Beattie, Ann

Full of ambivalent love, modern Southern charm, and contemporary concerns, the stories in this collection are timeless as well as sharply contemporary.

Readers of Beattie’s fiction will welcome this opportunity to experience her insights on the works of other creative individuals.

Deftly engaging the reader in each story, Beattie once again proves to be a master of unwrapping the puzzlements of human relationships. Her legion of fans will not be disappointed. [See Prepub Alert, 1/4/17.]

Although Beattie clearly did research, this is not a biography. Nor is it entirely fiction. Nor is it literary criticism, as the publisher's advance copy categorizes it. In other words, it's easy to say what it is not, but as to what it is, readers are certain to be left uncertain. Beattie's real strengths are not evident here. For Beattie completists only.—Crystal Goldman, San José State Univ. Lib., CA