| Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker (Modern Library Paperbacks) | 
 enlarge | Creator: David Remnick
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy Used: $1.23
You Save: $18.77 (94%)
New (23) Used (26) Collectible (1) from $1.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 71381
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 037575752X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.0108327471
EAN: 9780375757525
ASIN: 037575752X
Publication Date: May 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: VERY GOOD CONDITION, CLEAN, NO WRITINGS INSIDE. (STOCK#: NOENN-EE6)
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 8 | | NEXT » |
 I'm not a book critic, just a college student.... October 18, 2005
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
I'm not a book critic, just a college student and had to read some stories from this book for class. As I said, I haven't ready everything in the world, and don't want to be seen ignorant. But I really didn't enjoy a lot of things here, thought I haven't read all the stories. Some where enjoyable "6" on a 1-10 scale, 10 being the best. Some stories seem very gloomy, and all the stories that I read are loosely related to New York. But "Good For You" to the people who enjoyed this book. And don't just take my word for it.
 Wonderful collection March 31, 2004
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
The opening author is John Cheever. A corporate man and a corporate secretary meet at her place for a drink. He is estranged from his wife, the father of a friend of his son, and, finally, the woman, who manages to humiliate him.
There is a story by Roth about a fictitious quiz show contestant. Tales by John O'Hara, Laurie Colwin, Jonathan Franzen, and Frank Conroy appear. The Franzen entry was used as a chapter or at least an incident in CORRECTIONS.
A character in a Nabokov story has referential mania. Jamaica Kincaid in her account of an overseas visitor speaks of day old food stored in a refrigerator. John McNulty writes of a bar, of course, and Hortense Calisher of Greenwich Village.
J.D. Salinger's contribution is a story featuring Holden Caulfield and Pencey Prep. Renata Adler writes in stylish fashion using a fictional "I" of life in a brownstone. Isaac Bashevis Singer comes along with yiddish-speaking cafeteria goers. Veronica Geng has a take on conspicuous consumption.
Susan Sontag provides a surprisingly buoyant account of chronic illness. The narrator of Julie Hecht's story believes that buildings in New York should be built to the specifications of Prince Charles. "Mentocrats" by Edward Newhouse concerns schoolboys promoting the idea of a mental aristocracy. Daniel Menaker has a character say that the banality of evil is outstripped by the banality of anxiety neurosis. The psychiatrist in the story tells the first character he doesn't have the courage of his own contempt.
In eliminating some regrets you create others according to Jeffrey Eugenides. Dorothy Parker, E.B. White, Elizabeth Hardwick, Bernard Malamud, and Saul Bellow are all present in this collection of stories. Bellow's story gives rise to the thought that everyone has burdens. Remnick's selections are a joy.
Terrific! August 2, 2002
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
John Cheever, Woody Allen, and Bernard Malamud wrote my favorite stories in this wonderful collection about life in New York City. Three quick thoughts: (1) While the dynamic captured by some authors seems a little dated (Dorothy Parker), most of the stories resonate with characters, experiences, and social groups that are common today in New York. (2) The collection offers 44 stories and 44 authors. This helps a reader see how these authors are great in different ways. (3) This collection ends, once and for all, the impression that all stories in The New Yorker are the same. Buy this book!
A brilliant collection January 2, 2001
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This collection of New York stories shows both why writers have been fascinated with the Big Apple for so long and also why The New Yorker has been the hallmark of short fiction. The collection begins with Cheever and ends with Perlman, which pretty much sums up the golden years of the magazine. The pleasures here range from a story of lingering urban dread by William Maxwell to a hilarious tale of an intellectual loser by Jonathan Franzen. Updike's story both paints a true picture of New York in the snow and returns to his favorite theme -- infidelity. Philip Roth has a hilarious entry about a famous writer hounded by a game show contestant -- even funnier if you've seen "Quiz Show." The collection made me homesick for New York. It's one of the best books I read in 2000.
A must-read for literary fiction fans October 9, 2000
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is not only a good anthology to read for entertainment, but also a necessity for anyone who wants to write literary fiction. The New Yorker is the cornerstone of American contemporary literature, and this book captures a good sampling of the stories which have appeared in its pages the last 50 years or so. I particularly liked DEisenberg's story, and the fact that JCheever's story appears first. I think the book should have had a few more lighter pieces, and wonder why McInerney was skipped over.
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