All Aunt Hagar’s Children
0
0
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Author Description
The 2004 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction returns with a collection of 14 short stories, rife with characters who will stay with you well beyond the last pageEdward P. Jones, the bestselling and prize-winning author of ‘The Known World’, returns to the form that first inspired him – the short storyIn this collection, Jones returns to the city that inspired his first book, ‘Lost in the City’. This is the story of Washington DC, a city full of bustling life, bursting forth from the banks of the swampy Potomac. These are the stories of the city's ordinary inhabitants, its labourers and lawyers, sailors and nuns, children and pensioners – people who in Jones's masterful hands emerge as fully human and morally complex.Casting his net wide, Jones explores the American Dream on an epic canvas, from the dawn of the twentieth century until modern times. His memorable cast of characters find themselves caught between the old ways of the agricultural America of their past and the temptations of the big city, struggling against the inequities locked within slavery's legacy.Both witty and poignant, touching and shocking, this collection is sure to make a lasting impression and further confirm Jones as one of the masters of the genre.
Menrva's Summary
THE PULSE
Edward P. Jones captures the intricate lives of Washington D.C. residents as they navigate the shifting social and economic landscapes of the twentieth century. Through a series of fourteen interconnected narratives, the author examines the aspirations and moral dilemmas of ordinary citizens, from laborers to professionals. These characters grapple with the weight of history, the transition from rural traditions to urban realities, and the persistent influence of the past on their present choices. The collection utilizes a grounded, observational framework to reveal the quiet complexities of human existence within a specific American urban environment.
INSIDE THE PAGES
- Focus on the social geography of Washington D.C. across several decades.
- Exploration of the tension between rural heritage and modern urban life.
- Character-driven narratives featuring a diverse range of ages and professions.
- Examination of the lingering societal impacts of slavery and systemic inequity.
- Use of a realistic, observational prose style to depict everyday struggles.
- Interweaving of personal ambition with the broader context of the American Dream.
- Emphasis on the moral ambiguity inherent in common human decisions.
- Portrayal of the city as a living, breathing entity that shapes its inhabitants.
THE COLLECTIVE ECHO
This collection is widely regarded as a significant contribution to contemporary short fiction, noted for its precise character studies and deep sense of place. Critics frequently highlight the author's ability to render the lives of ordinary people with profound dignity and psychological depth. The stories are often praised for their structural elegance and the way they evoke the specific atmosphere of Washington D.C. throughout the twentieth century. Readers and reviewers alike appreciate the collection's balance of wit and gravity, which avoids sentimentality while remaining deeply human.
Page Count:
416
Publication Date:
2007-03-05
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
ISBN-10:
000724083X
ISBN-13:
9780007240838
Literary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Urban
African American
Short Stories
