Bad Characters

Stories

Fiction & Literature, Short Stories, Literary
Cover of the book Bad Characters by Jean Stafford, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jean Stafford ISBN: 9781466896581
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: April 4, 2017
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Jean Stafford
ISBN: 9781466896581
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: April 4, 2017
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

This book displays at their height the wit, sensibility and psychological penetration that distinguish Miss Stafford's work. There are nine stories and a novella. They range in mood from the title story, a comic portrait of a resourceful child-criminal named Lottie Jump, to "The End of a Career," an elegiac and ironic tale of the declining years of a great beauty. In "A Reasonable Facsimile" Dr. Bohrmann, a retired professor philosophy, is unexpectedly rescued from an aggressively boring young house guest. "Cops and Robbers" is a chilling story of childhood horror and lovelessness that revolves around a father's trip to the barber with his five-year-old daughter.

Several of the stories have as their common setting Miss Stafford's fiction town of Adams, Colorado—including an amusing saga of a girl's frustrated attempts to find a quiet spot to read ("A Reading Problem"), and two stories of failure ("In the Zoo") and success ("The Liberation") in the effort to escape from one's family. "Caveat Emptor" is a satire on the academic life and sub-life at the Alma Hettrick College for Girls; and in "The Captain's Gift" the sheltered and lavender-scented existence of old Mrs. Ramsey is violated by the reality of war.

The major piece in Bad Characters is "A Winter's Tale," a haunting and evocative novella set in Heidelberg just before the outbreak of the war. It is dominated by the diabolic character of Frau Professor Persis Galt. This portrait of a former Bostonian who poses as an excessively devout convert is one of Miss Stafford's most brilliant fictional creations.

This collection by Jean Stafford will be warmly welcomed by the many and devoted admirers of her novels and stories. To new readers the work of one of the best writers of our time will come as a joyful discovery.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book displays at their height the wit, sensibility and psychological penetration that distinguish Miss Stafford's work. There are nine stories and a novella. They range in mood from the title story, a comic portrait of a resourceful child-criminal named Lottie Jump, to "The End of a Career," an elegiac and ironic tale of the declining years of a great beauty. In "A Reasonable Facsimile" Dr. Bohrmann, a retired professor philosophy, is unexpectedly rescued from an aggressively boring young house guest. "Cops and Robbers" is a chilling story of childhood horror and lovelessness that revolves around a father's trip to the barber with his five-year-old daughter.

Several of the stories have as their common setting Miss Stafford's fiction town of Adams, Colorado—including an amusing saga of a girl's frustrated attempts to find a quiet spot to read ("A Reading Problem"), and two stories of failure ("In the Zoo") and success ("The Liberation") in the effort to escape from one's family. "Caveat Emptor" is a satire on the academic life and sub-life at the Alma Hettrick College for Girls; and in "The Captain's Gift" the sheltered and lavender-scented existence of old Mrs. Ramsey is violated by the reality of war.

The major piece in Bad Characters is "A Winter's Tale," a haunting and evocative novella set in Heidelberg just before the outbreak of the war. It is dominated by the diabolic character of Frau Professor Persis Galt. This portrait of a former Bostonian who poses as an excessively devout convert is one of Miss Stafford's most brilliant fictional creations.

This collection by Jean Stafford will be warmly welcomed by the many and devoted admirers of her novels and stories. To new readers the work of one of the best writers of our time will come as a joyful discovery.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book The Campaign by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Tinderbox by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Rosshalde by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book On Leave by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Miss Subways by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Tractor Mac You're a Winner by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Negative Blue by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book How Fiction Works by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Terra Nostra by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Knife Edge by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Talking to Ourselves by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book The Complete Stories by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Embroidered Ground by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book Mount Terminus by Jean Stafford
Cover of the book The Amazing Bone by Jean Stafford
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy