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Title: Dressing Up for the Carnival
Subtitle: A Collection of Stories
Author: Carol Shields
Narrator: Gabrielle deCuir, Jean Smart, Stephanie Beacham, Janet Fontaine, Judith Cummings, Amanda Karr, Karessa McElheny, Stefan Rudnicki
Format: Unabridged
Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
Language: English
Release date: 09-08-17
Publisher: Phoenix Books
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies
Publisher's Summary:
Carol Shields has a knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary and nowhere more than in this luminous collection, which distills all her elegance, wisdom, and humor into short stories that are more like concise novels. Throughout these stories runs Shields' preoccupation with identity - as in the title story, a compacted day in the life of the world, in which a procession of characters try on new selves. Yet these stories and their quiet epiphanies reflect all the contrasts of human existence...from the bittersweet sexuality of "Eros" to the wicked skewering of pompous academic conversation in "The Next Best Kiss". Playful, graceful, acute yet tender, Dressing Up for the Carnival is Carol Shields at her most accomplished and appealing.
Members Reviews:
Endless Journeys
Detailed ,complicated, always seeking perfection...the stories reflect the endless search for the elusive golden ring which
reflects many different points of view as to which journey will be the right one. There are no winners and no losers...only
seekers..
perfect shape-arrived quickly
book in perfect condition
arrived in 3 days
read the book in one day
carol shields was a wonderful author----much like wally lamb.
the book is a collection of short stories about normal people in normal situations.
it is nice to read an actual book to take a break from my kindle
Quite a surprise in this particular volume
I found this book in a thrift store in Crossville TN--hardback, dustjacket--and since I loved Stone Diaries, I had to have this one. Reading it on the trip back home, I came to page 54 and instead of p. 55, the book went back to p. 23. At p. 54, it jumped to p. 87 and went then to the end. What a rip-off. More than likely, the proprietor had no idea.
But I persevered and read to the end. I missed some of the stories that other reviewers mentioned. Toward the end of the collection, the stories garnered a question mark as to meaning; "Death of an Artist" and "Invention" reaped the word "odd." It seemed like they were monographs on nothing. At least not interesting to me.
However, in "Windows," I underlined this phrase: "... long chapters of life go on without strong passion."
So, though it would look good as a title in my collection, it would be a shame to foist it off on someone else without a disclaimer. Perhaps in the local thrift shop's book bin, for a nickel each, it would be a good fit.
A True Example of Writing as Art
Carol Shields can take an ordinary word and polish it into a shining gemstone. Finely-tuned phrases are scattered plentifully throughout each chapter of _Dressing Up for the Carnival_, straddling the gap between poetry and fiction. This collection of stories is so spare, it almost feels empty at first. But you find Shields has emptied her work of distractions and needless explanations so you can more clearly see . Her focus on minute details is selective and purposeful. She reveals deep insights on the human condition through small observations-ones only a keen observer could see, and only a master writer like Shields could translate into words. If you want to be entertained, this book may not be for you. If you want to think deeply and be stirred to a higher level of emotion, pick up this book.
