Title: Comprehensive
Product review: High Lonesome is substantial. Both as physical object, a retrospective (of sorts) and a collection, it is a significant book. Joyce Carol Oates' self-selected tales run the gamut from haunting tales of revenge to close studies of family and relationships. The volume includes 13 new stories plus a sampling of Oates' work extending back to the '60s.The book itself is a beautiful specimen. Bibliophiles owe it to themselves to give the book a look just for its high production value.All that said, one begins to tire of Oates' oft-seen subjects (sisters, mothers/daughters) in familiar milieu (upstate New York). This is not a fault of the individual stories themselves, but rather having them all bunched together in one spot.But Oates has an impressive range of voice and style, including the two new stories "The Fish Factory" and the eponymous "High Lonesome," both exquisite.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
