What do you think?
Rate this book
The News of the World
Presents a collection of short stories peopled by honest individuals striving to measure up to large doses of life's danger and its magic
187 pages, Hardcover
First published January 17, 1987
2 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Ron Carlson
84 books126 followersRon Carlson is an American novelist and writer of short stories.
Carlson was born in Logan, Utah, but grew up in Salt Lake City. He earned a masters degree in English from the University of Utah. He then taught at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where he started his first novel.
He became a professor of English at Arizona State University in 1985, teaching creative writing to undergraduates and graduates, and ultimately becoming director of its Creative Writing Program.
Carlson also taught at the University of California, Irvine.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Carlson
Carlson was born in Logan, Utah, but grew up in Salt Lake City. He earned a masters degree in English from the University of Utah. He then taught at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where he started his first novel.
He became a professor of English at Arizona State University in 1985, teaching creative writing to undergraduates and graduates, and ultimately becoming director of its Creative Writing Program.
Carlson also taught at the University of California, Irvine.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Carlson
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 25, 2016
This is Carlson's first collection of stories, an amalgam of distinct styles and voices, many stories employing humor to great effect. Reading this collection after The Hotel Eden was the right choice; marking the maturity of the author between the two groups of stories is positive reinforcement to any author of short fiction that one can improve one's craft over time.
January 17, 2018
My favorite story here was The Status Quo, about a woman's mid-life crisis. I also liked Olympus Hills, with a similar theme about not being able to escape the predictability of suburban life:
Lisa always claims to hate these parties. We'll be dressing at home and she'll wave the hair dryer at me, making predictions. "Karen will wear that blue mini and go after Lou. They'll have a clam dip diluted with sour cream. Generic sour cream. Did I say generic sour cream? Wayne will move in on me when I sit on the couch and tell me about his kids for two hours. He thinks that's the way you flirt. Ted will bring his oldies tape. Ellen will be the first one to sing. Tom will be the first one drunk. You'll get drunk too and come on to Cindy, and we'll have our little quarrel on the way home. Are you ready? Let's go."
I also liked Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean (it reminded me of Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life, on which the movie Arrival was based), The Time I Died (an upsetting tale about a girls' night out), and Half Life, about misunderstandings and regret. And I know you're not supposed to believe back-of-the-book blurbs, but I liked this quote from John Irving: "There is in these stories a certain holiness bestowed on ordinary things, on ordinary lives, that is a powerful reminder of the late John Cheever."
Lisa always claims to hate these parties. We'll be dressing at home and she'll wave the hair dryer at me, making predictions. "Karen will wear that blue mini and go after Lou. They'll have a clam dip diluted with sour cream. Generic sour cream. Did I say generic sour cream? Wayne will move in on me when I sit on the couch and tell me about his kids for two hours. He thinks that's the way you flirt. Ted will bring his oldies tape. Ellen will be the first one to sing. Tom will be the first one drunk. You'll get drunk too and come on to Cindy, and we'll have our little quarrel on the way home. Are you ready? Let's go."
I also liked Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean (it reminded me of Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life, on which the movie Arrival was based), The Time I Died (an upsetting tale about a girls' night out), and Half Life, about misunderstandings and regret. And I know you're not supposed to believe back-of-the-book blurbs, but I liked this quote from John Irving: "There is in these stories a certain holiness bestowed on ordinary things, on ordinary lives, that is a powerful reminder of the late John Cheever."
Read
July 31, 20232/3 <3
September 17, 2024
This book changed my life, when I was a burgeoning writer.
December 31, 2024
collection of short stories and this wasn't my style.
February 10, 2017
Great collection of stories. Narrators/main characters sometimes feel a bit reserved, at a distance, as if there's something there not quite telling us yet. The opening story "The Governor's Ball," in which a man hauls away the ruined furnishings of a flooded apartment in the hours before a social event to which his wife tries to hurry him, develops a very '80s, Carver-y, minimalist-y sort of space between what the narrator reveals and what the reader sees. Other stories don't feel quite as grim; strains of joy turn up throughout the book. "The H Street Sledding Record" tenderly documents a young family's winter tradition, somehow avoiding sappiness in a spectacle-free examination of the father's desire for another child. The themes of longing and family are central also to "Life Before Science," in which a man focuses on his work as an artist and on alternatives to help his wife conceive when medicine offers no explanation for their inability; his joy, his enthusiasm, suffuses the narrative, so much so that it's difficult to say whether he's actually losing his mind.
Stories through the middle of the collection turn often to tabloid subject matter and do so not with the sort of halfhearted sci-fi or inexplicably weird bent popular with those looking to cash in on George Saunders's shtick but rather with sincerity and humanity. The stories have a substance, I guess I mean to say, beyond "hey look at this weird vaguely clever thing that happened!" In "Bigfoot Stole My Wife," a man works to convince the reader that the legendary creature ran off with his woman; "I Am Bigfoot," the following story, features the creature's confession of certain such incidents but perfectly captures the all too human fear of something out there, blurry and not quite identifiable, just waiting for its chance to lure away the ones we love.
"Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean" recounts a tabloid psychic's inability to alter her fate despite her visions of the future. A woman compares her story of death, recalling a night out with an old friend at the end of her marriage, with those in the tabloids in "The Time I Died." In "Phenomena" a middle-aged sheriff deals with the loss of his youth, its people and places and events, as he relates his encounter with a UFO.
The end of the book returns too more familial ground. In "Milk" a father fights his wife's (and mother") desire to fingerprint their young twin boys as a precaution against kidnapping; in "Blood" a new father watches his wife cope with insecurities around becoming a parent to their adopted child; and in "The Status Quo" a woman tries to relocate herself in a life of social gatherings and teenage children and new desires.
Stories through the middle of the collection turn often to tabloid subject matter and do so not with the sort of halfhearted sci-fi or inexplicably weird bent popular with those looking to cash in on George Saunders's shtick but rather with sincerity and humanity. The stories have a substance, I guess I mean to say, beyond "hey look at this weird vaguely clever thing that happened!" In "Bigfoot Stole My Wife," a man works to convince the reader that the legendary creature ran off with his woman; "I Am Bigfoot," the following story, features the creature's confession of certain such incidents but perfectly captures the all too human fear of something out there, blurry and not quite identifiable, just waiting for its chance to lure away the ones we love.
"Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean" recounts a tabloid psychic's inability to alter her fate despite her visions of the future. A woman compares her story of death, recalling a night out with an old friend at the end of her marriage, with those in the tabloids in "The Time I Died." In "Phenomena" a middle-aged sheriff deals with the loss of his youth, its people and places and events, as he relates his encounter with a UFO.
The end of the book returns too more familial ground. In "Milk" a father fights his wife's (and mother") desire to fingerprint their young twin boys as a precaution against kidnapping; in "Blood" a new father watches his wife cope with insecurities around becoming a parent to their adopted child; and in "The Status Quo" a woman tries to relocate herself in a life of social gatherings and teenage children and new desires.
Read
April 6, 2011Strong characterisation is one of the pillars of excellent storytelling, and in Ron Carlson’s The News of the World, it is obvious that care has been taken to craft characters that will remain memorable to the reader. Published in 1987, The News of the World is a compilation of many of Ron Carlson’s short stories, many of which are intended to be a reflection of the Eighties period.
From the mundane to the bizarre, each story shares something in common -- a fabulous sense of character. The stories themselves deal with the mundane, largely ordinary lives of a variety of people. Ordinary, however, doesn’t necessarily mean ‘boring’, and the small eccentricies of these characters rings true. The people Carlson brings to life are refreshingly human, with human vices and virtues and voices. Take, for instance, the narrator of The H Street Sledding Record, who shovels horse manure onto his roof ever Christmas (in order to give the illusion that reindeer hand landed there), and who holds his family together with their own special rituals. Will his daughter eventually grow up and realise that Santa and his reindeer landing on the roof never happened? Yes, but the narrator is determined to make the magic last as long as possible even, he hopes, with his future son.
Carlson’s writing style is enjoyably casual; very rarely does the prose ever feel stilted or forced. The dialogue shines, even in in the more mundane moments, and the amount of detail he puts into these ordinary lives is almost staggering. His prose is very much based on the “show, don’t tell” manner of storytelling -- it’s the subtle moments that give his writing a complete, almost fulfilling feeling, and makes his characters seem far more rounded.
The stories that really shine in this book are ones in this book are ones less to do with the mundane aspects of life itself, and more with the unusual people that try and live a mundane life. Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean is a particularly notable example. The piece deals with a woman whose ability to see future events has led her to become more and more private as she goes on, travelling the nation and seemingly held in the grasp of what sees. She spends time as a psychic, of course, but she also spends time make a fortune in Las Vegas on craps, working at Wendy’s, being employed as a tabloid writer, and, eventually, dying from the combination of a gray whale and a staph infection. Taken as separate events, the story seems farfetched, but Carlson’s writing weaves the tale into a believable whole.
The News of the World manages to incorporate the ordinary and the bizarre in a way that makes both seem like a perfect complement. The characters are funny, heartbreaking, and imminently memorable, and while the stories it contains may never be the next Harry Potter or the like, they still are quiet gems of fiction that resound with readers, even twenty years after being published.
From the mundane to the bizarre, each story shares something in common -- a fabulous sense of character. The stories themselves deal with the mundane, largely ordinary lives of a variety of people. Ordinary, however, doesn’t necessarily mean ‘boring’, and the small eccentricies of these characters rings true. The people Carlson brings to life are refreshingly human, with human vices and virtues and voices. Take, for instance, the narrator of The H Street Sledding Record, who shovels horse manure onto his roof ever Christmas (in order to give the illusion that reindeer hand landed there), and who holds his family together with their own special rituals. Will his daughter eventually grow up and realise that Santa and his reindeer landing on the roof never happened? Yes, but the narrator is determined to make the magic last as long as possible even, he hopes, with his future son.
Carlson’s writing style is enjoyably casual; very rarely does the prose ever feel stilted or forced. The dialogue shines, even in in the more mundane moments, and the amount of detail he puts into these ordinary lives is almost staggering. His prose is very much based on the “show, don’t tell” manner of storytelling -- it’s the subtle moments that give his writing a complete, almost fulfilling feeling, and makes his characters seem far more rounded.
The stories that really shine in this book are ones in this book are ones less to do with the mundane aspects of life itself, and more with the unusual people that try and live a mundane life. Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean is a particularly notable example. The piece deals with a woman whose ability to see future events has led her to become more and more private as she goes on, travelling the nation and seemingly held in the grasp of what sees. She spends time as a psychic, of course, but she also spends time make a fortune in Las Vegas on craps, working at Wendy’s, being employed as a tabloid writer, and, eventually, dying from the combination of a gray whale and a staph infection. Taken as separate events, the story seems farfetched, but Carlson’s writing weaves the tale into a believable whole.
The News of the World manages to incorporate the ordinary and the bizarre in a way that makes both seem like a perfect complement. The characters are funny, heartbreaking, and imminently memorable, and while the stories it contains may never be the next Harry Potter or the like, they still are quiet gems of fiction that resound with readers, even twenty years after being published.
April 21, 2010
The Time I Died.....
"The News of the World" - stories by Ron Carlson is a great collection. The first book of short stories that Ron wrote in 1987.
I've recently read all of Carlson's short story collections, except for his newest one "At the Jim Bridger", which I'm eagerly waiting to crack open.
Short stories seem to be either loved or hated by most readers, I happen to love them. If your looking for short stories that are oustanding and superbly written, look no further then anything by Ron Carlson.
Part I of the book, which include the first five stories in the book, had me wondering if this collection would stand up to "The Hotel Eden", which I adored
Part II did not disappoint, with the first two stories being Carlson's famous - Bigfoot Stole My Wife & the follow up - My Name is Bigfoot, those aren't my personal favorites, but two other stories from this section are -
The Time I Died (5 star writing, short story gold)
Phenomena (5 star writing, short story gold)
Part III is good, with four of the five stories really leaving an impression-
Half Life
Milk
Blood
Max
Great collection, more affirmation for me that Ron Carlson is my favorite short story writer!
Highly recommended!
"The News of the World" - stories by Ron Carlson is a great collection. The first book of short stories that Ron wrote in 1987.
I've recently read all of Carlson's short story collections, except for his newest one "At the Jim Bridger", which I'm eagerly waiting to crack open.
Short stories seem to be either loved or hated by most readers, I happen to love them. If your looking for short stories that are oustanding and superbly written, look no further then anything by Ron Carlson.
Part I of the book, which include the first five stories in the book, had me wondering if this collection would stand up to "The Hotel Eden", which I adored
Part II did not disappoint, with the first two stories being Carlson's famous - Bigfoot Stole My Wife & the follow up - My Name is Bigfoot, those aren't my personal favorites, but two other stories from this section are -
The Time I Died (5 star writing, short story gold)
Phenomena (5 star writing, short story gold)
Part III is good, with four of the five stories really leaving an impression-
Half Life
Milk
Blood
Max
Great collection, more affirmation for me that Ron Carlson is my favorite short story writer!
Highly recommended!
October 13, 2015
Its a great read. Very different to other collections of short stories, less focused on writing style, and more focused on the story, and in exposing or exploring a unique moment in time.
I told my friend about some of the stories. I described this book to him as follows
"One story is about a psychic who gets tired of being a psychic and moves away from the city, in order to avoid people. Another is about a couple struggling to make a baby, and another is about a man whose wife gets abducted by big foot. "
My descriptions do these stories no justice, as what he provides, simply, is a unique vision and a trip into someone else's life.
Highly recommended.
I told my friend about some of the stories. I described this book to him as follows
"One story is about a psychic who gets tired of being a psychic and moves away from the city, in order to avoid people. Another is about a couple struggling to make a baby, and another is about a man whose wife gets abducted by big foot. "
My descriptions do these stories no justice, as what he provides, simply, is a unique vision and a trip into someone else's life.
Highly recommended.
February 21, 2010
This is such a wonderful collection of stories. Whether Carlson's characters are doing odd things (throwing manure onto their roof, claiming Bigfoot stole their wife, nailing garlic to their house) or simply dealing with everyday issues (becoming tired of a boring life, struggling with their children growing up), their voices are always strong and believable, so you find yourself nodding in understanding. Many of Carlson's stories are also quite funny -- I often found myself laughing out loud.
January 4, 2011
Ron Carlson is one of the only authors I know who isn't scared to write a happy short story. This collection seems, like others of his (for me at least), to lag a bit in the middle. But all-in-all, it's wonderful!
Stand-outs: "Milk," "Half-Life,"and "the Governor's Ball" were my favorites, but many of the others are great as well.
Stand-outs: "Milk," "Half-Life,"and "the Governor's Ball" were my favorites, but many of the others are great as well.
April 25, 2008
A beautiful ecclectic collection of Mr. Carlsons' short stories. One that stayed with me for years was about a psychic woman and her demise due to an encounter with a whale.His work is haunting and inspiring.It is great fiction for the everyday, middleclass soul.
June 10, 2008
This contains (among other great stories)The H Street Sledding Record, which is one of our all-teim favorite short stories. It's a Christmas story with humor, romance...and characters so real you swear you know them.
July 15, 2010
Carlson creates some really endearing characters. These are mostly happy stories. His best are those that have a somewhat tilted world. Phenomena was my favorite, but the two Bigfoot stories were fun; The Governor's Ball, Half Life, and Madame Zelena Finally Comes Clean were also great.
July 25, 2014
It made me nostalgic for 1980s Salt Lake City I never knew.
Read
November 9, 2015One of my favorite short story collections. A classic...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews