Story Book Collections That Rate A 5 Star
Discover 5-star story book collections worth adding to your shelf, from Alice Munro’s Runaway to Updike’s Best American Short Stories—curated fiction picks for every reader.
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The Best American Short Stories of the Century
by John Updike
Including one new story and an Index by author of every story that has ever appeared in the series, this new volume offers a "spectacular tapestry of fictional achievement" ("Entertainment Weekly").
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The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories
by Tobias Wolff
Variously funny, frightening, poignant, and exhilarating, these collected stories displays the best American writers at the peak of their powers and the national narrative at its most eloquent, truthful, and inventive. The thirty-three stories in this volume prove that American short fiction maybe be our most distinctive national art form. As selected and introduced by Tobias Wolff, they also make up an alternate map of the United States that represents not just geography but narrative traditions, cultural heritage, and divergent approaches. Contributors and stories include: Mary Gaitskill, "A Romantic Weekend"; Andre Dubus, "The Fat Girl"; Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried"; Raymond Carver, "Cathedral"; Joyce Carol Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"; Mona Simpson, "Lawns"; Ann Beattie, "A Vintage Thunderbird"; Jamaica Kincaid, "Girl"; Stuart Dybek, "Chopin in Water"; Ron Hansen, "Wickedness"; Denis Johnson, "Emergency"; Edward P. Jones, "The First Day"; John L'Heureux, "Departures"; Ralph Lombreglia, "Men Under Water"; Robert Olmstead, "Cody's Story"; Jayne Anne Phillips, "Home"; Susan Power, "Moonwalk"; Amy Tan, "Rules of the Game"; Stephanie Vaughn, "Dog Heaven"; Joy Williams, "Train"; Dorothy Allison, "River of Names"; Richard Bausch, "All The Way in Flagstaff, Arizona"; and more.
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Possibilities
by Janet Sue Terry
Possibilities is set in the turbulent 1960s, and is the story of a young woman named Nora Steele. Raised in an orphanage, Nora lands a decent job just before she has to move out on her own. But she must face her worst fears, when she is dragged into a dark alley by an abusive rapist.
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Runaway
by Alice Munro
A collection of short fiction captures the lives of women of all ages and circumstances, as they deal with the limits and lies of passion, unfulfilled dreams, motherhood, betrayal, and the bonds of love.
