Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Book Review 3: Rock Springs by Richard Ford
Man, oh man, did I ever enjoy reading Richard Ford’s collection of ten excellent short stories,
Rock Springs. (Vintage; Reprint edition, August 12,1988) If you haven’t already done so,
I highly recommend that you read this book.
But I make this recommendation with a warning. The stories in Rock Springs
are stark, unsentimental, and sad. They are set in the American Mid West and deal with
the themes of bleakness, hardship, hard luck, the loss of love, desolation, loneliness,
unhappiness, tragedy, desperation, and despair and with,for the most part,the hapless,
hopeless, loveless characters that suffer from the afore-mentioned issues and who do not
seem to care about the outcomes of their lives. I give this warning because many readers
do not like such stories, no matter how well they are told.
I happen to love them and Richard Ford tells them very, very well- with great images that
stick in your mind.(As I was reading the collection, I kept thinking that it would a great
series of short films, each one directed by a different director.) And the power of the stories
are belied (underpinned?) by the fact that they mosie along like forlorn tumbleweeds that
suddenly turn into bolts of electricity and smack you thwack!in the heart and mind. And it
hits you- these stories aren’t merely ‘sad’ they are beautifully sad.
A book that is well worth reading and re-reading.
Next: Book Review 4: A Map Of The Gardens by Gillan Mears
Writing Prompts
Rock Springs. (Vintage; Reprint edition, August 12,1988) If you haven’t already done so,
I highly recommend that you read this book.
But I make this recommendation with a warning. The stories in Rock Springs
are stark, unsentimental, and sad. They are set in the American Mid West and deal with
the themes of bleakness, hardship, hard luck, the loss of love, desolation, loneliness,
unhappiness, tragedy, desperation, and despair and with,for the most part,the hapless,
hopeless, loveless characters that suffer from the afore-mentioned issues and who do not
seem to care about the outcomes of their lives. I give this warning because many readers
do not like such stories, no matter how well they are told.
I happen to love them and Richard Ford tells them very, very well- with great images that
stick in your mind.(As I was reading the collection, I kept thinking that it would a great
series of short films, each one directed by a different director.) And the power of the stories
are belied (underpinned?) by the fact that they mosie along like forlorn tumbleweeds that
suddenly turn into bolts of electricity and smack you thwack!in the heart and mind. And it
hits you- these stories aren’t merely ‘sad’ they are beautifully sad.
A book that is well worth reading and re-reading.
Next: Book Review 4: A Map Of The Gardens by Gillan Mears
Writing Prompts
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