false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167856556m/26934.jpg 26934 11 Love, and our frequent failure to meet its challenges, is the subject of Richard Ford's wonderfully insightful collection of short stories, <I>A Multitude of Sins</I>. The understated prose is shot through with an incisive, empathetic, and not at all cynical understanding of the psyche of Middle America, with which fans of Ford's previous novels, <I>The Sportswriter</I> and its Pulitzer Prize-winning sequel, <I>Independence Day</I>, will be familiar. These stories are inhabited by characters for whom love has become a moral maze rather than a clearly defined path towards fulfillment.<p> In "Reunion," a man accidentally encounters the husband of a woman with whom he had an affair, and he is forced to relive an episode of his life he would rather have forgotten. In another story, a young couple is driving to a dinner party when the wife discloses an affair that she's been having with their host. Ford seems to be more interested in examining the aftermath of their infidelities than the affairs themselves--in particular, what happens when intimacy fails to provide the anticipated satisfaction. There are no easy, moral solutions at the end of each tale, no sense of peace or wisdom that the characters can attain. Instead, they are left to contemplate the repercussions of their actions and to try to salvage some greater self-understanding from the morass. By holding up this mirror to our own lives, Ford renders <I>A Multitude of Sins</I> an unsettling but rewarding read. <I>--Jane Morris, Amazon.co.uk</I> 1849556 2001 A Multitude of Sins total:242|5:43|4:84|3:91|2:16|1:8| 242 864 350 17 4 0 false false Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Fri Jan 16 07:29:09 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 07:30:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 22:52:01 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 22:50:42 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 14 09:59:39 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 10:07:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 15:02:49 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 15:05:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 03 13:56:10 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 14 17:19:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 27 21:30:56 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 21:31:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Mar 03 16:32:18 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 16:33:19 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Apr 05 14:36:32 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 05:40:24 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jan 12 12:14:19 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 30 10:53:19 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Dec 06 20:01:50 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 18 11:58:23 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 06 19:59:38 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 13 19:34:31 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 18:28:05 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 19:34:31 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Mon Jun 16 11:11:30 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 18:33:07 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 11:11:30 -0700 2008 Most of the stories here plod on with too much introspection and not enough scene/action. Although, "Under the Radar" has a quality more on pa...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Oct 07 14:14:17 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 07 14:16:30 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 08:16:02 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 13:31:13 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Fri Apr 04 12:31:39 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 10 12:48:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Aug 17 07:50:37 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 07:53:19 -0700 2007
Pick it up if you're a Tobias Wolff or Raymond Carver fan.]]> 4 0 true false Tue Jan 29 16:16:07 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 29 16:16:07 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 23 19:37:09 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 19:37:12 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Nov 22 20:28:23 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 20:28:23 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 13 14:54:12 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 14:54:12 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=26934