The Girl from Cardigan: Sixteen Stories

by Leslie Norris

Stories tell of the loss of childhood friends, misplaced trust, middle age drifting, the end of innocence, and life in rural Wales.

Genres: Short Stories, Book Club

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Leslie Norris (1921-2006) was a Welsh poet and short story writer who moved to the United States and became a Professor of Creative Writing at Brigham Young University, Utah.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

This collection of sixteen short stories is excellent. A friend of mine had a box of books her daughter was offloading and I picked this up on a whim. Some of the stories are merely very good, but others are art. One in particular, “Shaving,” especially touched me with its transcendent beauty. Highly recommend this collection if you can find it.

[Tatiana]

What a marvelous collection! Each story is beautifully crafted, laconic and poignant.

[Rachel Wen]

This collection includes ‘The Wind, the Cold Wind,” one of my favorite short stories of all time. Poignant and haunting.

[Michael Battenbough]

The author was actually my great uncle and have read it many times. He was born in Wales and became Professor of English in the Universary of Utah USA. Well worth a read.

[Ronald Schoedel III]

No one has a way with words quite like Norris. Reading Norris is like experiencing a fine painting. His stories are lavishly detailed, colourful, and capable of drawing the reader into his world. His humour is gentle and subtle, reminding us that these stories are parts of real lives. The short story as a medium seems to have been perfected by Norris. Each story whisks us to a particular time and place in a Wales that seems so far away in both time and space, yet which has not changed all that much. On a recent trip to Wales, I felt Norris's world first hand. I've never before felt like I had walked into a story book, but having read most of Leslie's short stories prior to my trip, that is exactly how I felt. I don't think he's particularly well known across most of America, which is an unparalleled literary injustice that must be remedied.

[Janis]

What a great collection of short stories. Leslie Norris was a professor at BYU when I attended there and published these stories during that time. He was originally from Wales and told stories from there and about pioneers who moved from there to Utah. Well written stories with each chapter a different story.

[Steven Kent]

Leslie Norris was one of the finest writers of his time. Read stories like Shaving, and you quickly realize the depth of his mastery. Only a very few craftsmen like Leslie Norris arise every century.

[Mylisa Larsen]

I keep this book for one story--The Wind, the Cold Wind.