There is a great tale in this collection about a man who gets a chance to own Jack Kerouac's toilet. It is absurdly fun, and yet touching in it's yearning for a character's wanting even the odd echo of a past glory that meant something.
He goes afield, too, and gives us an Irish tale that touches the heart, for Lowell has deep Irish roots, along with the French Canadian.
O'Connor makes us see and feel and hear his characters, and their tales are those of life in all it's warty glory. Read this book for great stories about a particular place.
He gives us not just a sense of the region of New England, or of Massachusetts, but of the mean streets of Lowell, a place that will implant itself in your memory after reading these stories. You'll feel like you're drinking at the bars, talking to the locals.
It is also a city haunted by the ghost of Jack Kerouac, and they claim him as one of their own. There is a great tale in this collection about a man who gets a chance to own Jack Kerouac's toilet. It is absurdly fun, and yet touching in it's yearning for a character's wanting even the odd echo of a past glory that meant something.
He goes afield, too, and gives us an Irish tale that touches the heart, for Lowell has deep Irish roots, along with the French Canadian.
O'Connor makes us see and feel and hear his characters, and their tales are those of life in all it's warty glory. Read this book for great stories about a particular place.
September 19, 2015
I feel like I know more about Lowell than I did before reading this book. Aside from this unofficial biography of a town and its people, O'Connor's storytelling is superb and makes you want to read to the end. There are a few stories that don't so much follow the traditional formula ending in a climax and aftermath, rather they are snippets of daily life and feelings about the world and an awareness (or lack thereof) of one's place in it. Almost stream of consciousness, they end in much the same sentiment or feeling as they begin, however we have gained a knowledge that is deeper and more understanding of that sentiment. However, only a few of the stories are like this. Others have a great command of the subtleties and nuances between drama and comedy. I almost view this collection of stories like a collection of diaries of different people who live in Lowell, Massachusetts.
October 8, 2010
This is a truly fantastic book! To start off, I just loved the cover. Now I know that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but it still nice to see an attractive one. After all it is what makes you pick up the book. If you are lucky enough to pick up this book and open it you won’t be disappointed. This collection of 13 short stories all revolve around the small Massachusetts city of Lowell. But it does not matter where you are from, these stories touch something human, something pure. Mr. O’Connor use of words is…well, remarkable! I wish that my use of words was half as good. But it is not the words but the stories that are so touching. They hit you like a ton of bricks or a shock of electricity, so I guess the title Smokestack Lighting is perfect.
May 24, 2011
Smokestack Lightning is a wonderful collection of short stories that display O'Connor's impressive literary talent. Touching, sad, funny, and thought-provoking, Smokestack Lightning achieves what good writing ought to achieve: emotional resonance. O'Connor's ability to capture the cultural diversity of the city of Lowell, MA through his characters and his personal experiences is truly impressive and translates to the page effectively, adding depth and believability to his works. A real gem!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews