Day: June 30, 2005

Not as good as Owen Meany or A Widow for One Year but there are some very funny parts. I’d never really noticed before Irving’s talent for slapstick. Some scenes are so visual, I feel like I’m in a Marx Brothers movie.

Overrated.

We’ve been enjoying this series for quite some years now. Lorrie Moore picked this collection, and a very nice one it is. Stories I especially liked: “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie, “Intervention” by Jill McCorkle, and “All Saints Day” by Angela Pneuman.

John Irving’s first novel feels a little green to me, but only in comparison to the brilliant work he’s done since.