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90th out of 372 books
—
235 voters
The Collected Stories
The literary event of 2001 is now the paperback event of 2002: The Collected Stories of Richard Yates gathers the late author's powerful and peerless short fiction in one comprehensive volume. Praised by such authors as Michael Chabon, Stewart O'Nan, Robert Stone, and Richard Russo, and universally acclaimed in reviews across the country, The Collected Stories is the crown
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Paperback, 496 pages
Published
May 3rd 2002
by Picador
(first published May 3rd 2001)
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This book kicked my ass. I was reading it while it was cold, and several of the stories use cold as part of the feeling, and I was reading it during some serious emotional turmoil, and much of the book deals with emotional turmoil, but usually subdued, quiet turmoil, boiling beneath the surface and coming out in the stupid little ways it usually does in real life. This guy knew how to capture the embarrassing feelings of futility and shame and hyper self-awareness that I'm scared of and hate fee...more
Richard Yates was a man of my Dad's generation, a group of anxious men too young to qualify for the Greatest Generation and too old to be hippies. And damn could he write about that generation. Yates' world is full of rich, humane portraits of whole classes of people I've never met, drunk World War II vets and blue collar Jersey housewives in the '40s and Depression-era New York street kids.
And yet, unlike his contemporary Updike, Yates was never a flashy writer. His turns of phrase aren't espec...more
And yet, unlike his contemporary Updike, Yates was never a flashy writer. His turns of phrase aren't espec...more
Story: This book brings together stories that were published in Eleven Kinds of Loneliness and Liars in Love, as well as several previously unpublished stories. Almost without an exception, each of these stories features one of the following: struggling writers, tuberculosis, the army, siblings, and cheating husbands and wives.
Opinion: I find it hard to say anything meaningful about Yates, because anything I do say will never live up to what this man has written. If you've read Revolutionary Roa...more
Opinion: I find it hard to say anything meaningful about Yates, because anything I do say will never live up to what this man has written. If you've read Revolutionary Roa...more
“The Collected Stories of Richard Yates”—A staggering and wonderful story collection about what it means to be human in postwar 1950s suburbia and beyond. The first segment, selections from Yates’s “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness" are the highlights. His stories are cleanly written, without any pretenses, and quite honestly unflinching about the human condition’s desire to be happy; though unhappiness and misery are always going to be in existence. His characters from the “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness...more
His settings are VA TB wards, dreary publishing offices inhabited by failed novelists, and awful relationships...He's at his best in the small ticks of people trying to live their lives, descriptions of hair and eyes and the way an angry wife turns away from her husband, or vice versa...at his worst when you realize that you've just finished 460 pgs of beautifully written, relentlessly sad and mostly unredeemed people...
I'd place him a rung or two below Andre Dubus--they both write realistic sto...more
I'd place him a rung or two below Andre Dubus--they both write realistic sto...more
Only three stars for The Collected Stories of Richard Yates? Really? Really? My reservations regarding the largely arbitrary assignment of stars aside, three stars does seem like an uncommonly harsh review of a book that I really enjoyed, from an author who I really love. But three makes sense, I promise.
Three stars because the quality of the first collection contained in this printing, 1962’s Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, is simply nowhere near the fine work that followed it or the gangbusters Re...more
Three stars because the quality of the first collection contained in this printing, 1962’s Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, is simply nowhere near the fine work that followed it or the gangbusters Re...more
So, the thing is, short stories don't really do it for me. They are too short to really invest in and I often reach the end and feel like I missed something.
That being said, the 'not super into this' rating is more because of that, I suspect, than Yates' ability, since I think he is fantastic. And as it happened there were one or two short stories in here that I totally loved. But for the most part there were a lot of brief, sad snippets about people not getting what they want or even knowing wh...more
That being said, the 'not super into this' rating is more because of that, I suspect, than Yates' ability, since I think he is fantastic. And as it happened there were one or two short stories in here that I totally loved. But for the most part there were a lot of brief, sad snippets about people not getting what they want or even knowing wh...more
I identify so deeply with the writing of Richard Yates and am ashamed to just now read his collected stories. Sure, I've read many of them in anthologies and of course Easter Parade and Revolutionary Road. To read the stories is to admit that Yates drew the bulk of his material from his life experience: World War II, tuberculosis, Hollywood screenwriting, failed marriages, and a dash of current events.
"Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" remains one of my favorite stories of all time with it's frustrated...more
"Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" remains one of my favorite stories of all time with it's frustrated...more
Nov 10, 2008
Kendall
added it
Discovered Richard Yates through Richard Russo (Empire Falls- Mohawk- The Risk Pool- etc). I like Russo because he writes about working class people from mostly defunct working class industrial/mill towns. Stuff I can relate to having grown up right next door to Collinsville- a genuine defunct New England industrial town. Russo's stories are mildly dark. They take a close look at ordinary lives- including all the painful struggles people leading those lives go through. Russo and Yates stories bo...more
Richard Yates chronicles the delusions, lost dreams and disappointments of everyday people. The addictive thing about these stories is how he zeroes in on the dreadful details -- the things we want to forget - the sad, sorry moments and chapters of our lives - yet Yates hits them with such dead accurracy he makes you relish the telling of it. There are no happy endings here. I guess the most uplifting thing Yates hopes for his characters is that they will finally wake up and experience something...more
These were thoroughly enjoyable. I must admit that Yates writes about what he knows, Greenwich Village in the 40s and 50s, life in 40s and 50s NY suburbs, divorce, TB hospitals and military service. Each of these themes are mixed up in various ways to create the stories in the collection, and can sometimes be repetitive, but I enjoyed each story--they are each wonderful snapshots, glimpses into lives drawn beautifully.
depressing/amazing - not unexpected coming from Yates.
reading this & watching season 2 of Mad Men led me to wonder: in the 1960s, was absolutely everyone miserably grasping for something (happiness?) just out of reach?
n.b. the short introduction in this book by richard russo brought up some interesting ideas about Yates and his characters that definitely informed my reading of the stories.
reading this & watching season 2 of Mad Men led me to wonder: in the 1960s, was absolutely everyone miserably grasping for something (happiness?) just out of reach?
n.b. the short introduction in this book by richard russo brought up some interesting ideas about Yates and his characters that definitely informed my reading of the stories.
Even though they weren't as tight as the stories in "Liars in Love" and "Eleven Kinds of Loneliness", I loved how much more adventurous that Yates was in the previously unpublished work. Some real departures from his go-to characters and I enjoyed watching him take the challenge.
This is an exceptional collection so far (I'm about half way through it), and I have been surprised to find that the stories get better as they progress. I was also surprised that the stories so far, taken from his collection Liars In Love, which was published in the '80's, which was late in his career, are even more powerful than the earlier ones. If you read and liked Revolutionary Road, I highly recommend this collection.
These stories are so engrossing--I spent most of Saturday reading it because when each story ended, the next one would hook me again. Richard Yates was a master of realism and had a fantastic ear for dialogue. He conjures a time (World War II, the 1950's) so well that I feel like I was there. Highly recommended for short story lovers.
Revolutionary Road is still my fave from Mr. Yates, but a nice collection of stories here. Some were so-so, but blast if a few of them didn't make me well up like a moron on the train!
If I were offered the talents of any writer, I would choose his. You wouldn't know how much I envy the war-time authors stuck in Europe waiting for the war to end.
I didn't read them all, but I loved what I read. I think the novel is his true form, but these are wonderful. SUCH TALENT!
May 10, 2010
Emily
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Revolutionary Road
Recommended to Emily by:
Bob H.
Shelves:
fiction,
short-stories
Confirmation that Richard Yates is not the author to read if you are in the mood to be uplifted, but oh man! could he ever write.
The best short story collection I've ever read. Of course, I am biased because Yates is one of my favorite authors.
Oct 05, 2008
just sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anneke, Sue
Recommended to just sarah by:
Brandon Gentry
Fans of Richard Yates, this collection of short stories does not disappoint. Despite common themes throughout, each story is unique and an equally exceptional example of the craft. It is Yates at his best, as high caliber as Revolutionary Road and The Easter Parade I enjoyed every page of this awesome collection.
Superb writing from a master of the 20th century. One of, if not the, best writers of the short story.
Oh Joseph, I'm So Tired is one of my absolute favorite short stories. This is a great collection.
Feb 21, 2010
Alex
added it
The Collected Stories of Richard Yates by Richard Yates (2002)
Every single story is a total downer. A must-read for wallowers.
One of those books which you must read before you die...Nuff said.
Sep 09, 2009
Elli England
is currently reading it
Finished Revolutionary Road and am a third into Easter Parade
Jul 26, 2009
Marcia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Revolutionary Road
Shelves:
grown-up-books
Enjoyed Revolutionary Road and wanted to read more by Yates. Very good.
enjoyed all stories; some more than others
Simply one of the best short story writers ever.
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Richard Yates, or Dickie, shone bright upon the publication of his first novel, Revolutionary Road, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 1961. It drew unbridled praise and branded Yates an important, new writer. Kurt Vonnegut claimed that Revolutionary Road was The Great Gatsby of his time. William Sytron described it as "A deft, ironic, beautiful novel that deserves to be a classic....more
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Feb 07, 2013 09:55pm