More of This World or Maybe Another

by Barb Johnson

Book Overview

More of This World or Maybe Another is a collection of award-winning short fiction about four outsiders whose unruly lives intersect on the back streets of New Orleans from writer Barb Johnson. Funny and haunting by turns, Johnson's unforgettable characters are driven by something fragile and irresistible, a sputtering drive to love and be loved, in these "stunning stories . . . the kind that reveal, enlarge, and make living seem worth the trouble."...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061732273
• ISBN13: 9780061732270
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A writer to watch

I set down this book with my ears ringing and my chest aching, everything around me electric and amplified. It's really that good. This collection is full of gut-punching, stunning prose, solid workmanship, and quiet skill. Barb Johnson's haunting debut collection follows four characters anchored to a laudromat in New Orleans. Her character Delia says, "There's real trouble in the world. The kind that can't be fixed." And Johnson does not shy away from this trouble. Her characters are set against a backdrop of abuse, addiction, and senseless violence. Yet Johnson doesn't wallow in the spectacle of poverty or over-simplify or sanitize the ugliness. If Johnson shows us the worst we are capable of, she also offers us glimpses of light, small acts of unexpected kindness. Delia reassures us, "Love is not trouble...There is real trouble in the world, but there is real magic, too." No sentimentality, no easy answers. You WILL cry, but Johnson will also earn those tears.

More of this Book, and Definitely Another!

Gorgeous language! This is a killer collection from writer who infuses wisdom into her stunning prose, and manages, somehow, to create characters who break into our hearts and remind us of the need for generosity in an all too cold world. There are so many riches in the writing and in these stories that I had to set the book on my lap from time to time just to catch my breath and soak it all in! From Pudge's homemade valentine heart, Delia's gift shoes, Luis' catechism book, Chuck's "black-black" eyes and the lines on the back of Maggie's neck: Barb Johnson's 'people' and the sweet sadness of the things they bring with them will stay with me for a long time to come.

so much more than short stories

Just finished this compelling book of interrelated stories. The characters Ms Johnson has created remain vividly in my thoughts. She very skillfully brings them to life, making me feel I know them personally. She has taken her background and brought it into my forground and I am grateful for the new company. I am eager for more from this writer.

Great Book

I was hooked on Barb Johnson's book from the first paragraph. She created unique characters who I really cared about. I loved getting to know them and being involved in their lives. The only problem with this book was that it left me wanting more of Barb Johnson's stories. Can't wait for the next book!!

Don't miss this one

Amazing to find a collection of short stories that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat -- not just to find out what happens next, but to get that next drug-like dose of language. This is a GREAT read, immensely affecting, the writing gorgeous but seemingly effortless, and set in an intriguing place (Mid City, New Orleans). Barb Johnson aims high and then exceeds all expectations. I can't wait for the next one.