All of Wolff's stories, with the exception of perhaps three, are exquisitely crafted. When I don my pompous hat, I would assert that Wolff masterfully distills the essence of the hidden miracles within everyday experience. He effectuates something wonderfully profound and captivating. His works are like precious gems that sparkle with unique charm. Gems among his stories include: "Two Boys and a Girl," which delves into the complex relationships of the youth; "Smorgasbord," a tale that offers a rich variety of experiences and emotions; the eponymous story, which holds its own special allure; "Firelight," a story that perhaps evokes a sense of warmth and mystery; and the first one about the obits writer. In fact, if I were to re-read the last one, I would even name it as a gem as well. Wolff's stories have the power to transport readers into different worlds and make them see the beauty and significance in the ordinary.

Collections like this truly affirm the reason why short stories hold a special place as my favorite art form.

They are minimalistic in their essence, yet possess a remarkable expressiveness that can convey profound emotions and complex ideas with just a few strokes.

Starting and ending in a seemingly black and white state, they nevertheless manage to be splashed with a riot of multi-colors, encompassing all kinds of tones that are both pleasing and haunting.

Reading this collection was an experience almost on par with delving into the works of other American masters such as O'Hara, Carver, Cheever, Updike, and James Jones.

Their stories, like those in this collection, have the power to transport the reader to different worlds, make them feel a gamut of emotions, and leave a lasting impression long after the final page has been turned.

It is this unique combination of brevity and depth that makes short stories such a captivating and beloved art form.

I said, "I'm a survivor." However, I didn't believe that such a claim would hold much significance in an obituary.

Through the crazed Plexiglass, she was able to make out some small islands and the white glint of a ship at the apex of its wake.

It was like being in a speedboat, only better. You couldn't go downhill in a boat.

At night, after preparing his classes, he would drink wine and read nineteenth-century novels. He didn't like modern fiction due to its narcissism, moral timidity, and silence in the face of great wrongs.

They had read "Bartleby, the Scrivener," quoting with derisory, operatic exaggeration the well-intentioned narrator who couldn't understand the truculence of a human being he had tried to turn into a Xerox machine.

It was no easy task to get your ass kicked at two in the morning and then give a dynamite lecture at nine.

The whole house made him feel on edge: the pictures, the matching Colonial furniture, the single bookshelf full of condensed books. It was like a house where Russian spies would practice being American.

Everyone was always talking about the banality of evil - what about the evil of banality?

Because they were alone. In fact, everyone was alone all the time, but when you got sick, you knew it, and that was a large part of what suffering was - knowing.

We walked several blocks, into a neighborhood of Victorian houses whose windows, seen from the empty street, glowed with rich, exclusive light.

This story was mentioned in the very first real story-writing class that I took as an adult.

Now that I have read it, it has become abundantly clear as to why everyone praised it. Tobias Wolff, you are such a show-off. When you got it, you really got it.

If you haven't read it yet, I won't spoil it for you. It is quite brief, which makes it all the more accessible.

Just take the time to read it. You'll see for yourself the magic that Wolff has managed to create within the pages of this story.

It's one of those works that leaves a lasting impression and makes you wonder how the author was able to pack so much depth and emotion into such a short piece.

Trust me, once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.

This was my very first encounter with a collection of short stories. To my great delight, I found that I truly loved 6 of them. They had a certain charm and allure that simply captivated me. Additionally, I liked 8 of the stories, which means they had their own merits and kept my interest piqued. There was only one story that I didn't really care for, but overall, considering the vast majority of them were so enjoyable, I felt compelled to give this collection 5 stars.

If you're curious about my rankings, here they are:

1. Lady’s Dream

2. Flyboys

3. Two Boys and a Girl

4. Bullet in the Brain

5. Casualty

6. Powder

7. Sanity

8. Firelight

9. Migraine

10. The Other Miller

11. Smorgasbord

12. Mortals

13. The Night in Question

14. The Chain

15. Life of the Body

Each story offered a unique perspective and took me on a different journey within the pages. It was a wonderful reading experience that I'm sure I'll cherish for a long time.

We feel obliged to smile at the passions of the young, and at what we remember of our own youthful passions, as if they were nothing more than a series of sweet deceptions with which we played before using our judgment. I'm not just talking about the passion that boys and girls feel for each other but also about other passions, the passion for justice, the passion to do what is right even at the cost of turning the world inside out. All these passions, in due time, receive our indulgent smiles. And yet there was nothing stupid in what we felt. Nothing futile.

From Tobias Wolff's "Smorgasbord" that very night in the story.

The stories of Tobias Wolff (an author who in the United States is considered a "master of the short story" and is compared to Carver) have the merit of a discreet narrator. The narrative voice is always calm and tells a story without trying to serve up the explanation on a silver platter. Too often, short story authors are seized by the worry that the reader won't understand the story and interfere too much, with the result that the stories seem too constructed and the narrator too self-aware.

Wolff, on the other hand, leaves us with the pleasant sensation of words slipping by carelessly. It's an evidently deceptive impression: in writing, as in magic, the best result is achieved when the work done is not visible. The narrator's vision is always neutral and the character whose perspective is privileged normally does not rise above the fray but is defined precisely by his idiosyncrasies and particularities (as well as by his defects and errors). Wolff's characters sometimes do things they shouldn't do, sometimes they remain silent about things that should be said. Some of them have conflictual relationships with their own families, others are deeply marked by a past that is not always their responsibility. And then sometimes the text expands just that necessary moment to let paragraphs like the one at the beginning of this post pass. Words that strike and make us stop and think, dry but significant paragraphs, perhaps all the more significant because they are rare and therefore precious.

Of him, Carver says: "Tobias Wolff's are moral stories, but they don't pretend to admonish or teach anything. They can be funny. But they can also be enlightening. All, without exception, have something to say about the human condition."

Miss Dot Allbones is a charming comic who resides in Victoria Park. However, her childhood was spent in Wolverhampton. Once married, Dot has now become an independent woman. She treasures the friendship of the amorous journalist Tom Bullen, enjoys the company of her young lodger Valentine St John, and finds comfort in her relationship with manager Monty Hyams.

Her only real worry is that when she leaves the bright stage and steps into the dark London night, one of the three men in her life can escort her home. Although she doesn't like to admit it, returning home alone at night makes her a bit nervous. In fact, Dot Allbones is a sensible woman to be concerned. This novel is set in the London of 1888, and a notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper, is about to emerge from the shadows and terrorize the district of Whitechapel, close to where Dot earns her living.

I have always been a fan of Laurie Graham's novels and the characters she creates. But I truly believe she has outdone herself with the warm and witty Dot Allbones. Self-deprecating, always humorous, and kind-hearted, Dot embraces her life and smiles at her faults. She accepts compliments with grace. Of course, Dot is the central character in this novel about Jack the Ripper. Through her eyes and the characters she interacts with, we witness the events of that year as they unfold. This is a fictional account of Jack the Ripper, and although it is well-researched, the characters have their own theories and ideas about who is responsible for the killings.

We are introduced to Dr Frank Townsend through the young singer Valentine St John. He is an American herbalist who lodges in Whitechapel while conducting business at the warehouses. Meanwhile, Monty Hyams is one of the local men who form vigilante committees to patrol the streets, and Tom Bullen is also pursuing the story for his newspaper. We also meet a childhood friend of Dot's named Kate, who has fallen on hard times and whom Dot tries her best to assist. Dot is a wonderful character who views everyone with sympathy and consideration. When approached by Kate, she doesn't judge her for being drunk or living an itinerant lifestyle. Instead, she reflects on how life can take a wrong turn or luck can turn bad. Her attitude is always, 'there but for the grace of God go I'. She leads us through this novel without any hint of judgment.

This is not only a great read, filled with excellent characters and fantastic deadpan humor, but also a great portrayal of London during the time of the Ripper. We have the music halls, the doss houses, the dark alleys, and the atmosphere in abundance. As the crimes are uncovered, the city is rife with rumors and panic. As the author skillfully leads us to the end of the book, she presents her own conclusions, which you may or may not agree with. But I was happy to allow for a little artistic fictional license and simply enjoy the journey with the wonderful Miss Allbones. Despite the subject matter, this was a superbly enjoyable novel and would be an ideal choice for book clubs, with plenty to discuss. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

I really liked this collection. It was the first one I've read by Tobias Wolff, a writer whom I always intended to read but somehow never got around to. Wolff is mainly a short story author, and that's a declining profession in this day and age. Instead of being published in various magazines like they were ages ago, short stories seem to be retreating back to literary journals that hardly anybody reads and thick anthologies that people buy and put on their shelves. There's a real possibility that the short story could actually disappear as an art form if it continues its slide into obscurity. I truly hope that never happens, as literature would be much poorer without it.

Most of Wolff's stories in this volume are centered around childhood and growing up, with one focusing on war. In another story, a man bites a dog for a legitimate reason, which I think is the first time I've seen that happen in any medium or fiction (and non-fiction too). Interestingly, most reviewers on GR seem to favor the closing story, "Bullet in the Brain". I thought it had a great idea - a man seeing his whole life flash by - but it was also the most gimmicky of them all and didn't really work for me. There are other stories in this collection that are far stronger. Here are my contenders:
"Casualty" is about two young men in the army who are approaching their tour in Vietnam. One of them can't stop taunting the new, insecure commander, who in turn schedules him for dangerous patrols - usually reserved for those who are about to go home. What struck me about it is the fact that the guy truly can't stop himself from provoking his superior, even though he's fully aware of the possible consequences. I knew people like that, and things didn't usually end well. But I'll let you discover the ending to this story for yourselves. "The Other Miller" is the opposite kind of story in the collection - about a boy who joins the army to punish his mother for remarrying, and his plan doesn't turn out quite as he imagined.
The story with the dog-biting-man is called "Chain", where a father has to actually bite a dog that has attacked his daughter to make it let go. Later, a friend first advises him to kill the dog and then offers to do it himself, which starts a cycle of violence and a search for personal satisfaction.
There's a sense of sadness and loss that runs through these stories, including the two that I think are the best in the whole volume - the opening story, "Mortals", and the one near the end, "Firelights". In "Mortals", a man is fired from his job at the local newspaper for writing an obituary of a person who is still alive. Wolff uses a lot of humor and an O-Henry-esque twist near the end, but the story's essential theme is that of loneliness and the need to connect with others. It's ironic but also inherently sad, as the characters in this story perhaps will never be able to form these connections, and the ones that were there once have long since eroded.
The other story is "Firelight", which features a mother who was abandoned by her husband and now struggles to survive with her only son. To get by, they often have to move from one boarding house to another, never putting down roots in one place and constantly living out of suitcases - but she refuses to give up. To maintain the pretense of a good life, she takes him on tours of apartments to rent that they're always considering but could never afford - something they both know but refuse to admit. One cold evening, they visit an apartment inhabited by a university professor, his wife, and their teenage daughter. The boy becomes entranced by the warmth of the firelight in the living room and falls into a trance, imagining himself in the coziness and comfort of this home - as part of a large, happy family. But his experience shatters the spell, and he soon senses the bitterness of the professor who has been denied tenure at the university and can't find a new position at other colleges. Like the boy, he also has to move and give up the apartment to others who can afford it. At the end of the story, the narration switches to the boy's later years, when he's the owner of his own home and sitting by his own fire, married and with two children. He's content with his life, yet the childhood fear still lingers within him. He remembers how he had to leave the warm embrace of the firelight for the cold and indifference of the boardinghouse and is afraid that one day he might wake up and find that his present existence has been just a dream. This is a touching story that shows how a lost childhood continues to haunt the adult, never giving him a chance to outgrow old fears.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Tobias Wolff's short fiction, hoping also to one day have a firelight that I can call my own.

Many of the stories presented were truly clever and exhibited excellent writing skills. The plots were engaging, and the characters were well-developed. However, most of them seemed to fall short in some aspects. They left a sense of incompleteness, as if there was more to the story that was not fully explored.

More than anything else, these stories had a strange effect on me. They made me yearn for a full-length novel rather than just a fragment of one. I found myself longing to immerse myself in a more comprehensive and detailed narrative, to follow the characters through their entire journey, and to experience the full range of emotions and events that a longer work could offer.

Perhaps it was the brevity of the stories that made them so tantalizing. They hinted at something greater, something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Or maybe it was the fact that I had become so invested in the characters and their stories in such a short amount of time that I wanted to know more. Whatever the reason, I was left with a strong desire to read a full-length novel that could satisfy my appetite for a more substantial and fulfilling literary experience.

I chanced upon this collection of short stories in the diminutive library located within my co-op's laundry room. Oh, what a fortuitous encounter it has been!

Each and every story within this collection has compelled me to exclaim to myself: Damn, how I wish I had the talent to pen such masterpieces! They are clear, unassuming, and economical in their language, yet possess a wry sense of humor and an emotional authenticity that is truly captivating. The unexpected twists and developments within the stories have left me completely flabbergasted, causing me to ruminate on them for hours after reading.

The final story in the book, "Bullet In The Brain," has remained etched in my mind ever since I completed it. Its context switch, from描绘 a book critic's afternoon filled with savage sarcasm directed at his subjects and those around him, to an event presented with unexpected and almost overwhelming poignancy, which further defines his character, truly took my breath away.

I wholeheartedly recommend this collection of short stories. It is a literary gem that is not to be missed.

Miller's other stories, I liked the Spark of Fire and the Night in particular.

Miller has a unique way of telling stories that always manages to draw the reader in.

The characters in his stories are vivid and real, and the settings are described in such detail that you can almost picture them in your mind.

In "Spark of Fire and the Night", Miller weaves a tale of mystery and adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

The story follows a group of characters as they embark on a journey through a dark and dangerous forest, facing many challenges along the way.

Overall, I would highly recommend Miller's stories to anyone who enjoys a good read.

His writing is engaging, his stories are exciting, and he has a real talent for bringing his characters and settings to life.

One of the all-time great short stories is truly a masterpiece.

The protagonist is a pompous art critic who, during a dangerous hold-up in a bank, has the audacity to find flaws in the ceiling fresco. It's a rather absurd and yet captivating scene.

The story then smoothly segues into the protagonist's childhood. It's not just about baseball, as one might expect. Instead, it delves into the realm of language and grammar, revealing the irritating arrogance of those who are quick to judge others. This is not unlike us who review books on Goodreads.

'Bullet in the Brain' is a courageous story that bravely takes on pedantic critics. Wolff's underlays in this clever story are masterful, showing him at his majestic best. His ability to weave together different elements and create a thought-provoking narrative is truly remarkable. It makes us question our own tendencies to be judgmental and forces us to look at the world from a different perspective.