{"product_id":"the-boatman-and-other-stories-isbn-9780062856609","title":"The Boatman and Other Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“I know of no writer on either side of the\u003cbr\u003eAtlantic who is better at exploring the human spirit under assault than Billy\u003cbr\u003eO’Callaghan.”—Robert Olen Butler\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe prizewinning Irish short-story writer and author of the\u003cbr\u003ehighly praised novel, \u003cem\u003eMy Coney Island\u003cbr\u003eBaby\u003c\/em\u003e, delivers his most accomplished book of short fiction to date—a\u003cbr\u003epoignant story collection that “grips from the opening page” (Bernard\u003cbr\u003eMacLaverty). \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese\u003cbr\u003eare twelve poignant, quietly dazzling, and carefully crafted stories that\u003cbr\u003eexplore the resiliency of the human heart and its ability to keep beating in\u003cbr\u003ethe wake of bereavement, violence, lost love, and incomparable trauma and\u003cbr\u003egrief.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Spanning\u003cbr\u003ea century and two continents, from the muddy fields of Ireland to a hotel room\u003cbr\u003ein Paris, a dingy bar in Segovia to an airplane bound for Taipei, \u003cem\u003eThe Boatman and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e follows an\u003cbr\u003eunforgettable cast of characters. Three gunshots on the Irish border define the\u003cbr\u003ecourse of a young man’s life; a writer clings fast to a star-crossed affair\u003cbr\u003ewith a woman who has never been fully within his reach; a fisherman accustomed\u003cbr\u003eto hard labor rolls up his sleeves to dig a grave for his child; and a pair of\u003cbr\u003enewlyweds embark on their first adventure, living wild on the deserted Beginish\u003cbr\u003eIsland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRanging\u003cbr\u003efrom the elegiac to the brutally confrontational, these densely layered tales\u003cbr\u003ereveal the quiet heroism and gentle dignity of ordinary life. Billy O’Callaghan\u003cbr\u003eis a master celebrant of the smallness of the human flame against the dark: its\u003cbr\u003estrength and its steady brightness.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eMy Coney Island Baby\u003c\/em\u003e is that rare thing, a tender straight-ahead love story which convinces thoroughly while steering clear of the fashionably dysfunctional and transgressive relationships that dominate so much contemporary fiction…Good books remind us of other good books, and in its treatment of adultery this one calls to mind thematic ancestors such as \u003cem\u003eMadame Bovary\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAnna Karenina\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Scarlett Letter\u003c\/em\u003e.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes London\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Billy O’Callaghan writes with elegance and wisdom about a complex love situation… a subtle and deeply moving account of the relationship between a middle-aged couple…This is a fine novel, with elegance and wisdom lying beneath an unpretentious surface and O’Callaghan, a gifted writer, has managed to do that most difficult of things: take a quiet, almost everyday story, and transform it into a thing of beauty.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Compellingly readable…An impressive work…Through one day in a year’s long extramarital affair, an Irish writer looks at intimacy and estrangement… The prose [is] exceptional, elegiac and eloquent, in conveying insight and sympathy for the small cast’s two main players as they face an uncertain future…” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Twelve outstanding and often poignant stories from one of Ireland’s master storytellers… high quality, literary fiction.”                        - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFictionophile, at 746 Stories\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A shining example of how [short stories] can distil and intensify a writer’s gifts… These 12 stories confirm [O’Callaghan’s] delicate craftsmanship, unflashy narrative and descriptive skill, and his deep understanding of powerful and universal emotions… Breathtaking… Masterly… Irish writing has put out many new and more consciously modernist shoots in recent years, all welcome. But Billy O’Callaghan belongs now in the recognised front rank, along with Bernard MacLaverty, Edna O’Brien, William Trevor and Colm Tóibín.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Tablet (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“The Boatman and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e tears at the heartstrings of the reader with each story…An appreciation for life and love shines through…An excellent body of work to be enjoyed.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A welcome voice to the pantheon of new Irish writing.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEdna O’Brien\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Billy O’Callaghan’s work is at once subtle and direct, warm and clear-eyed, and never less than beautifully written. He has a moving ability to express the hopes and fears of ‘ordinary’ people, and he knows intimately the ways of the world. He richly deserves a world-wide reputation. This writer is the real thing.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Banville\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eMy Coney Island Baby\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e  “An illicit meeting between long-term lovers makes for a poignant, piercing meditation on middle age and the passing of time…In the closing pages, O’Callaghan’s prose reaches a pitch of emotional intensity that ensures these characters will linger with you long after the book is closed.”       - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“…deeply affecting stories…the collection's best pieces stay close to home and cleave close to the bone…Low-key, nuanced, moving—an impressive collection.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Love, bereavement, Paris in the rain give an unforced gravity and lyricism to these stories…which focus on the glimmer of heart in the hardness of life.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This collection of taut, lyrical short stories explores the choices of characters at the limits of emotional and physical extremes… O'Callaghan's affection for the harsh landscape of Ireland is as strong as his knowledge of his flawed and emotionally driven characters, to the point that they seem to grow inevitably out of that misty, unforgiving place.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889254363365,"sku":"NP9780062856609","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062856609.jpg?v=1730230851","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-boatman-and-other-stories-isbn-9780062856609","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}