Category: Literary Fiction Publisher: Library B Books
ISBN-10: 1513620509
Type: Fiction
Copyright: June 7, 2017
ISBN-13: 9781513620503
Critics say that with "wry sensibilities and lyric prose" Wells shows us eight families facing love and loss with humor. Hear a snippet on her bio page!
Love, loss, irony and humor abound in the lives of eight families living around Loon Lake, a shallow fishing spot in Northern Michigan. Wells’ “use of language is like music,” critics says, while others call her writing “a rich and varied drug,” and these stories convey “a real sense of the contradiction and the ambivalence that goes on within the family circle…through writing that has a lyrical style.”Whether it’s the story of a young dreamer and a bully, a man looking forward to retirement and the family that stands in his way; a teacher facing ethical choices, or a family coping with disaster, these stories delight.
5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle, lovely collection.
May 8, 2018
Format: Audible Audiobook
I loved this.
I'm a lover of short fiction (as I'm sure everyone is already aware) and having loved Jess Wells's other works (especially A Slender Tether), this was an instant choice for me, and perfectly timed. It became a wonderful companion on an overnight flight to the UK.
Often in collections, the stories might touch each other thematically, but sometimes not even that comes together. Not so in The Disappearing Andersons of Loon Lake, where each story was a lovely complement to those that came before. I caught myself with a little smile on my face at the end of most of the tales: there's a gentle humour at play here, and—again—while flying across the ocean, it was a welcome respite indeed.
I listened to this book on audiobook, so I should add that it's such a joy to listen to a book narrated by the author when the author is so gifted at performance.
I must confess, this book took me out of my norm as I listened to the audio of "The Disappearing Andersons of Loon Lake" but I enjoy trying different avenues. For the record, I personally prefer holding a book that I can turn the page or reading on my tablet. I would be remiss though if I did not offer my fair opinion of the compilation of short stories by Jess Wells. The beginning story was a little slow to obtain my interest and then once I was enjoying the story, it ended. I never felt a complete conclusion was provided and kept thinking the author would go back and wrap the story up by the end of the book. That never happened! The story about Gretchen (10) and brother Sam (12) was entertaining and provided a thought provoking idea...how to parent when one cannot lie!
There were stories about a blown up house, Monopoly, top-hats and dragon flies, but my very favorite story was about the roses. Most enjoyable!
I am purposely not going into much context, so the next listener can enjoy the stories untainted.
The main issue was being able to secure the book on audible. I had to sign in to Audible.com, go through the check-out procedure and then enter a promo-code provided by the author, however the code did not work. After trying a couple times and messaging back & forth with the author, I had to sign up for the service with a 30 day trial period and trust my cc does not get charged after canceling. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth all the trouble.
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Not only do the seas roll on but two romances,a death at sea, uncovered past lives, history uncovered in Brazil, caves in Australia, poetry in Senegal, the Lux Mundi
