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After Rain
After Rain
Oct 29, 2024 11:22 PM

Author:William Trevor

After Rain

After Rain - Twelve remarkable stories by the master storyteller William Trevor

'There is no better short story writer in the English-speaking world' Wall Street Journal

In this collection of twelve dazzling, acutely rendered tales, William Trevor plumbs the depths of the human heart. Here we encounter a blind piano tuner whose wonderful memories of his first wife are cruelly distorted by his second; a woman in a difficult marriage who must choose between her indignant husband and her closest friend; two children, survivors of divorce, who mimic their parents' melodramas; and a heartbroken woman traveling alone in Italy who experiences an epiphany while studying a forgotten artist's Annunciation.

Trevor is, in his own words, 'a storyteller. My fiction may, now and again, illuminate aspects of the human condition, but I do not consciously set out to do so.' Conscious or not, he touches us in ways that few writers even dare to try.

Reviews

One of the few living masters of the [short story] genre

—— Daily Telegraph

Surreal and puncturing

—— Margaret Atwood

There is no author I recommend to people more often - for ten years I've urged George Saunders onto everyone and everyone.

—— Dave Eggers

[A] brilliant collection of short stories

—— Philip Hensher , Mail on Sunday

Strangely moving, hilariously unsettling, and unlike anything else you'll read this year

—— Esquire

Hilarious but frightening, cruel yet compassionate...read the first pages of any story slowly and you'll realise how good he is

—— Scotland on Sunday

The debut of an exciting new voice in fiction...He's a savage satirist with a sentimental streak who delineates the dark underbelly of the American dream. Mr Saunders' satiric vision of America is dark and demented, also ferocious and very funny

—— Michiko Kakutani , New York Times

From unhappy women overcoming problems to fairytale romance, you'll love getting lost in these charming tales

—— People

A book that maps the wonder of everyday love

—— Metro

Lots to cheer about in Moyes' first collection of short stories. If you want romance, the title story and its hapless heroine Nell will give it to you in spades

—— Red

With a talent for writing about the everyday in a wonderfully warm and wacky way, Moyes somehow manages to break your heart before restoring your faith in love

—— Sunday Express

Like her peers David Nicholls and Marian Keyes, possesses the enviable gift of making the reader laugh in the gloomiest of circumstances

—— Independent on Sunday

Just like Moyes' other works, the stories are heartfelt, emotional and teach us about love, loss, liberation and laughter. Fans of her previous work will love it

—— OK!

Delightful short stories from the author of Me Before You

—— Prima

A heartwarming debut collection of short stories - all centred on everyday women - from the author of Me Before You

—— Mail on Sunday

From unhappy women overcoming problems to fairytale romance, you'll love getting lost in these charming tales

—— The People

A book that maps the wonder of everyday love

—— Metro (London)

The best-selling queen of romantic fiction has delivered the goods... you'll love getting lost in these charming tales

—— Sunday Mirror

Irresistible... Paris for One offers a dose of instant escapism to whisk you away

—— Daily Express

A beautiful read

—— Hello

Moyes is always good on male/female relationships. But her sneaky brilliance is in the way she discreetly includes the powerful influence that women have on each other's love lives

—— Daily Mail

An undeniably enjoyable dose of escapism

—— Irish Independent

Mark Haddon has become a master of the short story…this new collection intrigues and horrifies by turn

—— Country & Town House

Gripping tale… Told with forensic precision.

—— Paddy Kehoe , RTE Online

Exuberant, lusty exercises in juxtaposition… Such contrasts not only power each piece but also act as a form of call and response across them… Terrifically compelling collection.

—— Alex Clark , Guardian

Impressive but forbiddingly lightless collection. There’s no doubt about Haddon’s skill.

—— Tim Martin , New Statesman

Have you ever read a book that made you gasp out loud and nearly burst into tears? The title story…had that effect on me… Haddon is able to give human tragedy the due solemnity it deserves but without being po-faced. A wonderful collection.

—— Anne Sexton , Hot Press

Guaranteed to keep me riveted.

—— Karen Byrom , My Weekly

Gripping… Packs the action and themes that might power a very full novel into less than 70 pages

—— John Williams , New York Times

Scintillating first foray into the shorter form… Beautifully crafted… A challenging and idiosyncratic talent, with a memorable way with words.

—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday

[Haddon] portrays the nightmares of our own society…with astonishing deftness, mixing black humour and pathos.

—— David Platzer , Tablet

The Pier Falls had me gasping in disbelief.

—— Chris Catchpole , Q

[It was] grim and compelling… [A] ripping, gripping yarn – narrative velcro.

—— Craige Raine , Spectator, Book of the Year

I savoured all the atmospheric short stories in The Pier Falls.

—— Elizabeth Reapy , Irish Times, Book of the Year

An enthralling short story collection; dark, immersive stories with lots of action. The writing is tight and inspiring.

—— E. Reapy , Irish Independent, Book of the Year

[A] searing collection of short stories that thrill and chill in equal measure.

—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Book of the Year

I was also captivated by the dark A Pier Falls, a brilliantly written collection of bleak and brutal short stories.

—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily Express, Book of the Year

I adored The Pier Falls… Each story is wildly entertaining and well written.

—— Dave Rudden , Headstuff, Book of the Year

[It] proves the capacity of a short story to immerse the reader fully in a fictional world.

—— Anita Sethi , Guardian, Book of the Year

This short-story collection is thrilling and exquisitely written. I gave out several copies as Christmas presents.

—— Claire Fuller , Sunday Telegraph

An exquisite writer.

—— Fiona Wilson , The Times

Mesmerisingly good stories, hugely varied, skilfully written, full of deft touches and narrative shocks... an absolute treat

—— Marcus Berkman , Spectator, *Books of the Year*
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