The Pugilist at Rest : Stories

Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag But Worth Reading
Review: Thom Jones' first collection of short stories is a good one. Eleven stories are included in "The Pugilist at Rest" and they average about 20 pages per story. The first three stories are brilliant Vietnam War stories (the best being the title story) on par with the best writing of this genre (see Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" or Larry Brown's "Dirty Work" for example). These stories are engaging and occasionally graphic and the writing of such quality that the reader is pulled into the story. The remaining eight stories are relationship stories (lovers, friends, family) with the two most moving centered around debilitating illnesses (cancer and alcoholism). "I Want To Live" is a powerful story about a woman's effort to survive cancer as she contemplates death and beyond(the narrator's agnostic viewpoint makes this story even more painful) and the collection closes with a boxer dealing with his trainer's alcoholism. Many of these stories involve boxers (both those in the ring and those on leashes), epilepsy, alcohol, and philosophy. This collection is thought-provoking and well-worth reading. One of the better short story collections I have read. Highly Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag But Worth Reading
Review: Thom Jones' first collection of short stories is a good one. Eleven stories are included in "The Pugilist at Rest" and they average about 20 pages per story. The first three stories are brilliant Vietnam War stories (the best being the title story) on par with the best writing of this genre (see Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" or Larry Brown's "Dirty Work" for example). These stories are engaging and occasionally graphic and the writing of such quality that the reader is pulled into the story. The remaining eight stories are relationship stories (lovers, friends, family) with the two most moving centered around debilitating illnesses (cancer and alcoholism). "I Want To Live" is a powerful story about a woman's effort to survive cancer as she contemplates death and beyond(the narrator's agnostic viewpoint makes this story even more painful) and the collection closes with a boxer dealing with his trainer's alcoholism. Many of these stories involve boxers (both those in the ring and those on leashes), epilepsy, alcohol, and philosophy. This collection is thought-provoking and well-worth reading. One of the better short story collections I have read. Highly Recommended.