Scan barcode
ekparks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sunbreak's review against another edition
4.0
Many of these stories had a harsh element, that lingered in my mind a lot longer than most short stories.
kcrouth's review against another edition
4.0
A really nice collection of short stories that portray real people and their lives set in the mountains of Appalachia. The tales cover a range of topics and time periods, but portray in gritty and sometimes gruesome detail life as it really goes down. This is a very special collection, i heartily recommend it.
abbeyp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
creativerunnings's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved "The Caretaker" by Ron Rash, so I looked for his other work. "Burning Bright" is a collection of short stories that all pack a punch and make you think for a second right there at the end.
Ron Rash is probably my new favorite fiction writer. He reminds me so much of John Steinbeck. He writes about the same sort of poverty, the misfits, the challenges in life. Some of his work is a little noir.
Too bad Ron Rash isn't to be found on social media. I'd be a fan!
Ron Rash is probably my new favorite fiction writer. He reminds me so much of John Steinbeck. He writes about the same sort of poverty, the misfits, the challenges in life. Some of his work is a little noir.
Too bad Ron Rash isn't to be found on social media. I'd be a fan!
valerielb's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite stories in this collection were The Corpse Bird and The Woman Who Believed in Jaguars.
briandice's review against another edition
5.0
Ron Rash takes poverty, holds it before the Reader in clarion brilliance, and states "Watch what I can do with this shit."
Sure, Christ opines You'll always have the poor among you but what difference does it make unless we can be among them? Why meth? Why live in a trailer with windows painted black, scratching out a meaningless existence playing "Freebird" once an hour to equally poor and drunk rednecks? What does it mean to be middle-aged and very unclear about where the next meal is coming from? Forget that paycheck-to-paycheck shit, this is All-Star Poor.
I don't know Rash's back story, but I wouldn't be surprised if he (or a near relative) had to steal eggs from a hen in the dead of night to survive; seriously considered meth as a way to cope with the world; witnessed the waning of a dying love. It doesn't take a good writer to shock a reader - it takes someone of Rash's talents to pin us and make us remember that the human condition comes with a fatal prognosis - and the sooner we realize this the quicker we can get on living. I'm making up a memory I'll soon enough need, the narrator of the story "Falling Star" tells us. That's wisdom beyond the room temperature IQ of Rash's protagonist, it is sage advice to the living.
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
From a Civil War-era "Lincolnite" to modern-day meth heads, Rash mines the hills and hollers of western North Carolina for this collection of short stories.
My favorite story was "The Ascent," about a boy who gives up his meth-addicted parents for a couple he finds dead in a plane crash. It really gives a sense of the beauty of the mountains there--as well as the danger.
There isn't a bad story in the bunch. My only critique would be that while the characters are fascinating as sketches, I wasn't really left with a strong sense of Truth from them. The short story can be a powerful medium for change, and I would hope that I will find greater scope when I get into The Cove.
My favorite story was "The Ascent," about a boy who gives up his meth-addicted parents for a couple he finds dead in a plane crash. It really gives a sense of the beauty of the mountains there--as well as the danger.
There isn't a bad story in the bunch. My only critique would be that while the characters are fascinating as sketches, I wasn't really left with a strong sense of Truth from them. The short story can be a powerful medium for change, and I would hope that I will find greater scope when I get into The Cove.