Darling - Hardcover

Schmidt, Heidi Jon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312281781 ISBN 13: 9780312281786

Publisher: Picador USA, 2001

Synopsis

A new collection of short fiction by the author of The Rose Thieves insightfully explores the nature and complexity of human relationships in the stories of flawed but lovable characters. 15,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

‘If you’ve had your fill of wispy, insubstantial, girly short stories, pleasant enough to read and all too easy to forget, take heart. A sharp yet lusciously written collection – the literary equivalent of a slice of gooseberry tart. Full of shocks, beautiful images and new ways of seeing things.’ Harriet Lane, Observer

‘It’s Schmidt’s ability to inject sharp, scathing humour that makes these stories so seductive and thought-provoking.’ Time Out

‘This is that rare and welcome book about love that’s less concerned with how we find love than what we do with it, a book that deals not in moments of passion, but in moments of grace, a book about the frustrating, hilarious, embarrassing, transcendental business of living with love. Schmidt’s stories are filled with delightful wit, spell-binding feeling and an emotional intelligence.’ Peter Ho Davies

‘In spite of their missteps and misgivings, Heidi Jon Schmidt's characters continue to search for love and understanding. These stories, like the human condition they expose, are poignant, profound, and, very, very funny.’ Hester Kaplan

‘Sad and painfully realistic but also poetic, uplifting and filled with bitter wit.’ New Woman

‘Although all misfits of the American dream, the characters are painted with such warmth and complexity that you will them to work out their lives. A perceptive, witty and assured collection, its tragi-comic edge makes it an engaging, if not entirely comfortable read.’ Good Housekeeping

‘Stories so good that I was tempted to dip into them when the traffic lights turned red.’ Evening Herald

‘“Sex and the City” by Dorothy Parker – bittersweet and brave.’ Dubliner

‘Intelligent, crystaline prose that gets straight to the point. The stories clackety clack with metropolitan savvy and have the delicious intimacy of an eavesdropped conversation. Like the best short stories, these are actually big stories written small.’ Daily Mail

From the Back Cover:

"There was no use being nice to Lane Dancie no matter how sorry you felt for her – she was a lost cause"

Lost causes and hopeless cases are made heroes in Heidi Jon Schmidt's entrancing American stories. These are a collection of misfits, certain that they are missing something from their lives, but unable to pinpoint quite what. What emerges are characters who are terribly flawed but deeply appealing: an eleven-year-old girl bound to act as the guiding force for all the adults in her life; a woman on jury duty who finds she has everything in common with the defendant; a man whose whole life can be charted from one moment of closeness to his long-dead father; a group of talentless but wildly enthusiastic would-be novelists. 'Darling?' manages at once to embrace both the comedy and pathos of everyday life.

"Scmidt's bitter wit, shot through with insecurity and self-conscious braininess, calls to mind Lorrie Moore. Her precise and elegant prose is smart and artful indeed."
'New York Times'

"A book about the frustrating, hilarious, embarrassing, transcendental business of living with love. Schmidt's stories are filled with delightful wit, spell-binding feeling and an emotional intelligence."
Peter Ho Davies, author of 'The Ugliest House in the World'

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador USA
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0312281781
• ISBN 13: 9780312281786
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 245