A American is an excellent story teller
584130
A American is an excellent story teller.  He writes in a manner which keeps my interest and flows well.  He has some pretty darn good editors too.  I highly recommend this author if you enjoy this genre.
228979
One can do his research to verify the facts, but the storytelling is super. American Experience series our a favorite, Should you not have time to read a biography or want to buttress your biographical information on an individual, event, or place. This is the source!
3792953
I haven't had a chance to read the entire book due to a lot of summer company so I can't really give it a total review but what I have read is excellent reading for anyone calling himself/herself an American.
2269578
if you like this author, and I am a fan, then you will not be disappointed. I had read some of these stories in other publications, but was glad to read them again. It is a quiet look at American life with wonderful, poignant details. I love short stories and Eugenides is one of the best short story writers in America today.
4036593
Some books are informing and others entertaining. But few turn out to be riveting, leaving you unable to put the book down. Franco Antonetti's life story along with his very gifted and personable writing style make all three of these come alive with each turn of the page. Franco's honesty and openness take the reader to a place few have gone. In sharing his personal and professional triumphs as well as the challenges that comes with climbing the corporate latter and achieving success, the reader gains a rare insight into one of America's great immigrant success stories. Franco is a masterful story teller and his love for America and people make this book a must read. Please be warned though, that once you start reading this book that you will find it very difficult to put it down.
3403439
I read the first chapter of On the Road with Del and Louise in The Best American Mystery Stories of 2016, edited by Elizabeth George (which, by the way, is a good book). The end of the story was unexpected in this context, as it finished with some real feeling for the main characters, Louise, who narrates the story, and Del, who Louise met Del when he held up the Convenience Store where she worked. I was surprised enough by what I'd call a curiously happy ending and the fact that I cared enough about the characters to order the book from which the story came.

The writer, Art Taylor, has called this a novel in stories, and I suppose that's what it is, though the stories are pretty continuous. I'd almost rather think of this as a novel in episodes, but I did finish each episode as I would finish a story. I remained interested enough in the characters to read the next one and the next one. This is a well handled book, pleasant, and purely enjoyable to read. It's thoughtful and sensitive and kindly, in a mildly dark way. And it is satisfying overall, and in its chunks, of which there are five.

I'm the sort of reader who gets wildly impatient with bad writing or bad storytelling, and though there were some quieter passages where tension lags just a bit, I always knew something interesting was coming. Del and Louise travel over the country, each episode taking place in a different American locale, and that in itself is handled well. The writer doesn't go too far overboard using recognizable locations or even exotic occurrences, and he always keeps us a little off-kilter and often amused.

I think this was a pretty good book, and I also think a lot of people would enjoy it. I would be surprised if someone wasn't considering making a movie of the book, because it would be just as enjoyable on the big screen. It's a good book.
335503
Dennis Lehane's "A Drink Before the War" is nothing short of fantastic.  Not only is Mr. Lehane an excellent writer, but also an excellent storyteller.  His descriptions of both Boston and the struggles of those who live within are so accurate that the reader feels that he or she is actually a witness in the story.

This is the first Dennis Lehane book that I have had the pleasure of reading, and I look forward to reading many more.

J.R. Reardon
author, "Confidential Communications"
1142868
The irony of that statement is that while N.M. inspires you to want to write you are at the same time humbled into submission by his talent.

While this may seem high praise, it is not to say that N.M. has A.) written the great American novel, or B.) surpassed the talents of other American greats (Faulkner, Cather, etc.). But What Maclean has done is to use the art of prose and expand it's usage and quality so that this book has become a standard of great American prose.

I also don't mean to slight the great storytelling that oozes with the charms of a young America "with the dew still on it". The story entertains sufficiently as well. But it is the prose that has made me a jealous plagarist in nearly everything I write. I wouldn't claim to be an intellectual or person of great literary knowledge, but I can count the books I can quote so well on one hand.

I think comparison to E. B. White is apt. N.M.'s short stories resemble works such as "Once more to the Lake" by White.

If you enjoy reading "A River" (seeing the movie is not the same), I would also reccommend "Young Men and Fire" as well as the short stories in the back of his novella.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. Don't pick at it. Be sure to get a spoon and dig in deep.
207813
This is a story that will make you proud to be an American.  It's an inspiring saga about the courage and caring of people who lived under very difficult conditions, and the animals who shared their lives.
219639
Here is an excellent novel by a writer who is at once a skillful teller of tales and a philosopher whose discourse is enlightened and woven into the story. The irony is that Hugo Danner faces a dilemma that even his superhuman strength cannot resolve. One might easily see that dilemma as that of "Everyman"...thrown into relief by the possibilities open to the protagonist. A great book.
897978
Absolutely amazing story telling  with an admirable courage to share this story with the world. I'm certain this is an instant American Classic. I love this book the writing is so rich and the story will break your heart open. A must!
1947047
Egan, first of all, is an excellent nonfiction writer.  He meets the first obligation of a writer - lucidity.  Secondly, this is a hell of a story and Egan has thrown light on an urban legend that has been obscured in the murkiness of our cultural biases.  To be sure, there are other stories of bitter disappointment in the saga of Irish in America, e.g. the San Patricio brigade.  Egan's is better told.
2597234
Full disclosure: I know the author; in fact, while reading the book, it was hard to not hear his voice telling the story.  Don is a superb story-teller, has a strong personal sense of responsibility for others, a strong personal faith and he also keeps himself very well-informed about global issues.  He brings all these traits to the table in this, his second published novel.  This book is fairly short; so it is ideal for reading to completion on a long flight cross-country.
3652751
Tom Robbins is a master story teller wether it be an explanation of the red headed "problem" or the story of a live well lived in between the greater stories he's weaved. An excellent choice whenever you are looking for a good read.
3408488
The story is familiar for those who follow this genre but it is a story that I wish more American's could hear.
2759936
Updike has been around for years and his command of our language is superb. This coupled with his wit and grasp of "the American" way has made him one of the foremost chroniclers of the American psyche.
1744516
It's a shame that more people haven't found Dreiser. He is truly one of the great American story tellers. From his first book "Sister Carrie", through a long listing of other works, as well as one trilogy, Dreiser shows what can happen when ordinary people make unordinary decisions. Although some of his books are rather long and descriptive, each one of them grips you and pulls you into the story. At first, American Tragedy starts off by following the trials and tribulations of the main character. Where Dreiser excels is in his ability to have the reader know not only what the characters are doing, but what they are thinking at the same time. It's as if the reader was inside the story, knowing all of the choices the character has to think through. This makes the characters all the more lifelike and real. American Tragedy makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you mad, and finally makes you feel that the ultimate outcome of the main character was brought about solely by his actions. England has Charles Dickens. Here in America, we have Theodore Dreiser. If you never read his works, start now. And start with Sister Carrie before this book. They were written years apart, and the knowledge Dreiser gained in the interim is very evident in this work. After reading these two books, you will certainly have the desire to read more of his works.