On Being Told That Her Second Husband Has Taken His First Lover, and Other Stories

By Tess Slesinger

Book Overview

One need only read the first lines of Tess Slesinger's title story-or indeed any of her stories-to know that hers is a unique literary voice, one that rivets a reader's attention to the page from the very beginning and holds it to the very end. Hers is, one soon discovers, also a wholly feminine voice: compelling, filled with insight, acute at observation, sure of its tone, and everywhere discovering the reality behind human appearances and pretensions. This is a remarkable collection of short stories by a brilliant young writer who was cut off in her prime when she died of cancer in 1945. "An intensely feminine book, in which bleakness, unemployment, heartache and heartlessness are combined with an agreeable feeling of settling down for conversation with an intimate, disillusioned, gossipy, malicious and often witty friend."-New Statesman. "A genuine short-story writer...she has a good eye for the little tombstones of life."-Nation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0929587324
• ISBN13: 9780929587325
• Release Date: August 1990
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 406 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

One of My All-Time Favorites

I happened upon this collection of short stories while wandering the stacks of my college library during my freshman year at UW Eau Claire. In an attempt to avoid studying for final exams, I began browsing its pages and quickly fell in love with Slesinger's writing style. The title story hit all the right notes as I was nursing a broken heart at the time and was quite certain no one else had ever felt the same (ah, the drama of youth!). I purchased it a few years ago and it's one of those books I read annually without fail.

Great book!!

I'm really glad that I found this book because I have been searching for it for a long time. I bought it new and it arrived earlier than expected!! :)