The Age of Grief

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The Age of Grief (eBook) Pub. Date: 1/5/2011 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
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The Age of Grief (Reprint) Pub. Date: 6/28/2002 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

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The Age of Grief (REPRINT) Pub. Date: 5/12/1992 Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

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The Age of Grief (Mass Market Paperback) Pub. Date: 7/12/1988 Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
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The Age of Grief Pub. Date: 8/12/1987 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

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Overview

The luminous novella and stories in The Age of Grief explore the vicissitudes of love, friendship, and marriage with all the compassion and insight that have come to be expected from Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize—winning author of A Thousand Acres.

In “The Pleasure of Her Company,” a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret of their happiness. In “Long Distance,” a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape. And in the incandescently wise and moving title novella, a dentist, aware that his wife has fallen in love with someone else, must comfort her when she is spurned, while maintaining the secret of his own complicated sorrow. Beautifully written, with a wry intelligence and a lively comic touch, The Age of Grief captures moments of great intimacy with grace, clarity, and indelible emotional power.

This stunning collection of five stories and one novella confirms Jane Smiley's place as one of the country's most gifted writers. Clear, elegant and filled with the unmistakable sound of real people going about real life, The Age of Grief is a true cause of celebration.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

With authenticity, insight, sensitivity and an unobstrusive yet absorbing prose style, Smiley (Duplicate Keys portrays pained individuals who yearn for idyllic companionship, plus the contentment and security that they imagine it entails. In ``The Pleasure of Her Company,'' one of five short stories, a lonely pediatric nurse establishes a rapport with her new neighbors. Convinced that married couples share an inviolable, almost mystical bond that outsiders cannot fathom, she makes the unwelcome discovery that their apparent harmony is a facade. ``Lily'' is the tale of a love-hungry young poet whose bickering married friends arrive for a visit; Lily boldly hastens their break-up. In ``Dynamite,'' a former Barnard College radical still wanted by the FBI impulsively heads back to New York for the reassuring presence of her family. The novella from which this slim volume takes its title brilliantly shows a husband's agony when his wife's affection turns elsewhere. During a crisis over her infidelity, he emerges as an unforgettably valiant character: vulnerable, hurt, bewildered, though never without patience. This novella's quietly dramatic resolution is both appropriate and rewarding. (September 10)

Library Journal

These five stories and one novella catch the Sixties generation in middle age, at moments of reconsideration and regret. ``I am thirty-five years old and it seems to me that I have arrived at the age of grief,'' says the title tale's protagonist, stricken by the loss of his wife's love. In ``Long Distance'' an emotional drifter faces the consequences of self-absorption at a family Christmas gathering. The other selections depict sensitive women shattered as marriages and friendships end, a calculating personality who tricks an acquaintance into fatherhood, and a former violent radical longing for her abandoned home. Disturbing yet recognizable characters and Smiley's knack for dialogue and the telling detail make these narratives memorable. Recommended for most fiction collections. Starr E. Smith, Georgetown Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780385721875
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date: 6/28/2002
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 224
Sales rank: 628,318
Product dimensions: 5.15 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Meet the Author

Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley lives in Northern California.

Biography

Jane smiley is the author of many novels, including A Thousand Acres, which won the Pulitzer Prize, and Horse Heaven. She lives in Northern California. In 2001, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Author biography courtesy of Random House, Inc.

1. Hometown:
  
  Northern California
1. Date of Birth:
  
  September 26, 1949
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Los Angeles, California
1. Education:
  
  B.A. in English, Vassar College, 1971; M.A., Iowa University, 1975; M.F.A, 1976; Ph.D., 1978

Read an Excerpt

The luminous novella and stories in The Age of Grief explore the vicissitudes of love, friendship, and marriage with all the compassion and insight that have come to be expected from Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize—winning author of A Thousand Acres.
In “The Pleasure of Her Company,” a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret of their happiness. In “Long Distance,” a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape. And in the incandescently wise and moving title novella, a dentist, aware that his wife has fallen in love with someone else, must comfort her when she is spurned, while maintaining the secret of his own complicated sorrow. Beautifully written, with a wry intelligence and a lively comic touch, The Age of Grief captures moments of great intimacy with grace, clarity, and indelible emotional power.

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