Acts of God

by Ellen Gilchrist

Hardcover, 2014

Status

Available

Publication

Algonquin Books (2014), Edition: First Edition, 256 pages

Description

Presents eleven scenarios in which people survive, persevere, and even triumph over forces beyond their control, from a teenager joining in the search for survivors after a tornado to a woman taking control over her fate, which is her greatest act of courage.

User reviews

LibraryThing member SamSattler
Ellen Gilchrist has long been considered one of our finest short story writers. And “Acts of God,” her latest story collection, is sure to reinforce her reputation and assure fans that Gilchrist is still very much at the top of her game. The characters in all ten of the book’s stories
Show More
experience “acts of God” that will forever change – or, perhaps, end - their lives. Whether they suffer hurricane, tornado, flood, terrorist attack, or simply a new neighbor whose dogs never seem to stop barking, most of them manage to benefit from the experience. In fact, even those who die, do so on their own terms.

Two stories, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and “The Dogs,” are particularly outstanding in the way they display the author’s wit and insight into the culture and gentry of the old South. Gilchrist is herself a product of the Mississippi Delta, and she knows her people well. “Toccata” tells of three middle-aged Vanderbilt sorority sisters traveling together to Italy for a much anticipated reunion. Comfortably settled in one of Heathrow’s first class lounges while waiting for their final flight connection, the women are suddenly caught up in an airport lockdown that threatens to scuttle their plans. The conversations between themselves and their fellow travelers are brilliant in the ease with which Gilchrist manages to fully develop so many characters in a handful of pages.

“The Dogs” is told through a series of letters exchanged by a writer and her neighbor whose constantly-barking dogs make it impossible for the writer to work at home. As things between the two escalate, there are letters to and from the writer, her attorney, other neighbors, and the dog owner. The unexpected resolution of the story involves a lesson about shifting alliances that is both funny and ironic. Other favorites of mine include the title story about an elderly couple that escapes their “sitter” for one final day of independence and another titled “Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas” that recounts the day that a tornado positively changes the life of a 16-year-old girl forever.

Ellen Gilchrist’s characters, be they witty, irritating, or sentimental ones, are always memorable, and the stories in “Acts of God” offer just such a cast. They, along with Gilchrist’s remarkable sense of time and place, assure that this collection will be appreciated by her fans.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Scrabblenut
This is the first book I have read by Ellen Gilchrist. Each story drew me in immediately and made me want to know what happened to the characters. Each is affected in some way by something beyond their control. I particularly enjoyed the story "Collateral" where a woman, Carly, takes two weeks off
Show More
from her life to serve as a first responder to rescue people caught in the New Orleans hurricane disaster. The story isn't so much about the rescue mission but more about how Carly makes changes in her life and takes a chance on a new relationship.

I felt the story "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" was less successful, with stilted dialogue and less appealing characters, making me lose interest halfway through. However, I took a break and came back to it later.

Overall, the collection is very interesting with surprises throughout the stories, and a hopeful attitude toward life in all of its complexities, providing thoughts to mull over and reflect upon. It is perhaps better not to read it all in one sitting, but to come to each story in a fresh way.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mahsdad
This was a ARC book I got thru LT's Early Reviewer group. It is a collection of 10 (even the back cover says 11, I think I got gypped) stories where the characters go thru some tragedy (a lot of them centered around natural disasters; flood, tornado, hurricane) and come out on the other side better
Show More
for the experience. The title, I think more refers to the tragedies that occur and less on the "lesson" that the characters learn from them.

A quick read that I enjoyed. A several of the stories had me on the verge of leaking water from my eyes. A couple stories I didn't really connect with, but the they were in the minority. To be honest, prior to reading it, it wouldn't have caught my eye in the bookstore. But after drawing the lucky straw with ER, I'm glad I read it.

S: 4/24/14 - F: 4/27/14 (4 Days)
Show Less
LibraryThing member Lilac-Grove
I have been trying to read more short fiction this year and so was thrilled to be sent a copy from Library Thing Early Reviewers of Acts of God by Ellen Gilchrist. Focused around events out of the control of the protagonists (tornado, flood, etc) each story looks at similar challenges from very
Show More
different angles. I really enjoyed this collection and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good writing and short stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bfolds
A lovely collection of stories. Gilchrist uses an economy of language that is elegantly simple, bordering on child-like in some stories. Powerful themes of loss and fragility (as well as a few characters) unite this slim volume. Recommended.
LibraryThing member debristow
I received this book as an Advanced Reading Copy through Library Thing Early Reviewers. I have always been a big fan of short stories that you can read at your own pace that leave you thinking well past you finish that last sentence. And Gilchrist doesn't disappoint. The main theme of these stories
Show More
is the ability to survive when faced with circumstances outside of your control. I enjoyed the majority of the stories- with Acts of God my favorite. This is definitely one of those books that you can read a story while home on your lunch break and go back to work with a smile on your face.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
Acts of God? More like Acts of Humanity or even Humanism.

The first story, Acts of God, was humourous. "Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas" was heart-warming. "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" (about the woman with the loser boyfriend who (the woman not the boyfriend) rescues people in New Orleans from
Show More
rooftops and returns as a celebrity and meets Mr. Perfect) was eye-rolling chicklit. From there the stories just got worse. "The Dogs" was ridiculous, and the others just silly.

Not my thing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member reluctantm
It's hard to characterize these stories without seeming to be disparaging them. The words that kept coming into my mind while reading them were "simple" and "plain", both of which can be used dismissively, but absolutely not in this case. I suppose what I mean is that these stories are genuine -
Show More
the people within act without irony or duplicity. There's nothing postmodern here. It's refreshing to read something of this sort when it seems so many writers now use tricks or traps or non-standard story-telling measures. Like drinking a cool glass of water.

Some of the stories are slightly entwined - a character mentioned in one story becomes a secondary character in another and is related to a character in a third. It's fun to piece together all the strings while reading.

I'd never read nor heard of Ellen Gilchrist before - perhaps because she writes of the southern United States and I'm in Canada, but this collection of stories piqued my interest in going through her back catalogue.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Oh_Carolyn
I wanted to love this book, and I can see exactly why Ms. Gilchrist is considered a gifted short-story writer. Her characters come alive with swift, deft strokes, and her settings are equally well-managed. The ten stories in Acts of God feature "ordinary" people confronting extraordinary situations
Show More
-- a tornado, a terrorist attack, the aftermath of a hurricane. Her characters are flawed, but she treats them gently, without losing sight of the greater (social) picture.

That said, these stories simply didn't appeal to me, which is, I think, merely a reflection of my tastes, and should not reflect negatively on Ms. Gilchrist's talents.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rglossne
I'm a big fan of Ellen Gilchrist; I've read and I ow all her books, except 'Anabasis,' now out of print. I love her eccentric Southerners, their family entanglements, connections and obsessions. That said, this was not my favorite collection of her stories. I did love the Rhoda story, as I think
Show More
that Rhoda Manning as an older lady is much more fun than Rhoda in her youth, when she was concerned about what other people and her daddy thought of her. If you had never met Rhoda before, though, I don't know if the reader would get it. I also enjoyed the story of the exemplary National Guard woman who worked on a rescue helicopter during Katrina, and whose life takes a dramatic turn for the better on her return. Chance encounters change lives and women show their courage in Gilchrist's stories. Those are the themes she returns to over and over, with varying success.
Show Less
LibraryThing member alans
When I discovered I had won this book in the early reviewer's category I was thrilled because I'm a huge fan of short fiction and I've never read this author but I've heard wonderful things about her. So I approached this collection with immense expectation and joy. This is actually the fourteenth
Show More
collection of short fiction I have read since february, and I have to say that this by far was the worst of the bunch. No other collection I've read, is a poorly written as this one. These stories are so laden with heavy messages that I started to wonder if this is not christian fiction, a category I would prefer not to read. But the quality of the writing was so poor, the stories don't really go anywhere and there is
no tension or excitement or depth to the work. I was very disapointed in this author and I really will hesitate before reading anything else by her again. I don't think there was one story in this bunch that I would consider masterful, most were very amateur and a lot of the bunch read like they were written by a very emotionally immature writer.I understand the author wanted to depict the various forms of faith in the world, but these stories, many that deal with Hurricane Katrina and are already dated in content, seem facile and silly. Not a joyful read for me at all.
Show Less
LibraryThing member charlottem
I am not a big fan of disaster movies so I was not sure I would like disaster stories. This collection is more about the people involved in the disasters than the actual disaster. It is a great book for traveling which is where I read most short story collections.
LibraryThing member Alphawoman
I wish I had not read the previous reviews who disliked the short stories by Ellen Gilchrist, one of my favorite authors. I read the book in one sitting and just drank it all in. Having read most her books it was at times like visiting old friends and to gage how they are doing. I love Rhoda, the
Show More
younger version and the aging version. I find EG's writing style intriguing and thoroughly engaging and this book no exception. I am not a fan of short stories yet will read the worst of EG and enjoy it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Ellen Gilchrist's prose is excellent; however, that being said, I read Acts of God last weekend and can't recall a single short story that stands out as an exemplary piece of work. In reviewing the story titles, the one tale that was somewhat compelling for me was "The Dissolution of the Myelin
Show More
Sheath" which showed a proud, intelligent woman taking control of her otherwise scary destiny to commit suicide rather than face the ravages of MS. Very well written, but for me, mostly forgettable.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wrmjr66
This collection of mostly saccharine short stories is redeemed only by the quality of Gilchrist's writing. The stories are mostly set in the south, and the hurricane's destruction of New Orleans and other areas in Louisiana and Mississippi set the background or most of the stories. While that is
Show More
the main "act of God" referred to by the title, there are many others, including deaths, life-saving actions, and love. There are only a couple stories in which Gilchrist resists the urge to moralize or otherwise tack on an ending that brings the story more in line with a cliche than with the quality of writing I expect from her. Overall, I was very disappointed in this collection.
Show Less
LibraryThing member laflibrary
Delightfully positive and poignant short stories, set in the New Orleans area.
LibraryThing member tercat
I received a copy of this book in a LibraryThing giveaway.

Like many short story collections, this one is a mixed bag. My favorites are the first one, "Acts of God," and the one brief bit of comic relief, "The Dogs," featuring the reliable Rhoda Manning. There are some good ideas and observations
Show More
about the way people act in emergencies, how they deal with fear and the unknown. For me, though, most of the individual stories aren't that remarkable.
Show Less
LibraryThing member readaholic12
Touching stories, most dealing with disasters of one kind or another, and their aftermath; all are beautifully written. Most of the stories were very engaging, and I cared about many of the characters. I wished some of the stories were longer, though, because I didn't want them to end so soon.
LibraryThing member SaschaD
I have been a fan of Ellen Gilchrist's for many years and when I saw this new collection of short stories, I was very much looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong. There are some great moments in Acts of God, but there are also stories that cover so much
Show More
ground chronologically and don't envelop the reader because it seems as if the theme or the idea is more important than the characters' relationships to them.

Most of the stories are about upheaval or disasters and human reaction to them. Perhaps the best is the one in which a young woman who is in the Air National Guard is called to New Orleans to rescue people from roofs after Katrina. This is one of the few stories in which a virtuous act is not cushioned by selfishness or self-absorption, but one in which the character reacts to horrors and the small miracles and feels changed and is changed.

Perhaps a couple of the other stories ring true simply because the characters are materialistic and self-absorbed and view an extraordinary situation from the viewpoint of what they can get from it or what it will make them into. There is some heavy-handedness with what I consider to be preachiness and I am not certain that it's Gilchrist's intent for that to be unleashed upon the reader (because I am giving her the benefit of the doubt), but then again, it's been years since I have read any of her work and maybe what I once overlooked is now an elephant.
Show Less
LibraryThing member etxgardener
I read this slim volume of short stories while I was in New Orleans, which is the perfect place to read Ellen Gilchrist. Some of our favorite friends are here - especially Anna Hand's niece and the irrepressible Rhoda Manning - and each story shows how acts of love and caring can illuminate a life
Show More
Ellen Gilchrist never disappoints.
Show Less
LibraryThing member asxz
Yet another fantabulous collection of Gilchrist short stories, including a delicious epistolary one featuring Rhoda that had me snorting in shul this morning. Gilchrist is the only writer I know who can make an act of suicide say something about living. Love, love, love and live.
LibraryThing member amandanan
3.5 stars

Best quote: "The human race. You have to love it and wish it well and not preach or think you have any reason to think you are better than anyone else. Amen. Good-bye. Peace…"
LibraryThing member mykl-s
A very Southern set of stories.

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

256 p.; 5.81 inches

ISBN

161620110X / 9781616201104

Local notes

Fiction
Page: 0.6623 seconds