Stories From the Blue Moon Cafe: The American South in Stories, Essays, and Poetry

by Tom Franklin, Monroe Thompson, Judith Richards, et al.

Book Overview

Thirty of today's finest Southern writers serve up an intoxicating blend of stories, essays, and poetry. From the Civil War to the Cold War, country music to the blues, a mother and daughter to a boy and his dog, this is the South in all its sorrow-and all its splendor. Stories from the Blue Moon Caf?is a delightful mixture of Southern spice: the good, the bad, the heart-breaking, and the hilarious. Featuring: Marlin Barton Rick Bragg Jill Conner...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451210425
• ISBN13: 9780451210425
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

WHAT A GREAT MENU...!

This collection is a real treat - not only did I get to check out some work by some of my favorites (both old and new), but it allowed me to discover the work of some writers I had never experienced. Every piece is of high quality - most are short stories, but there are a couple of essays and a poem here as well. I won't take the time (or space) here to comment on each and every entry, but I'd like to mention a few...Marlin Barton's story, `Final spring', cemented my admiration for him. I had previously read (and reviewed here) his collection THE DRY WELL - and now I can look forward to his new novel BROKEN THING, coming out in the new year. C. Terry Cline's `S Trident' had me laughing out loud - and shuddering a little, knowing that the string of misunderstandings depicted within could actually occur. Patricia Foster's `The girl from Soldier Creek' is a well-written, moving account of a young woman going back to the home she fled in a time of crisis. While I found his collection POACHERS entertaining, I must say that I enjoyed Tom Franklin's `Christmas 1893' much more - I look forward to reading more from him. William Gay's two novels - THE LONG HOME and PROVINCES OF NIGHT have simply astonished me in their power. His short story here, `Come home, come home, it's suppertime' didn't disappoint me at all - what amazing writing! Winston Groom's `Just a little closer to the Lord' illustrates poignantly how people can react negatively to someone who's just a bit different from them. Silas House's `The last days' chronicles a mother's decision to return her child to his father, from whom she abducted him several years before. Michael Knight's `Killing Stonewall Jackson' is a chilling, partially surreal look at the horror endured by those who took part in the American Civil War. Also very powerful are Barbara Robinette Moss' `Blackbird' and Brad Watson's `The dead girl', an excerpt from his novel THE HEAVEN OF MERCURY.This collection has given me a lot of additions to my `to read list' - and it also kept me well entertained for the several days it took me to work my way through it. I would heartily recommend it to anyone - it's a great way to sample to work of all of these talented writers.

if i could give this TEN stars, i would

i picked up this book of short stories because it has some pieces by authors i have loved in the past--conroy, rick bragg, web griffin--but i came away with a whole new list of writers i know i need to read. i am a northerner and have always relied on the esteemed anthology new stories from the south to guide me along the path of the southern writing tradition, but now i have added the blue moon cafe to my list of destinations to visit again and again. this is a collection of writers to watch out for. do yourself a favor and order this book NOW.

Take me to bed...

Lonely? Uncertain? Longing for some good reading? Take this title to bed. Featuring some names you might know (William Gay, Frank Turner Hollon, Steve Yarbrough) and some others you probably don't (Jim Gilbert, Jennifer Paddock, Sidney Thompson), the compelling voices and startling stories between the blue covers make for good company and sweet dreams.

Overheard Conversation...

Reading these stories, many of them very short, reminded me of walking through a crowded room (or a cafe) and picking up fragments of interesting conversation along the way. The more you hear, the more you want to hear; this anthology just kept getting better and better, the farther along I read. Collections like this are typically uneven, but this one maintains a consistency throughout, and the quality remains very high.