The Best Oates Anthology Since 1994's Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

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	• High Lonesome: Stories 1966-2006 Joyce Carol Oates Ecco, 2006 - 672 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Best Oates Anthology Since 1994's Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

Coming in at almost 700 pages and featuring eleven new stories as well as two-dozen classic short stories from the 1960's thru the end of the twentieth-century, plus commentary from Oates herself, this anthology represents a sweeping cross-section of this ingenious writer's best short fiction. Her tremendous talent as a novelist aside, I've always felt Oates was at her best when dealing with a short subject, and for anyone unacquainted with her writings it would be hard to find a better starting point for an introduction to one of America's greatest creative minds. As for Joyce Carol Oates' admirers, this is simply a must-possess volume.

While there is a lot of fine writing inside this collection, probably my favorite five stories in High Lonesome would be (in no special order):

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Corrections, and Began My Life Over Again

Heat

Four Summers

Concerning The Case of Bobby T.

Considering just how prolific Oates has been since the early 1960's and stopping for a moment to ponder the immensity of her output and all that is out there to be read, collections like this one are very nice, and I hope we soon see further volumes that gather in more of her incredible writings.

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Classic Collection

Joyce Carol Oates has been an amazingly prolific writer, of both novels and short fiction. This collection, although only a small portion of her literary output, is a must-have for any fan of her work. The fact that she also wrote the Afterword, explaining her decisions regarding which works to include (for the list was so vast that they couldn't all be in there!), is a plus. (Although I, too, regret her leaving out her "gothic" work, as she did.) Ms. Oates' work can be grim and dark, but I have always been drawn to it, probably because I prefer fiction that explores the darker side of life, and that focuses on the gray areas of reason and moral choices, as I find this much more interesting and thought-provoking. There are seldom, if ever, any tidy endings in her stories, but life moves inexorably forward nonetheless. Hope? Possibly, but often not, or hidden behind despair and longing. Truth? Absolutely, without gloves. Beautiful writing, fascinating stories and characters. Oates is not for everyone, but for those of us who value her work, this volume is a treasure.

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A dark collection that is truly gripping!

Joyce Carol Oates is a gifted writer, and if you're a fan you won't want to miss adding this to your collection. The stories are pretty creepy, but nevertheless appeals to me for it really reveals the darker side of human nature. A gripping read!

Read this as your introduction

If you've never read Oates- read this for your introduction. It is beautiful and the stories seem prefectly picked. I loved how you can see her progression as an author and also the different paths she's followed in her fiction. Worth it's wait in gold- an then some.

Comprehensive

High Lonesome is substantial. Both as physical object, a retrospective (of sorts) and a collection, it is a significant book. Joyce Carol Oates' self-selected tales run the gamut from haunting tales of revenge to close studies of family and relationships. The volume includes 13 new stories plus a sampling of Oates' work extending back to the '60s.

The book itself is a beautiful specimen. Bibliophiles owe it to themselves to give the book a look just for its high production value.

All that said, one begins to tire of Oates' oft-seen subjects (sisters, mothers/daughters) in familiar milieu (upstate New York). This is not a fault of the individual stories themselves, but rather having them all bunched together in one spot.

But Oates has an impressive range of voice and style, including the two new stories "The Fish Factory" and the eponymous "High Lonesome," both exquisite.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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