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Coronado
by
Dennis Lehane (Goodreads Author)
Along with completely original material, this new collection is a compilation of the best of Dennis Lehane's previously published short fiction, including "Until Gwen," which was adapted for the stage in 2005 and appears in this book as the play Coronado. By turns suspenseful, surreal, romantic, and tragically comic, these powerful tales journey headlong into the heart of...more
ebook
Published
October 13th 2009
by HarperCollins e-books
(first published January 1st 2006)
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Feb 14, 2009
Jennifer (JC-S)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
librarybooks
‘And when hope comes late to a man, it’s a dangerous thing.’
I read these short stories across a few weeks: in those awkwardly shaped blocks of time where a short story is a neat fit and no great commitment of concentration is required. I felt that some of these short stories could well be the genesis of novels, whereas others were neatly executed within the pages allotted.
I am new to Mr Lehane’s work and I know that there are a number of novels awaiting me. Usually I prefer novels to short stori...more
I read these short stories across a few weeks: in those awkwardly shaped blocks of time where a short story is a neat fit and no great commitment of concentration is required. I felt that some of these short stories could well be the genesis of novels, whereas others were neatly executed within the pages allotted.
I am new to Mr Lehane’s work and I know that there are a number of novels awaiting me. Usually I prefer novels to short stori...more
Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. I could read (and re-read) some of his books a number of times, even though they aren't what you would ever call 'great literature' style fiction.
'Coronado' is a book of short stories, however, and while some of the stories work, some of them don't. I think he's at his best describing grimy inner city living. Where those elements pop up in these stories, the book works well. Where they don't appear, the story is missing something I feel.
I don't know w...more
'Coronado' is a book of short stories, however, and while some of the stories work, some of them don't. I think he's at his best describing grimy inner city living. Where those elements pop up in these stories, the book works well. Where they don't appear, the story is missing something I feel.
I don't know w...more
Coronado is Dennis Lehane’s latest tour-de-force. I’ve only read one of the three stories in the collection (“Gwen”), but will be all over the other two after seeing the play based on it. The San Francisco Playhouse is one of my favorite theaters, a young company doing a lot of cutting edge stuff, and the west coast premier of Coronado kept a whole group of us riveted for the entire performance. I’m not going to go into the play’s structure too deeply because it will give away too much if you h...more
Okay, there's a snow storm and I have to go to my book shelf. I find an unread book with the inscription, "Peggy, Best wishes for your writing," signed by Dennis Lehane. Ouch. I think I feel so guilty whenever my mother gives me a book signed by someone that she tells that I'm a writer I have to hide it. Don't even ask about the Andre Dubus III fiasco. Anyway, I realized that I'd confused Lehane with another South Boston writer and was probably just terrified because I've seen the movies Mystic...more
As with most story collections, I found things to like and things to dislike here. I'm a big fan of Lehane and have been impressed time and time again by his ability to take well-worn genre fiction (i.e. crime drama conceits) and turn it into something meaningful about the human condition. There aren't any cliches in his writing and it is typically full of vibrant prose and deep revelations into the human spirit. "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island" affected me deeply when I read them many years...more
Dennis Lehane is one of those authors that people either realize is brilliant or assume is brain candy. I am of the former. I bought this on audio during a road trip when I was desperate for something to listen to (and ran out of my library audiobooks) even though I wasn't sure about the short stories on audio. I'm still unsure of it as a format...especially reading/listening to one right after another. They kind of meld together for me, and because they are of similar theme--mahem, perhaps?--th...more
This was an odd read for me. First of all, I almost never read short stories and, truth be told, had I known this was a collection of stories AND a play, I never would have asked for the book off of Bookmooch.com. That said, I found this an extremely different side of Dennis Lehane and one which I have not decided whether I like or not.
The structure of the book is very unusual. Lehane wrote several short stories with a variety of characters and then decided to write a play that summarized all of...more
The structure of the book is very unusual. Lehane wrote several short stories with a variety of characters and then decided to write a play that summarized all of...more
Dennis Lehane writes the hell out of Boston. In his Kenzie-Genarro series, six books beginning with "A Drink Before the War," he writes the characters, feelings, and overall aura of that city, and continues to do so in "The Given Day," probably his best novel yet.
The sequel to that book, "Live By Night" takes the reader down to Tampa. And this collection of short stories has us in Texas, South Carolina, among other places in the great U.S. No surprise, they're mostly pretty grim tales, folks ru...more
The sequel to that book, "Live By Night" takes the reader down to Tampa. And this collection of short stories has us in Texas, South Carolina, among other places in the great U.S. No surprise, they're mostly pretty grim tales, folks ru...more
"What had begun as a nighttime ride into the unknown had turned cold and stale during the hard yellow lurch into morning" (34).
“The man’s eyes are the clear and the bright of skyscraper panes” (58).
“…a guy in a johnny leading his IV-stand across the carpet as if it’s a slow relative…” (63).
“Though he still feels like apologizing. It’s natural, he supposes, to not want to be the cause of any sort of ado, any kind of mass consternation. It’s a judgment, no matter how nebulous, of your entire life”...more
“The man’s eyes are the clear and the bright of skyscraper panes” (58).
“…a guy in a johnny leading his IV-stand across the carpet as if it’s a slow relative…” (63).
“Though he still feels like apologizing. It’s natural, he supposes, to not want to be the cause of any sort of ado, any kind of mass consternation. It’s a judgment, no matter how nebulous, of your entire life”...more
Dennis Lehane can do (incredibly dark) short stories, too, it turns out! I am listening to these on audiobook, read by Stanley Tucci (another big reason I bought it). The first story, "Running Out of Dog," reads so much like an episode of "Justified" I pictured those characters the whole time. The second story, the cleverly titled "ICU," has a flavor of Shutter Island about it -- delicious. I listened to that one twice, just to see if I could get a grasp of what was really going on (nope, you're...more
Lehane is truly an exciting and gifted writer. I personally tend to prefer his Boston-based stories a little more (from what I've read so far - I haven't gotten through everything he's done just yet). Coronado is a collection of short stories and a two-act play. Lehane has a proven way with dialogue and he is unbelievably good at crafting complicated and often unlikeable characters, that somehow still manage to drive the work forward.
Coronado was no exception. This work had that classic Lehane...more
Coronado was no exception. This work had that classic Lehane...more
Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon with an eight ball in the glove compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the back seat.
-“Until Gwen,” p. 111
Everyone seems to agree that Dennis Lehane easily qualifies as one of America’s most powerful writers of crime/thriller fiction. With an extremely popular detective series to his credit – not to mention his award-winning Mystic River – Lehane has become one of the most well-paid script writers on television. (He is currently writ...more
-“Until Gwen,” p. 111
Everyone seems to agree that Dennis Lehane easily qualifies as one of America’s most powerful writers of crime/thriller fiction. With an extremely popular detective series to his credit – not to mention his award-winning Mystic River – Lehane has become one of the most well-paid script writers on television. (He is currently writ...more
Dennis Lehane, one of the best crime and literary fiction writers alive today, successfully answered the question most critics asked when eyeing this new collection: Can a novelist write good short stories? The answer here is a resounding yes. Reviewers agree that these stories, some previously published, illustrate Lehane's ample talents in portraying pure evil through character-driven dramas. While "Mushroom" is perhaps the weak link, "Until Gwen" and its companion Coronado, which was produced
...more
Excellent. This book is filled with tight, well-paced stories that leave you thinking. I've only read one of Lehane's novels and he was a bit long-winded for my tastes, despite his amazing gift for description. Each of the stories in this collection is filled with both beautiful vivid prose and the perfect pace to go along with it. The play, Coronado, for which the collection is named, is a bit predictable but that doesn't stop it from being really well written and thought provoking. There will...more
Though I'd seen him name a lot I hadn't read any Dennis Lehane but will certainly read more after this sampling of his work. His narrative voice rings absolutely true and is seemingly chameleon like. Given the confines of the short story form, this is practically instant gratification literature. He's created a very real world which seems unremarkable on the surface but because of its citizens is defintely not a safe place. His non-judgemental take on good and evil and emotionless reportage of s...more
This is a collection of short stories about people who live in small towns and participate in illegal activities. I "liked" the first few stories, but I "really liked" the last two stories in the book. The play, written in two acts, is based on the previous story.
Well, two of the six stories ("Running Out of Dog," "Until Gwen") are excellent, anyway. Lehane's writing is fantastic as usual, but most of the stories here are fairly lackluster and almost fragmentary. The play, "Coronado," is simply a re-telling of the "Until Gwen" story, altered for the stage. Lehane's novels are usually dark, but he seems to view his short stories as experiments for determining the extent of his own morbidity. Most of the characters here are highly unlikable, and the consta...more
This was a great little collection of stories. All of them took place in the South, which was a nice departure from Lehane's usual Boston locale. I listened to the audio book, which had a really cool interview with the author at the end. That was definitely my favorite part! I also thought his use of second person in "Until Gwen" was interesting and extremely well executed. It's very hard to write well in second person without sounding like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book, but Lehane makes it w...more
This and The Given Day demonstrate that Lehane is not just a great mystery writer, he is a great writer.
It is true that the stories are uneven. Until Gwen is brilliant and Coronado is an excellent retelling of the story. Mushrooms, Down to Corpus, and Running Out of Dog, are not as solid, but effectively convey the themes of hopelessness of an emerging generation of blue collar kids/the lost opportunity of a similar aging generation that is seen in many of Lehane's books, especially Mystic Rive...more
It is true that the stories are uneven. Until Gwen is brilliant and Coronado is an excellent retelling of the story. Mushrooms, Down to Corpus, and Running Out of Dog, are not as solid, but effectively convey the themes of hopelessness of an emerging generation of blue collar kids/the lost opportunity of a similar aging generation that is seen in many of Lehane's books, especially Mystic Rive...more
A rather depressing collection of short stories with really weird/strange/interesting characters. Some stories are fascinating, others just sad. Some I liked, some not so much. Some look like a foreplay of what could've grown into something bigger. Some, I didn't need to know more. Well. It's all in the mix, I guess.
Running Out of Dog: Scary. You see the disaster coming and don't know how it could be stopped.
ICU: Depressing Paranoia. In a Kafka-esque way.
Gone Down to Corpus: Very weird. Strange...more
Running Out of Dog: Scary. You see the disaster coming and don't know how it could be stopped.
ICU: Depressing Paranoia. In a Kafka-esque way.
Gone Down to Corpus: Very weird. Strange...more
I'm not a huge fan of short stories generally unless they are just stunningly well done. They just don't give you enough time to become emotionally engaged with the characters. This collection wasn't much of an exception -- while I was really impressed with the first story, "Running out of Dog", it was unfortunate that it peaked there. Everything started to fizzle after that point, with a mild rally towards the end. I have been knocked flat by the movies based on Lehane's novels (Mystic River, a...more
If I wasn't sure about how I felt about Dennis Lehane, it's clear now. The man is a damn good author. He knows how to craft a short story like I've never seen.
With most of the stories in this collection, the reader gets only glimpses of backstory, and at first that bothered me. However, Lehane tells such a rich story in that short amount of pages that backstory becomes unnecessary to a certain degree. His deeply mysterious, morally ambiguous characters powerfully draw you in to their flawed worl...more
With most of the stories in this collection, the reader gets only glimpses of backstory, and at first that bothered me. However, Lehane tells such a rich story in that short amount of pages that backstory becomes unnecessary to a certain degree. His deeply mysterious, morally ambiguous characters powerfully draw you in to their flawed worl...more
If you've ever wanted to see excellent voice and POV read this. He writes simply, but powerfully. These stories were heavy in theme, but you're almost compelled to keep reading. There are some really evil people within these short stories. Sociopathic, Sadistic, and beautifully rendered. He writes in short meter giving every word power. This is from the same author as "Mystic River," "Gone, Baby Gone" and "Shutter Island"(I know its a cop out to mention only title which made it to the screen, bu...more
A friend loaned me this book so I could read "Until Gwen," a short story told in second person. (Highly recommended.)
I ended up reading a couple other stories before giving the book back. I think the blurb from Entertainment Weekly found in the first few pages says it best:
"Lehane has a startling capacity for assessing broken people."
Highly recommended as a good writing and engrossing stories with the disclaimer: the stories are moody, the characters are often deeply fractured, and Lehane is no...more
I ended up reading a couple other stories before giving the book back. I think the blurb from Entertainment Weekly found in the first few pages says it best:
"Lehane has a startling capacity for assessing broken people."
Highly recommended as a good writing and engrossing stories with the disclaimer: the stories are moody, the characters are often deeply fractured, and Lehane is no...more
Lehane examines the dark side of human nature in this collection of short stories, but in a way that lets us see the characters as strikingly human.
"Until Gwen" and "Coronado" are, respectively, a play and a short story involving the same characters, which include a con man with no scruples or moral conscious, and his son, who is forced to commit a painful, destructive and violent act that will forever change his life . . . perhaps for the better.
This book will keep you turning pages long past...more
"Until Gwen" and "Coronado" are, respectively, a play and a short story involving the same characters, which include a con man with no scruples or moral conscious, and his son, who is forced to commit a painful, destructive and violent act that will forever change his life . . . perhaps for the better.
This book will keep you turning pages long past...more
I love Dennis Lehane and almost anything he writes, but I just couldn't get into many of these stories. I think I might be a novel kind of gal because short stories seem to leave me wanting more. A couple of the stories were really riveting and a couple left me feeling like I had missed something big. In fact, I read one of the stories two times thinking I had skipped pages or missed something. Very tightly constructed and well written. I think if you like short stories, this book would appeal t...more
Picked up at the Rabun County Library sale. I didn't really realize it was short stories until I started listening. Short stories are not my thing, and the subject of most of these were pretty dark, drug laiden and violent. Still the writing was good, and Stanley Tucci did a credible reading of them each. The best part for me, though, was the author interview at the end. The title of the book is the title of the play that the last short story was turned into. It has a different impact than "Unti...more
Sep 13, 2007
Terry
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Lehane fans, noir fans
Shelves:
modernnoir
Lehane writes great noir novels like Mystic River; as far as I know this is his only short story collection. Where Mystic River was concerned with cops and criminals as friends, Coronado is about criminals and fringe characters.
The most unusual story here is "Gone Down to Corpus", where some Texas high school gridiron grunts decide to "mess up" a team member who dropped the ball on the two-yard-line and cost The Team a championship. In Texas, high school footballers are worshipped as heros. LeH...more
The most unusual story here is "Gone Down to Corpus", where some Texas high school gridiron grunts decide to "mess up" a team member who dropped the ball on the two-yard-line and cost The Team a championship. In Texas, high school footballers are worshipped as heros. LeH...more
Having read Mystic River I knew Dennis Lehane as an excellent observer of the lives of criminals and cops in a Boston he knows very well. This is a bit of a departure being based in the South and featuring people entirely on the wrong side of the law. He is still a good writer creating characters who are fascinating and whom you want to know more about. That said the portraits of low life southerners steers close to stereotype. They are the types of characters who seem familiar from other writer...more
I love Dennis Lehane and was happy to find this book in the bargain books and Barnes and Noble. I really enjoyed all of the stories but some more than others.
Until Gwen and Cornando were two of my favorite stories. The characters really got inside of my head...and I enjoyed the play format of Cornando.
ICU had a really interesting concept and I found the whole story fascinating.
The other three stories were interesting, but didn't captivate me like Until Gwen, ICU, and Cornando.
Until Gwen and Cornando were two of my favorite stories. The characters really got inside of my head...and I enjoyed the play format of Cornando.
ICU had a really interesting concept and I found the whole story fascinating.
The other three stories were interesting, but didn't captivate me like Until Gwen, ICU, and Cornando.
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Dennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The...more
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“After all your years climbing around in people’s heads like a cranial janitor, do you think people know why they do things? People rationalize, they turn their delusions into something romantic that they can disguise as ethics or principles or ideals. People are selfish, Doctor- odiously, monstrously, but in so small and paltry a monstrousness that we barely notice it.”
—
3 people liked it
“Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon with an 8-ball in the glove
compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the back seat.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the back seat.”
