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The Astronomer and Other Stories
All but one of these seven stories and one novella take place in small towns in North Carolina, and all of them concern ordinary people teetering upon the knowledge of their own insignificance. First published in 1965, this second collection of short fiction by Doris Betts evinces her breathtaking mastery of the genre.
- GenresShort Stories
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Doris Betts
45 books12 followersDoris Betts (1932-2012), former Chancellor of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, wrote nine novels and three collections of short stories, including The Gentle Insurrection, The Sharp Teeth of Love, Souls Raised from the Dead, which won the Southern Book Award, and Beasts of the Southern Wild, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Betts taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for 35 years. She was a Guggenheim Fellow and received a medal from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2013
The other stories, yes, yes, they’re good. I like them just fine. But my God, The Astronomer.
Doris Betts is my Flannery O’Connor of a more ordered universe and The Astronomer is where it comes undone.
Doris Betts is my Flannery O’Connor of a more ordered universe and The Astronomer is where it comes undone.
November 12, 2024
I'm having a hard time reading collections of short stories lately, but I have to plow through the hundreds I bought when I had dreams of becoming a short story writer. I have to admit, I just don't really enjoy short stories. Most of this collection felt like a chore to get through, but I really enjoyed the title story, "The Astronomer," which is more like a novella than a short story at 111 pages. I guess I like my fiction to have more meat on its bones.
I really hated "The Spies in the Herb House," "Clarissa and the Depths," and "The Mandarin." Mostly, I didn't care for any of them. The characters were too close-minded and their worlds too constricted, much like today's South, in my opinion. I'm from Virginia, once capital of the Confederacy, but I think we've progressed more than the rest of the Old South, which still seems to hold a grudge about their lost glory days when they were slave-owners and made a fortune off of free labor.
"The Astronomer" actually was more in-depth than the other stories. When the curmudgeonly Mr. Beam finally retires from his lifetime job at Corey Knitting Mills, having long ago lost his wife and two sons, he gets a watch for his service, and then goes home to a lonely house. Not knowing what to do with himself, he slowly develops an interest in astronomy.
Soon, a man shows up wanting to rent a room, and Mr. Beam grudgingly allows him to rent a room for $6/week. The next day a woman follows, and, though the Astronomer is not happy about having people in his house, he ups the rent to $8/week and slowly develops an interest in their relationship. I like how Doris Betts ties together themes from astronomy, the Greek tales that inspired the names of stars and constellations, the relationship between the young couple, and the astronomer's own feelings, which have been closed off for years, about his own life, sons and wife. Actually, this story alone is why I gave the book 3 stars (that story alone would be 4 stars); for the rest I would have given it 1 star.
I really hated "The Spies in the Herb House," "Clarissa and the Depths," and "The Mandarin." Mostly, I didn't care for any of them. The characters were too close-minded and their worlds too constricted, much like today's South, in my opinion. I'm from Virginia, once capital of the Confederacy, but I think we've progressed more than the rest of the Old South, which still seems to hold a grudge about their lost glory days when they were slave-owners and made a fortune off of free labor.
"The Astronomer" actually was more in-depth than the other stories. When the curmudgeonly Mr. Beam finally retires from his lifetime job at Corey Knitting Mills, having long ago lost his wife and two sons, he gets a watch for his service, and then goes home to a lonely house. Not knowing what to do with himself, he slowly develops an interest in astronomy.
Soon, a man shows up wanting to rent a room, and Mr. Beam grudgingly allows him to rent a room for $6/week. The next day a woman follows, and, though the Astronomer is not happy about having people in his house, he ups the rent to $8/week and slowly develops an interest in their relationship. I like how Doris Betts ties together themes from astronomy, the Greek tales that inspired the names of stars and constellations, the relationship between the young couple, and the astronomer's own feelings, which have been closed off for years, about his own life, sons and wife. Actually, this story alone is why I gave the book 3 stars (that story alone would be 4 stars); for the rest I would have given it 1 star.
March 7, 2024
Third and final Doris Betts read
Spies in the Herb House was hokey, Clarissa and the depths just sad, and the other 4 of the first 6 completely forgettable. So this was heading toward 1-star, but Careful, Sharp Eggs Underfoot was well-written and funny, and then the title story was good. I felt I got to know the recently retired and widowed mill worker who takes up astronomy as a hobby and takes in two young boarders. The boarders have a complicated situation, with a spouse abandoned and a hard decision to make on a potential addition to the family. The reader feels increasing empathy for the astronomer as the story goes along and the boarders become a bigger part of his lonesome life.
Nevertheless, I cannot recommend the first seven of nine stories, so even though it closed with a pair of solid threes the overall rating is a two.
Spies in the Herb House was hokey, Clarissa and the depths just sad, and the other 4 of the first 6 completely forgettable. So this was heading toward 1-star, but Careful, Sharp Eggs Underfoot was well-written and funny, and then the title story was good. I felt I got to know the recently retired and widowed mill worker who takes up astronomy as a hobby and takes in two young boarders. The boarders have a complicated situation, with a spouse abandoned and a hard decision to make on a potential addition to the family. The reader feels increasing empathy for the astronomer as the story goes along and the boarders become a bigger part of his lonesome life.
Nevertheless, I cannot recommend the first seven of nine stories, so even though it closed with a pair of solid threes the overall rating is a two.
July 28, 2016
The astronomer and other stories by Betts_ Doris
Like books about astronomy as I learn new things.
Rural NC and story of relationships. The new boarders take up his time but there are discussions of love, loss, etc.
Interesting how they used the black soot from the chimney in many ways before the war.
2 young girls in one story imagine spies in a house nearby....
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Like books about astronomy as I learn new things.
Rural NC and story of relationships. The new boarders take up his time but there are discussions of love, loss, etc.
Interesting how they used the black soot from the chimney in many ways before the war.
2 young girls in one story imagine spies in a house nearby....
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews