Emperor of the Air

by Ethan Canin
Emperor of the Air  
published September 1999 by Mariner Books
first published 1988
binding Paperback
isbn 0618004149   (isbn13: 9780618004140)
pages 192
description EMPEROR OF THE AIR "explores tricky family relationships and tender moments of self-discovery with a voice of compassion rarely found in contempo...more
date added
02-10-07



Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.







discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »




friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.



lists with this book




other reviews (showing 1-20 of 259)



Josh
Josh rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/08/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: Fans of Twain and Michael Chabon.
I read "Carry Me Across the Water" last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it; so, I decided to give "Emperor of the Air" a try. Not bad. In fact, I would go so far as to say great. Canin's true strength is in his use of language. You'd be hard-pressed to find a misplaced word in the entire collection. He is a simple poet of domestic fiction. The only problem is that some stories soar and others merely have the language going for them. The title story made me cry upon readi...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Mike
Mike rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/18/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008
There are bands I like who basically play one song but... it is a good one (the Ramones, Motorhead, and Ministry all come to mind). I can pretty much put on any of their albums and enjoy it. Similarly , there are authors who have one basic story and write it overand over, but do it really well and I enjoy each one (Kurt Vonnegut & R.E. Howard, as different form each other as is possible in all other respects, come to mind). This collection of stories is like that -- one story (in this cas...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Sam
Sam rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/19/08

bookshelves: shortfiction
I like to think of Canin's work as the apotheosis of "Craft," as it's discussed and considered in the context of fiction workshops. Every story in this collection has a sort of airy, open quality, and he gets you through major plot points and time shifts with nary a bump to be seen. There are significant pluses and minuses to this talent of his, this ability to manufacture resonance from fragments and knit seamless stories together. The craft displayed in these stories makes them ex...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Karen
Karen rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/26/07

Read in January, 2007
I'd read "The Palace Thief" and hated it. So I approached this without expecting to like it...and ended up being bowled over in the opposite direction. "Emperor of the Air" is good, and particularly good reading for anyone who's trying to learn how to write short stories. Canin's stories are beautifully crafted, but they're also at the point where they're still possible for the learner to deconstruct them and come out with a number of lessons and ideas on how to frame thei...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

cal godot
11/02/07

When people complain about "workshop fiction," I always think of Ethan Canin. His prose is serviceable, his plots are adequate, and his characters are acceptable. I'm never certain why people praise him as if he's a contemporary Chekhov. I must confess that I feel a bit guilty about giving him two stars, but it just isn't three-star work. His later work began to show the maturity and development I find lacking in these stories. But still, no fire could ever be lit under me by such stan...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Steven
04/15/08

bookshelves: short-stories
My three favorite stories in this collection are “Lies,” Where We Are Now,” and “Pitch Memory.” What they have in common is that they perfectly capture a moment, and what it means, while also layering in entire lives of several characters, and doing it in a compressed narrative. This is exactly what Canin seems unable to do in The Palace Thief. “Star Food” is also a great story, really nice juxtaposition of parental difference.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Jenny
Jenny rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/25/08

bookshelves: short-stories
Read in July, 2008
A wonderful writer. What is most amazing is his insight - all of the stories are in first person, and though most of his narrators are male (with one exception), their ages range dramatically. Considering he was about 26 when he wrote this, his ability to capture those different voices authentically is impressive.
Like this review?   yes  
  2 comments

Moira
Moira rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/06/08

Read in July, 2008
I have wanted to try Ethan Canin for awhile, and I'd be happy to read more. What I enjoyed most was the direct and simple style of his narrators that still crystallize these very beautiful, writerly sentences without any jarring feeling. Particularly liked the title story and "We Are Nighttime Travelers."
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Garrett
Garrett rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/02/07

Prose like glass. Not a single unbeautiful sentence. "Emperor of the Air" and "Where We Are Now" are among my all-time favorites, because, unlike more than half the stories in this collection, they really go somewhere.
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  1 comments

Joe
Joe rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/03/07

Read in July, 2007
recommends it for: short story fans
This enjoyable and highly readable collection of short stories was recommended to me by a veteran educator. Canin's stories have the readability of Raymond Carver and the profundity of F.S. Fitzgerald.
Like this review?   yes   (2 people liked it)
  1 comments

cindy
cindy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/02/07

Tyler told me to read this and I was hesitant because I used to say I didn't really dig the short story. Now, I do though, partly because of Tyler and partly because of this book and how much like poetry it is.
Like this review?   yes  
  4 comments

Dale
Dale rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/12/08

As a collection, this is a fine book. But, for my money, "We Are Nighttime Travelers," included here, is the finest short story I've read in many years.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Cole
Cole rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/21/07

This is a flawed but powerful collection of short stories, the best of which is "We Are Nighttime Travelers."
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Katie
Katie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/31/07

Read in July, 2007
No comment for now, except that I should have read this two years ago, before I became a burnt-out case.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Elyssa
Elyssa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/22/07

bookshelves: fiction
I read this many years ago, but it remains one of my favorite short story collections.
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  1 comments

Justin
Justin rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/07/08

Read in July, 2008
Fucking awesome. If you like short stories, read this book. That's really all there is to say.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Malcolm Alexander
Malcolm rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/08/08

This is my favorite book of short stories, along with Margaret Atwood's "Wilderness Tips.".
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Myra
Myra rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/24/07

bookshelves: shortstories
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for: everyone
Stories so life like and sad that I almost confuse them with my own memories.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Andrea
03/09/08

Read in September, 2007
Some really great stories in this collection while others were just there.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Damièn
Read many moons ago. I remember no details except that I liked it.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment


« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 13





book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.94 (259 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.94 (225 ratings)
number of reviews: 25






other editions

Emperor of the Air (Paperback)
Emperor of the Air: Stories (Hardcover)
Emperor of the Air (Picador Books)