Crow Fair: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)

Crow Fair: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)

Set in Big Sky Country, a triumphant collection of stories written with a comic genius in the vein of Twain and Gogol—from from the acclaimed author of Ninety-two in the Shade and Cloudbursts , “one of America's best short-story writers of the last 50 years" ( The Boston Globe ) These stories attest to the generous compass of Thomas McGuane's fellow feeling, as well as to his unique way with words. In this collection, filled with grace and humor, the ties of family make for uncomfortable binds: A devoted son is horrified to discover his mother's antics before she slipped into dementia, and a father's outdoor skills are no match for a change in the weather. But complications arise equally in the absence of blood, as when lifelong friends on a fishing trip finally confront their deep dislike for each other. Or when a gifted traveling cattle breeder succumbs to the lure of a stranger's offer of easy money. McGuane is as witty and large-hearted as we have ever known him, and Crow Fair is a jubilant, thunderous confirmation of his status as a modern master. A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year "Mysterious and illuminating.... A complex mixture of hurt, hate, shame, betrayal, admiration, resentment and loss." — The New York Times Book Review "McGuane's masterful storytelling and straightforward prose delivers an authenticity and a knowingness, making these tales hard to forget." — San Francisco Chronicle "One of America's best short-story writers of the last 50 years." — The Boston Globe "A handsome showcase for McGuane's mix of stoner comedy and Hemingway-esque machismo." — The Washington Post "Bathed in insight, irony and a dark, knowing humor.... Ranks among [McGuane's] best work." — Miami Herald "Dazzling ... McGuane rustles up some of his best stories yet ... [and] continues to burnish his reputation with some of his most accomplished fiction to date." — O, The Oprah Magazine "A rich and fascinating portrait of Montana.... McGuane has both honed the edge of his already sharp tone and, paradoxically, become more sympathetic to the human condition." — NPR "Brilliant, bittersweet.... Crow Fairis funny, of course: It couldn't be written by McGuane if it weren't. But under-girding his signature visceral, unpredictable humor is a new sense of wistfulness, nostalgia, and loss.... McGuane narrates his cautionary tales with fierce, energetic concern that at times feels almost like tenderness." — Elle magazine "One of McGuane's great gifts is the ability to elicit laughter in dark moments or to jolt the reader of an ostensibly comic tale with a knife twist of pathos or tragedy.... The only thing [the reader] can expect is to be surprised-by McGuane's deadpan wit, his hyperactive imagination, and his deep appreciation for the human comedy." — The Christian Science Monitor "One of our best living American short-story writers.... [McGuane] enriches every life he renders. Even when his characters don't get lucky, they get great lines." -The Seattle Times "Wonderful.... [McGuane] is, as Crow Fair proves quite splendidly, a writer, first, last and always-a delightfully comic one." —The Buffalo News "McGuane's third short story collection in a career that stretches back to 1969 ... is a rare, joyous occasion for fans of the genre." — Richmond Times-Dispatch "Brilliant." — Booklist (starred review) "With imagery as sparse and striking as the landscape ... [These] stories highlight the detachment of young from old, husband from wife, neighbor from neighbor, the dying from life itself." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A slyly cutting batch of tales from a contemporary master.... Seventeen stories, straightforward but well-crafted, that cement McGuane's reputation as the finest short story writer of Big Sky country." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) THOMAS McGUANE lives on a ranch in McLeod, Montana. He is the author of ten novels, including the National Book Award-nominated Ninety-two in the Shade , three works of nonfiction, and four collections of stories . His work has won numerous awards, including the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and has been anthologized in the Best American Stories , Best American Essays , and Best American Sporting Essays . Hubcaps             In the hardwood forest, a shallow swamp immersed the trunks and roots of the trees near the lake. Owen and Ben hunted tur­tles among the waterweeds and pale aquatic flowers. The turtles sunned themselves on low branches hanging over the water, in shafts of light spotted with dancing dragonflies. Ever alert, the creatures tumbled into the swamp at the first sound, as though wiped from the branches by an unseen hand. The wild surround­ings made Ben exuberant. He bent saplings to watch them recoil or shinnied up trees, and he returned home carrying things that interested him—strands of waterweed, bleached muskrat skulls, or the ja