book data
187 ratings,
3.80
average rating, 59 reviews
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published
October 18th 2007
by Viking Adult
binding
Hardcover, 256 pages
isbn
0670018376
(isbn13: 9780670018376)
description
The publication of a new book by William Trevor is a great literary event. Trevor's last collection, A Bit on the Side, was named a New York Times Not...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 375)
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avg 3.80
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in January, 2007
how is it never mentioned in the gushing reviews of trevor's work how clumsy he is at capturing the voice of younger generations or those of other races (i may not be black, but i do know that people aren't "fly" with something, they're "down" with it). it also made no sense how, because the man in the title story was grieving for his late wife, that necessarily meant that any married couple was missing the joys of shared life by being upset with one another. sometimes disa...more
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This book was both perfectly executed and often slow. I realized as I was reading that I'd already read a bunch of the stories in the New Yorker, but I'd forgotten them. There's one I risk remembering in the future, but not more than that. I completely admire Trevor's control -- I wish I had it so I could write perfectly crafted stories that were more emotionally explosive than his. I feel a bit bad saying all this, especially because I think it's a rather generational marker, Trevor's from a di...more
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Read in January, 2009
I wish I could give this three and a half stars. Because Cheating at Canasta is a short story collection, I took my time while reading it, even interrupting myself with other books a couple times. I remember liking the first stories in the book better than the last ones I read today which are fresh in my mind, so much so it's difficult to remember what I liked exactly about the earlier stories. Trevor generally has a very light touch, something I really appreciate in a writer. The stories in...more
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02/05/09
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Critics enthusiastically greet any new collection by William Trevor. Cheating at Canasta is no exception, with many reviewers calling it one of the best of Trevor's 12 short story collections. Two of the stories have already won the O. Henry Award, though the volume contains seven unpublished stories as well. New readers will find it a fitting introduction to his work, and longtime fans will find another bleak delight. Reviewers were particularly impressed that the 80-year-old Trevor remains bot
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Jamie by:
ME! Since I first read Trevor.recommends it for: short story lovers
I love short stories and William Trevor may be one of my favorite short story writers. I'd read the story "An Afternoon" before and it felt even stronger in context of the others. I enjoy the way Trevor writes middle aged-ennui, the sadness, the resignation, and the beauty as well. It's been said before and I'll say it again....William Trevor is a master of the form.
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Read in March, 2008
William Trevor is my new hero. Why didn't we read him in grad school?
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5 comments
Read in October, 2008
When reviewing a new book by William Trevor, one needs to acknowledge the issue of impossibly high expectations. Previous short story collections of his ("Ireland", for example: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/337...) are so amazing that it's not realistic to expect the same level of brilliance every time.
That said, this is the first of his books that I've read that was a disappointment. Although two or three of the stories in this collection were terrific ("Brav...more
That said, this is the first of his books that I've read that was a disappointment. Although two or three of the stories in this collection were terrific ("Brav...more
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Read in January, 2007
Book Review
Cheating at Canasta
By William Trevor
Reviewed by Tom Carrico
The short story evolved from the oral story telling traditions of ancient and medieval times. The modern short story became popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth century when the proliferation of literary magazines created a huge demand for short fiction. Anton Chekhov is viewed as the greatest short story writer of the late nineteenth century. American proponents of this ge...more
Cheating at Canasta
By William Trevor
Reviewed by Tom Carrico
The short story evolved from the oral story telling traditions of ancient and medieval times. The modern short story became popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth century when the proliferation of literary magazines created a huge demand for short fiction. Anton Chekhov is viewed as the greatest short story writer of the late nineteenth century. American proponents of this ge...more
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Read in January, 2008
A grand collection of short stories from one of the masters of the form. William Trevor's opus is generally dark: his stories concern those on the fringes of society—in both Ireland and Britain—people burdened by class and ethnicity and social convention in conflict with a changing world. I would nominate Trevor for a Nobel Prize for Literature.
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Review coming soon at http://fictionwritersreview.com.
In sum: unlike most fans, I think Trevor's novels are even more brilliant than his short fiction. But this was still pretty amazing. A lesson in compassion. Trevor illuminates the insides of his characters' heads with the brightest of lights, but never judges.
In sum: unlike most fans, I think Trevor's novels are even more brilliant than his short fiction. But this was still pretty amazing. A lesson in compassion. Trevor illuminates the insides of his characters' heads with the brightest of lights, but never judges.
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I absolutely loved Trevor's 'Two Lives' and this collection of stories didn't quite live up to my memories of that book. Trevor writes beautiful dialog though and that shines through in these stories.
All of the stories are tinged with sadness and a bit of nostalgia. I found 'Old Flame' and 'The Children' particularly compelling. Both of those stories are quite sad, and yet beautiful in the way they explore the strange and difficult choices we make when we are thinking of the peopl...more
All of the stories are tinged with sadness and a bit of nostalgia. I found 'Old Flame' and 'The Children' particularly compelling. Both of those stories are quite sad, and yet beautiful in the way they explore the strange and difficult choices we make when we are thinking of the peopl...more
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Read in January, 2009
I came across Trevor from a piece he did with the New Yorker on my favorite short story author, Jorge Luis Borges. And while I didn't find a connection between the two authors, I nonetheless enjoyed this book a lot. Trever has a perfect short story style: an economy of words, deep psychological insight and lovely prose.
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Read in May, 2009
After it's incredible review in EW, I bought it in Paperback. I don't know what to do with this one. I actually didn't read all of the stories all the way through. However, I did find 3 absolutely compelling, shocking and traumatic stories that have stuck with me, days later. It's an enigma, this book. Some of the stories I would be reading and realize that I wasn't taking in a single word. Others (the 3 above) I would be so engrossed that I wouldn't hear my train stop.
I'm really to...more
I'm really to...more
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Read in November, 2008
Infidelity, death, children, aging, change, duty, faith, reminiscence...the stuff of life. William Trevor is a master at capturing pivotal moments that define (or redefine) people forever. Time and again, in twenty pages or less, he manages to compose miniature epiphanic masterpieces. This is traditional story telling at its best -- no weird postmodern experimentation here. The twelve stories in this collection are powerful and full of Irish realism, but caveat emptor: they are not bursting...more
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You will feel like jumping off a cliff after reading this heavy, depressing book.
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I felt like I had already read the best stories in this collection..
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12/27/08
Pipgargery
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Cheating at Canasta: Stories by William Trevor (2007)
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05/13/09
Patricia Draper
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Read in January, 2009
William Trevor is a master of the short story form.
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
lovers of language and those who understand disappointment
William Trevor's stories are treasures. He communicates love, grief, longing, and regret with gorgeous restraint and an Irish gift for luminous prose. Though I reach most often for a novel, I often think that a perfect short story demands greater skill. So much is suggested or implied in so compact a form. Cheating at Canasta has been aptly compared to James Joyce's Dubliners, among the most masterful collections in English. I heartily recommend it.
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quotes from this book
"Shame isn't bad, her voice from somewhere else insists. Nor the humility that is its gift."
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