Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
G K Hall & Co (1996), Edition: Large Print, 333 pages
Description
"Some of the most beautiful writing in contemporary American literature is between the covers of this book . . ." BOSTON HERALD The triumphant collection of short stories by America's most acclaimed novelist. "From the Paperback edition."
User reviews
LibraryThing member Scriberpunk
Pigeon Feathers is a collection of short stories about Love’s shadow. By that I mean it is not about Love but about Love’s side effects. Lust, longing, loss. It’s a passionless book about passions.
I haven’t read anything else by John Updike and this doesn’t make me want to. He writes the
I have to admit I haven’t finished it. I won’t abandon it. I’ll put it somewhere I can pick it up when I have a spare minute or two (and we all know where that is) and I will plough through the last four stories. It’s not that it’s a bad book, just that it isn’t a good one.
I haven’t read anything else by John Updike and this doesn’t make me want to. He writes the
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way I’m afraid I will. Too many words, so carefully arranged to make an impact that you only notice the arrangement and never feel the impact. A gilded cardboard sledgehammer.I have to admit I haven’t finished it. I won’t abandon it. I’ll put it somewhere I can pick it up when I have a spare minute or two (and we all know where that is) and I will plough through the last four stories. It’s not that it’s a bad book, just that it isn’t a good one.
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LibraryThing member ague
Diarrhea of the mouth. The ridiculously long paragraphs combined with the small print are a real hassle to read.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
This short collection of stories displays a realistic view of small town life that, presumably, Updike himself experienced. The title story, Pigeon Feathers, is especially moving in its portrayal of a young boy's crisis of faith. The experience of the reality of death has more import than the
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questions and answers obtained in the local sunday school. Show Less
LibraryThing member viviennestrauss
Not Updike's best collection but glad A&P was included, one of my favorites.
LibraryThing member Sean191
My headspace was a little off when I started this collection of short stories to begin with. I was excited to read them because I had finished a handful of other John Steinbeck novels over the past year — yes...John Steinbeck. I grabbed this off my shelf and apparently my brain only registered
I'll read Rabbit, Run at some point since that's one of his best-known books and I already own it, but I can't say I'm going to jump it to the head of the line anytime soon. This was the fourth work I've read by Updike and by far my least favorite (although none among the other three reached four stars).
Two stars.
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the "John" part and maybe "famous author" part for the last name. And even though the jacket is covered with rave reviews, Updike at least via this collection is far from a Steinbeck. In fact, he's far from recognizable as the Updike that the reviewers are lauding. Nothing happens in any of these stories. The writing is bland, the characters are bland. The human emotion and reaction....everything is so hollow. I'll read Rabbit, Run at some point since that's one of his best-known books and I already own it, but I can't say I'm going to jump it to the head of the line anytime soon. This was the fourth work I've read by Updike and by far my least favorite (although none among the other three reached four stars).
Two stars.
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
This is the first complete collection I've read from Updike, though I've read his novels and a few of his stories in the past. "A & P"--one of the stories in this collection--was one of the first stories of his I encountered, and although I appreciated the language, it didn't particularly strike me
The mid-sized ones of around 10-15 pages are, for me, generally the most powerful and worthwhile ones here. Often centered around a character whose particular fatal flaw becomes clearer and clearer over the course of a story, and ultimately affects the ending of the story, these were the ones that carried me along with the most engagement. In the longest and shortest of the stories, Updike's language shone just as much as always, but I was reading to read. The last few stories in the book felt especially autobiographical and wandering, without the heft of many of the shorter stories.
I may very well read another of his collections and more of his novels, but it will be for language and his intricately built characters, fascinating as they are, as much as a want for story.
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as memorable or so powerful as his reputation would suggest. And, in general, that's where a lot of these stories land for me.The mid-sized ones of around 10-15 pages are, for me, generally the most powerful and worthwhile ones here. Often centered around a character whose particular fatal flaw becomes clearer and clearer over the course of a story, and ultimately affects the ending of the story, these were the ones that carried me along with the most engagement. In the longest and shortest of the stories, Updike's language shone just as much as always, but I was reading to read. The last few stories in the book felt especially autobiographical and wandering, without the heft of many of the shorter stories.
I may very well read another of his collections and more of his novels, but it will be for language and his intricately built characters, fascinating as they are, as much as a want for story.
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Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1963)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 1962)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1962
ISBN
0783818564 / 9780783818566