![]() In truth, Smith should be compared to her Southern contemporary Bobbie Ann Mason, another storyteller who has produced many short stories and a few novels. Indeed, such writing serves a useful purpose and Smith is good at what she does, but I find these "new 'slice of life' stream of consciousness style of short stories.unsatisfying" to echo the words of an esteemed Goodreads reviewer Judith ![]() Even the vegetarians among us may ask: "Where's the meat?" The stories certainly have well-crafted characters and intelligible plot lines, but even the best, such as "House Tour" and "Between the Lines," offer little more than a pleasant respite in the waiting room for your physcian to appear or the mechanic to complete your service check. These 14 tales might be compared to hors d'oeuvres.tasty, spicy, and not unpalatable, but they do not a meal make. Somehow I have managed to miss her influence until hearing a recent provocative interview on NPR and purchasing her current volume of short stories, both old and new. ![]() ![]() Since 1968, Lee Smith has been a significant Southern author of short stories and novels compared by some to Flannery O'Connor, Eurora Welty, and Carson McCullers. ![]()
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