Scan barcode
erictlee's review against another edition
5.0
Veteran author Lawrence Block has pulled together 17 of the best short story writers around today and given each one an Edward Hopper painting — that’s the idea. And it works exceptionally well, and not only because the authors of the stories include legends like Stephen King, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver and Joyce Carol Oates. The Hopper paintings lend themselves to stories about men and women, secrets and money, love and violence. The paintings often seem quite sad, but the stories here are not uniformly so. They are stories in some cases of hope, and in one case, of vengeance. In reading them, I kept turning back to the Hopper painting that inspired the story. A brilliant collection that shows the full power of the short story – highly recommended.
susannes_pagesofcrime's review against another edition
4.0
I took this one slowly reading a couple of stories at a time in between reading other books. I particularly enjoyed the stories in the second half of the book, there are quite a few where I will be looking up the other work by the authors featured. It also goes without saying that I enjoyed Michael Connelly's contribution :-)
beadsbynoon's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked most of the stories. Even though most of the stories were written by men, the women were not portrayed as pansies. I have to say that I had not envisioned this much murder and scary sex going on in Hopper paintings though. But, as all the stories were written by Block and his friends, Hopper paintings probably do contain a lot of sinister shenanigans in their brains. Stephen King's was definitely a stand out on that front. Each story really does deserve it's own review and most of the stories are worth giving their space.
thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
5.0
4.5-5 stars
The instant I saw the cover of this book I knew I wanted to read it. In Sunlight or In Shadow is such a clever idea – each writer chosen to participate picked a different painting by Edward Hopper and then created his or her own story about the subject matter of the painting he/she chose. The results are for the most part spectacular. As in any short story collection, some stories are better than others; one or two fell flat enough that I had to just move on without finishing that particular entry.
I have been a huge fan of Hopper for a long time and also really like Lawrence Block’s work so I was just thrilled to see a book that combined the two. There are 18 paintings and 17 stories (one author had to drop out but the painting was included anyway as the frontispiece), and I was excited to see paintings that I knew well and even happier to see paintings of Hopper’s that I had not encountered before. One of the things that makes the compilation so successful is the variation in writing style and genre of the collection of writers that Block chose. I have read everything Michael Connelly and Lee Child have written (and am a huge fan of both of them) so I was glad they were included in this project, and their stories did not disappoint. However, hands down my favorite story was the one by Craig Ferguson entitled Taking Care of Business based on the painting entitled South Truro Church, 1930. I can’t say much more about that particular story without giving anything away, but the inclusion of Elvis in it was clever and made me love that narrative all the more. Lawrence Block’s entry, Autumn at the Automat, was fabulous as well. Several others, Night Windows and The Incident of 10 November, were stand outs also.
Each short story begins with a color reproduction of the painting that is the subject of that short story. I loved this because I continually was referring back to the painting while reading each story. At times, there were details I had not noticed in the painting that were part of the story, and it was helpful to be able to have the painting so close at hand.
Every once in a while, I encounter a book that is unique in its approach or presentation of the storyline or content and am thrilled generally when that occurs because that makes it all the more enjoyable to read. In Sunlight or In Shadow is such a book. I have been touting this book to all of my friends who love to read and am certain it will be a big success. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The instant I saw the cover of this book I knew I wanted to read it. In Sunlight or In Shadow is such a clever idea – each writer chosen to participate picked a different painting by Edward Hopper and then created his or her own story about the subject matter of the painting he/she chose. The results are for the most part spectacular. As in any short story collection, some stories are better than others; one or two fell flat enough that I had to just move on without finishing that particular entry.
I have been a huge fan of Hopper for a long time and also really like Lawrence Block’s work so I was just thrilled to see a book that combined the two. There are 18 paintings and 17 stories (one author had to drop out but the painting was included anyway as the frontispiece), and I was excited to see paintings that I knew well and even happier to see paintings of Hopper’s that I had not encountered before. One of the things that makes the compilation so successful is the variation in writing style and genre of the collection of writers that Block chose. I have read everything Michael Connelly and Lee Child have written (and am a huge fan of both of them) so I was glad they were included in this project, and their stories did not disappoint. However, hands down my favorite story was the one by Craig Ferguson entitled Taking Care of Business based on the painting entitled South Truro Church, 1930. I can’t say much more about that particular story without giving anything away, but the inclusion of Elvis in it was clever and made me love that narrative all the more. Lawrence Block’s entry, Autumn at the Automat, was fabulous as well. Several others, Night Windows and The Incident of 10 November, were stand outs also.
Each short story begins with a color reproduction of the painting that is the subject of that short story. I loved this because I continually was referring back to the painting while reading each story. At times, there were details I had not noticed in the painting that were part of the story, and it was helpful to be able to have the painting so close at hand.
Every once in a while, I encounter a book that is unique in its approach or presentation of the storyline or content and am thrilled generally when that occurs because that makes it all the more enjoyable to read. In Sunlight or In Shadow is such a book. I have been touting this book to all of my friends who love to read and am certain it will be a big success. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
caitz's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book of short stories that are based on Edward Hopper paintings.
I loved this book. Edward Hopper has always been one of my favorite artists and the marriage of paintings and stories in this anthology is wonderful. Each story completely fits its accompanying painting. The stories range from scary to sweet, but all are equally intriguing. There were a couple I didn't want to end and couple that I'm still thinking about today. It's really hard to pick a favorite.
Art lovers, short story lovers and those who just enjoy fine writing will want to read this book.
I received a free copy of this book for review.
I loved this book. Edward Hopper has always been one of my favorite artists and the marriage of paintings and stories in this anthology is wonderful. Each story completely fits its accompanying painting. The stories range from scary to sweet, but all are equally intriguing. There were a couple I didn't want to end and couple that I'm still thinking about today. It's really hard to pick a favorite.
Art lovers, short story lovers and those who just enjoy fine writing will want to read this book.
I received a free copy of this book for review.
bigbobmary's review against another edition
a creepy 10 mins story. new york city, great depression, and cold blood couple.
readlikefire's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
jswriter's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to read through this collection. I normally breeze through anthologies, but many of these took some time to digest. Many, many quality stories in here, and paring them with the Hopper paintings led an instant mood to each story.
I would recommend this collection to readers who like mysteries and the darker side of fiction, but who would like to find some new authors to try. There were many favorites of mine in here (Lansdale, Block, Deaver, etc) but some good finds. While King shows up and does King via noir, other authors like Block surprise you with a new tone or direction.
Not all of the stories worked for me. Joyce Carol Oates' story for instance was written in this cyclical, hypnotic fashion that was intriguing, but it felt like it dragged on for a little longer than it needed. Still, this collection boasts a great variety with a killer hook.
I would recommend this collection to readers who like mysteries and the darker side of fiction, but who would like to find some new authors to try. There were many favorites of mine in here (Lansdale, Block, Deaver, etc) but some good finds. While King shows up and does King via noir, other authors like Block surprise you with a new tone or direction.
Not all of the stories worked for me. Joyce Carol Oates' story for instance was written in this cyclical, hypnotic fashion that was intriguing, but it felt like it dragged on for a little longer than it needed. Still, this collection boasts a great variety with a killer hook.
chickflix's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of 17 short stories based on the paintings of one of my favorite artists, Edward Hopper. These works are very hit and miss for me - some are excellent but quite a few weren't to my taste. I rounded up because I love the idea of this book as a whole.
Since I haven't seen any reviews listing all of the stories in this book, I here is a list to go with the collage of corresponding paintings above:
1) Girlie Show (Girlie Show, 1941) - An unhappy wife discovers who the subject of her husband's nude painting is - 5*
2) The Story of Caroline (Summer Evening, 1947) - A woman searches for her birth mother - 3*
3) Soir Bleu (Soir Bleu, 1914) - A man meets an actor he once saw perform as a child - 4*
4) The Truth About What Happened (Hotel Lobby, 1943) - An injured military man is debriefed about his experience - 2*
5) Rooms by the Sea (Rooms by the Sea, 1951) - A woman moves into a house where the rooms are always changing - 3*
6) Nighthawks (Nighthawks, 1942) - A private eye investigates a young painter - 2*
7) The Incident of 10 November (Hotel by a Railroad, 1952) - Russian spy stuff which left me confused - 2*
8) Taking Care of Business (South Truro Church, 1930) - Two old men smoke pot and talk about life and death - 4*
9) The Music Room (Room in New York, 1932) - A man and woman kidnap men for money - 5*
10) The Projectionist (New York Movie, 1939) - A projectionist, a theater owner and a ticket taker form a strong bond - 5*
11) The Preacher Collects (Based on Hopper's Letters) - A fictional story based on Hopper's life and family - 2*
12) Office at Night (Office at Night, 1940) - A small town girl moves to the big city - 3*
13) Woman in the Window (Eleven A.M., 1926) - A woman dreams of killing her lover - 4*
14) Still Life, 1931 (Hotel Room, 1931) - A white woman helps the NAACP in the American South - 3*
15) Night Windows (Night Windows, 1928) - A voyeur obsesses over the woman he watches through her windows - 5*
16) Woman in the Sun (Woman in the Sun, 1961) - A man asks a woman if he can spend his last day alive with her - 4*
17) Autumn in the Automat (Automat, 1927) - A con woman tries to make a buck - 3*
borzemasacra's review against another edition
2.0
Hoppera bardzo lubię, więc z ciekawości sięgnąłem po tę książkę. Jednak jak to zbiór opowiadań, do tego pisany przez wiele osób, poziomy są różne. Większość jednak nie przypadła mi do gustu. Miałem wrażenie że czytam ao3, a nie faktyczną książkę. Ostatecznie podobały m się góra dwa/trzy opowiadania.