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Book Review of Dressing Up for the Carnival

Dressing Up for the Carnival
Kmarie avatar reviewed on + 529 more book reviews


In Dressing Up for the Carnival, Carol Shields distills her characteristic wisdom, elegance, and insouciant humor into twenty-two irresistible stories. A wealth of surprises and contrasts, this collection ranges from the lyricism of "Weather," in which a couple's life is thrown into chaos when the National Association of Meteorologists goes on strike; to the swampy sexuality of "Eros," in which a room in a Parisian hotel on the verge of ruin is the catalyst for passion; to the brave confidence of "A Scarf" -- new for this collection -- which chronicles the realities of a fledging author's book tour. Playful, graceful, acutely observed, and generous of spirit, these stories are Carol Shields at her most accomplished and appealing.