Thursday, April 13, 2017

EVENINGLAND 2017


Eveningland: StoriesEveningland: Stories by Michael Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For ten years, since retirement, we've traveled to the Gulf in February to escape the worst of Michigan's winter at first staying in various motels and eventually renting condos in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.

My love of reading had fallen by the wayside as I struggled with my kidney failure and the burden of dialysis four times a day. Even on vacation, I found it difficult to concentrate.

As a member, not necessarily in good standing, of Net Galley I am able to read and review books before publication. I'm not high enough in the hierarchy for publishers to want to share their treasures although I have loved the books I've been granted.

Right before we left Orange Beach to come home, I got an e-mail that offered a book of short stories by Michael Knight called Eveningland. The setting was Mobile and the Gulf. I was able to get a copy and started reading.

THE FIRST LINE: "None of this is true. All of this is true."

THE STORY: There are six stories and a novella that may or may not include a satisfactory ending for some readers. The reader is often left to ponder what might happen in the future. One with a real twist is "Smash and Grab". By the time I got to "Landfall", I was so invested in the characters that I was truly concerned on their behalf.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Short stories are not something I tend to choose to read; however, I am almost always won over and that was the case here.

The writing is beautiful and the description of areas around Mobile evocative. I actually prefer untidy endings. They stay with you longer.

Title: Eveningland
Author: Michael Knight
Genre: Short Stories
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
No. of Pages: 304
Copyright: March 7, 2017
ISBN-10: 0802125972
ISBN-13:978-0802125972

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by Atlantic Monthly Press and Net Galley for an honest review.

Michael Knight is the author of the novels The Typist and Divining Rod, the short story collections Goodnight, Nobody and Dogfight and Other Stories, and the book of novellas The Holiday Season. Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee and lives in Knoxville with his family. Learn more at MichaelKnightFiction.com. (from Amazon)


1 comment:

  1. Wow. I was just reading the April 2017 O Magazine and they had a page titled 10 TITLES TO PICK UP NOW. EVENINGLAND was included and deservedly so!

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