Charity
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Book Overview
With Charity, Mark Richard again secures the distinction of poet laureate of the orphaned poor, the broken, the deceived, and the unrelieved. In stylistic brilliance, he renders their conditions with grace and compassion, and redeems and transports their tragedy with wicked humor. In the much-anthologized "The Birds for Christmas," two hospitalized boys beg a night nurse to let them watch Hitchcock's classic thriller film on television, believing it will relieve their Yuletide loneliness. "Gentleman's Agreement" is a classic father-son story of fear and the violence of love. In "Memorial Day," a bayou boy learns the lessons of living from Death himself, a fortune cookie-eating phantom who claims to be "a people person." From charity ward to outrageous beach bungalow, Richard visits the overlooked corners of America, making them unforgettably visible. Richard has been rightly compared to Faulkner for his language and to Flannery O'Connor for his stark moral vision, but his force and sensibility remain his own. Charity is a powerful reading experience, a true accomplishment in an already stunning literary career.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0385425708
ISBN13:9780385425704
Release Date:August 1999
Publisher:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Length:160 Pages
Weight:0.30 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
The Real Deal
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
The first story Gentleman's Agreement and another story The Birds for Christmas alone are worth the price of this collection. Richard is working from a different place in a different light. As a former student of his, I can tell you that's he's the real deal. Even though his classes were sometimes run like a revival meeting, as he admits, there's something almost Biblical in these stories. Check it out.
Exceptional
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Affecting, tough stories of hard luck cases told in a distinct prose that is challenging at first, but well worth the effort. Once you find his rhythm, you're hooked. Looking forward to reading his novel.
Killer collection of short stories
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
A wonderfull collection of stories from one of the most original voices in American literature. As soon as I finished reading it, I started it again. I was left wanting to see more of these tragic characters. Any of them could have filled their own novel, especially Cyphus and Samuel from "Tunga Tugga, Lingua Dingua." This is why I like short stories. Richard doesn't disappoint.
A Great American Writer
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Mark Richard's work may stand alongside the work of Larry Brown and Barry Hannah as great contemporary Southern literature, but CHARITY proves that Richard should stand next to Styron and Faulkner as one of this century's great American writers. This is an amazing collection that bridges a remarkable collections of emotions, attitudes, worlds...Read it.
Unique and twisted
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Brilliant, funny, unique, and twisted, Mark Richard's vision of the world is pure art. This book is a sheer pleasure to read, and the story "The Birds for Christmas" is a classic of the form.
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