Ann Beattie is a writer of enormous compassion and honesty. Beattie expertly draws contemporary domestic life and evokes the pain and confusion of modern relationships. Her characters are wonderfully authentic, her detailing of everyday life photographically true.
Beattie's stories offer starkly honest, often bittersweet glimpses of life -- women nursing broken hearts, men looking for love, married couples struggling to stay married, having affairs, leaving or wanting to leave. Disillusionment abounds. Love is often frustrated, unrequited, or absent. But Beattie moves gently among her characters, gracefully revealing their failings, their troubles, and ultimately their ability to endure. Her unsentimental voice propels these remarkable stories forward, and her keen insight affords us a rare glimpse into the human heart.
Beattie's stories offer starkly honest, often bittersweet glimpses of life -- women nursing broken hearts, men looking for love, married couples struggling to stay married, having affairs, leaving or wanting to leave. Disillusionment abounds. Love is often frustrated, unrequited, or absent. But Beattie moves gently among her characters, gracefully revealing their failings, their troubles, and ultimately their ability to endure. Her unsentimental voice propels these remarkable stories forward, and her keen insight affords us a rare glimpse into the human heart.
This is Ann Beattie's finest collection to date. A born storyteller, she's maturing in all the best possible ways. There are stories in "Where . . ." that detonate with insight and wisdom. Frederick Exley
