( 6 reviews )
-
Posted: Dec 9 2007
Appalachian people know how to tell a good story, and Bob Sloan is a wonderful storyteller. This slim volume packs a very large emotional punch with its honest prose and wistful and comical glimpses of an area Bob knows well. My favorite story (one that he read at the Harriet Simpson Arnow Conference at Somerset Community College in 2006) is "Finding the Gate," written from the perspective of an old woman. It's amazing to me how Bob can write so well in that voice. In his acknowledgments, he thanks a very special librarian who opened up the world of books to him and encouraged him to read anything that caught his interest, to question what he read, to write, and to think. Her name was Jeanne Burr. A thank you from me too, Jeanne, as Bob's stories are a wonderful addition to literature.
-
Posted: Jun 11 2007
Bob Sloan is a master of the writing craft and a true voice of his roots. His stories are rooted firmly in the soil of working class Appalachia. The land and the people are brought vividly to life without one wasted or false word. It would be easy to get caught up in how technically proficient the author is in this very difficult art form, except the stories and characters are too engrossing to allow you to be analytical. No BS - just darn good yarns! Great stuff!!
-
( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 21 2004
"Bearskin to Holly Fork: Stories from Appalachia" is a collection of gritty stories populated by tough people, and author Bob Sloan exposes their faults and failures as well as sharing with us their merits and accomplishments. Murderers, bootleggers, pot-growers, crippled war veterans, ex-cons and drunks rub elbows with sheriffs, waitresses, clerks, farmers, carpenters and the like. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who is who, as they are quite often one and the same. This meticulously edited medley is not only an enjoyable read but should be considered a textbook for writers. Throughout, the author has sprinkled his wonderful imagery in carefully worded and structured sentences and paragraphs. Bob Sloan paints with his words. My favorite story in this anthology of fifteen tales is "A Ride Across Open Water" in which a man and a woman who have suffered a grave loss attempt to put their empty lives back together. In this seemingly simple paragraph, the author reveals volumes: "Twice in the week before she left, he came home to find his wife sleeping on the sofa, an empty glass that smelled of bourbon on the floor. Both times a pink and blue baby book, purchased the afternoon a doctor confirmed Bea's pregnancy, was on her lap. Paul's memory still held whole paragraphs from pamphlets and articles about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome." In the author's own words about his writing: "My wife gave me the phrase `blue collar fiction.' It suits me better than any other label. I write stories about Appalachian working class people, the `working poor,' because they're the people who raised me, the people I live with, the people who matter to me." Don't be fooled by the author's modesty. This is some of the most sophisticated and carefully crafted fiction you will ever read.
