There are some truly wonderful stories here.

However, oddly enough, they are mostly found in the second half of the book.

This is rather unexpected as one might assume that the captivating tales would be evenly distributed throughout.

Surprisingly, except for the title story, which perhaps sets the tone or provides an initial hook, the majority of the really engaging stories lie towards the latter part of the book.

This could potentially create a unique reading experience.

Readers may find themselves initially drawn in by the title story and then, as they progress through the book, discover a wealth of other remarkable stories waiting for them in the second half.

It makes one wonder if the author had a specific reason for structuring the book in this way.

Perhaps it was a deliberate choice to build anticipation and keep the readers engaged until the very end.

Regardless of the reason, these wonderful stories in the second half of the book are sure to leave a lasting impression on the readers.

Edward P. Jones has crafted a truly gorgeous collection of short stories.

His use of the omniscient narrator is a remarkable aspect of his style. He effortlessly weaves in and out of different time periods and perspectives. While many writers might opt for a third person limited approach, Jones takes a different path. He keeps the focus clearly on the main character, yet, ever so briefly, he slips into the perspective of another character. This technique deepens our sympathy and understanding of the main character. We get to know things that they themselves may not be aware of or may never know.

I have great admiration for the total confidence with which Jones writes. Additionally, I adore his creation of DC in his stories. The city is brought to life, fully fleshed out, and centered around the African American experience. In this world, white people are often just incidental and inconvenient presences on the sidelines. Edward P. Jones is one of those writers for whom I am truly grateful. His words and stories are a vital part of my life, and I am in awe of his talent and creativity.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward P. Jones, renowned for works like "The Known World" (featured in **** Nov/Dec 2003), once more showcases his remarkable literary prowess to the world. While some reviewers concede that he makes "occasional missteps" as per the "New York Times", the overall impact of these poignant, exacting, and nonlinear stories is one of respectful awe.

These are indeed short stories, yet all the tales incorporate novelistic time shifts and multiple subplots. The characters are thoroughly human, prone to temptation, and Jones treats them all with an admirable tenderness. Simultaneously, he persuasively honors their biblical antecedent Hagar. Hagar was the woman cast out by Abraham, the mother of a new nation (perhaps Africa), and the Bible's first slave.

This masterful collection of stories offers readers a unique and profound literary experience. Jones' ability to create complex characters and weave intricate narratives within the framework of short stories is truly remarkable. The stories draw the reader in, making them feel as if they are a part of the lives of the characters.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

You know,

I'm changing my mind on this one. Ever since reading it, it has come back to haunt me quite a few times. So, I really need to give it more credit than I originally did. As I've said before, it is finely crafted. The characters are fully developed, the settings are vivid, and the histories are rich. The prose is not only gorgeous but also musical, flowing beautifully on the page.

But what was missing? It's as if the characters were like ghosts who quietly escaped once the book was closed. Therefore, I initially thought the book lacked narrative drive. Maybe it does, to be honest. However, these characters and settings keep coming back to visit me in my thoughts. I've found myself thinking about this book far more than I expected.

I hope to read it again soon. Or perhaps I'll read The Known World. I'm curious to see if it will have the same impact on me and if it will further expand my appreciation for this author's work.

I am generally not a fan of short stories, and this book was even worse than I had anticipated.

Almost every story lacked a proper ending. Most of them contained elements of adultery, and many also had violence. I usually have an affinity for books written in dialect, but in this case, all the "whas" and dropped "g's" were quite annoying. Every page seemed to shout, "I'm black!" "I'm the black experience!" "I'm black and this is Washington D.C., and did I mention? I'm black!"

Regarding the endings of the stories, they were so random that it felt as if the author simply stopped typing at any given moment without rhyme or reason, and that was dubbed the end of a story.

Only one story managed to pique my interest, and it actually had an ending. That was the story of the little boy who gained grandparents and a little sister. The title was something along those lines, just in case you decide to search for it.

In my view, that was the only decent piece of writing in the entire book. Some of the other stories had a certain potential, in a sense, but they never evolved into anything substantial.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with this collection of short stories.

I have been longing to read this book for years. I bought a copy, but it just sat on my bookshelf as I was waiting for the *right* moment to read it. Moreover, since I hadn't read Jones' two previous works (I have this particular habit of reading an author's works in the order of their publication), I kept putting it off.

However, after finally reading excerpts of several stories online, and despite not having read the other works, I dived into this collection. Right from the start, I discovered that the collection was truly magical. There is an element of magical realism in many of the stories. The history of African Americans, both those living in Washington DC and those from the South, is intricately woven into the stories that span numerous decades of life in the Capitol.

I really appreciated the complexity of the characters and the richness of the stories. They didn't feel like typical short stories at all. Instead, they felt more like short novels due to the extensive time spans and the various issues that the characters experienced and dealt with.

I highly recommend this collection. And I'm eagerly looking forward to delving into Jones' other books.

Short stories can be a wonderful form of literature. In this particular case, I won't say that the writing was bad, because in fact, it was quite good. The author had a certain skill in constructing the narrative and using language. However, despite the quality of the writing, I found myself really bored while reading it. There was something about the story that just didn't engage me on a deeper level. I found myself constantly looking at the page, just wanting it to be over. But at the same time, I felt a sense of obligation to finish what I had started. It was as if I couldn't bring myself to abandon the story halfway through, even though my interest had waned. This experience made me realize that good writing alone is not always enough to keep a reader fully engaged. There needs to be something more, something that hooks the reader from the very beginning and keeps them interested until the end.

I think I have completed this one, at least for the moment. I have read the first 5 out of 14 stories (132 pages) and I am finding it a bit of a chore. Although I adored The Known World years ago and later liked Lost in the City. The progress felt sluggish, and the stories seemed cluttered and at times confusing.

Not all readers will share my preferences for short stories - I prefer them to be concise and to end with a powerful impact - but that didn't really align with these stories, which tend to meander with two or three subplots that often don't reach a resolution or have much connection to the main plot. They are well-written and I can hardly say they are objectively bad, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment.

Some commentary on the individual stories, as I always like to see more of that in reviews of collections:

"In the Blink of God's Eye" - A young couple relocates from Virginia to D.C. at the start of the 20th century and begins to drift apart after she adopts a baby abandoned in their yard. I liked this one, although I felt it was a bit overstuffed with the stories of secondary characters.

"Spanish in the Morning" - A young girl starts at Catholic school and skips ahead to first grade. The ending of this one left me baffled. She falls at her desk when standing up and thinking about how she's not happy about the treatment of a couple of other students, and then we rejoin her in bed at home with a wound in her hand and her family saying she doesn't have to return to that school. I couldn't determine whether she had a seizure or a medical episode - which would make practical sense but not thematic sense and wouldn't explain the wound - or whether she spoke up and the teacher stabbed her in the hand, fitting in with a story an older relative told her earlier about a teacher who had a pitchfork like the Devil. Which would make thematic sense but is rather strange.

"Resurrecting Methuselah" - An American soldier in Korea is diagnosed with breast cancer, and his wife decides to leave him. In this one, it was the motivations that confused me. We spend a significant amount of time with the wife, including a long sequence in Hawaii on the way to Korea in which she buys some candy she remembers from her childhood only to find it completely different. Then, for some reason that was unclear to me, she immediately gives up on visiting her husband and flies home instead. My guess is that, having spent her adolescence as an invalid, she wasn't willing to have sickness in her house or around her daughter. But what does the candy have to do with it?

"Old Boys, Old Girls" - A young man is imprisoned for the second of two murders he has committed, serves his time, and once on the outside, has to figure out how his family and an old lover fit into his life. I liked this one, which is interesting and doesn't have room for random subplots.

"All Aunt Hagar's Children" - A Korean war vet wants to head out to Alaska to pan for gold, but the older women of his family ask him to look into the murder of one of their sons instead, and he does. This was interesting but the ending was unconvincing. He sees the murdered man's wife strike a powerful pose and concludes that she was the murderer, although there are plenty of other suspects. And this one too had some extraneous elements: it spends a lot of time on a stranger who died in front of the narrator getting off a streetcar, which does nothing in the story other than to haunt him, and I didn't believe for a minute that he somehow memorized her last words when they were full sentences in a language he didn't speak. Strings of unfamiliar words are unmemorable gibberish to me, and I'm good at foreign languages.

At any rate, I'm certainly not denying that there is merit here, but this wasn't the right time for this book, so it's going back to the library.

Some of these stories are truly remarkable, while others may not be quite as outstanding.

However, Jones is undeniably a great writer. One only needs to look at his work, such as "The Known World," to understand his literary prowess.

"The Known World" is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that delves into complex themes and characters. It showcases Jones' ability to create a vivid and engaging world that draws the reader in and keeps them hooked until the very end.

His writing style is unique, with a rich and descriptive language that brings the story to life. Jones has a talent for exploring the human condition and revealing the hidden depths of his characters.

In conclusion, while not all of the stories may be equally great, Jones' status as a great writer is firmly established. His work, especially "The Known World," is a testament to his talent and creativity.

This is an amazing book of short stories that truly captivates the reader. The stories within its pages span different time periods, taking the reader on a journey through the ages. The protagonists are diverse, representing a wide range of experiences and personalities. What ties them all together, however, is their connection to African-American life, history, and reality in the wider DC area.

Each story offers a unique perspective, shedding light on different aspects of this rich and complex culture. Whether it's exploring the struggles and triumphs of the past or delving into the present-day challenges and joys, the book manages to do so with great authenticity and emotion. The writing is engaging and vivid, making it easy for the reader to immerse themselves in each story.

I absolutely loved this book. It not only entertained me but also educated me about a culture that I may not have been as familiar with before. It made me appreciate the diversity and beauty of African-American life in the DC area and beyond. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading short stories that are both thought-provoking and engaging.

Really beautiful, carefully crafted stories about life in DC.

These stories are like precious gems, shining with the unique charm of the nation's capital.

I liked The Known World a lot, but wasn't completely sold on Jones until this book. In All Aunt Hagar's Children, he weaves the fantastical together with the harsh realities of poverty, using rich prose and imagery.

The way he combines the two is truly remarkable, creating a world that is both magical and brutally honest.

Even if you are not a fan of short stories (or fiction for that matter), I would recommend trying this book. Jones is such a talented writer that I would find myself stuck on sentences and phrases unable to move on (like when you find yourself playing a great new song on repeat).

His words have a power and a beauty that draw you in and keep you hooked from beginning to end.

Whether you are a lover of literature or just looking for a good read, All Aunt Hagar's Children is a book that is well worth your time.

The range of the stories was truly impressive.

It was as if I was transported to different eras with ease. When I delved into the accounts of turn-of-the-century Washington, I felt a sense of familiarity and comfort, as if I was walking the streets of that bygone era.

The details were so vivid that I could picture the architecture, the people, and the daily life.

Equally, when I read about modern-day Georgetown, it was like exploring a neighborhood I knew well.

The author's ability to bring both the past and the present to life in such a captivating way made the reading experience truly enjoyable.

I found myself completely immersed in the stories, eager to learn more about each place and its history.

Whether it was the charm of the old or the energy of the new, both settings had their own unique allure.

Overall, the diverse range of stories added depth and richness to the book, making it a must-read for anyone interested in history and different cultures.