The Ice-Cream Headache & Other Stories

By James Jones

Book Overview

"Superbly realized stories . . . Personal, vigorous, meaningful." --Library Journal

"We feel the impact of Jones's vitality. He is masculine, uninhibited, not abashed by whatever he uncovers of human weakness and sexuality." --Chicago Sun Times

The World War II trilogy, From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line, and Whistle established James Jones as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. The Ice-Cream Headache--out of print for more than fifteen years--is Jones's only collection of short stories. Unique to the collection is an author's introduction that illuminates his development as a writer over twenty years, beginning in 1947.

The thirteen penetratingly sensitive, remarkably varied stories are about men, women, and children in love, at war, in marriage. Each story is distinguished by the classical simplicity, emotional resonance, and lasting impact that is the hallmark of the great short story writer.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888451351
• ISBN13: 9781888451351
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A writer whose stories never get old

I read these stories many years ago and was thrilled to see how well they hold up. The study guide by Prof. Judith Everson makes me want to teach these stories to my graduate students. I'm particularly fond of the childhood stories, which seem so perceptive and sincere and harsh at the same time. It's nice also to see the development of the writer over a ten-year period, from his early years after he got out of the Army, to his later stories, after the publication of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.