In Karin Lin-Greenberg's Faulty Predictions, young characters try to find their way in the world and older characters confront regrets. In "Editorial Decisions," members of the editorial board of a high school literary magazine are witnesses to an unspeakable act of violence. Two grandmothers, both immigrants from China, argue over the value of their treasures at a filming of Antiques Roadshow in "Prized Possessions." In "A Good Brother," a sister forces her brother to accompany her to the Running of the Brides at Filene's Basement. A city bus driver adopts a pig that has been brought onto the bus by rowdy college students in "Designated Driver."
The stories in Faulty Predictions take place in locales as diverse as small-town Ohio, the mountains of western North Carolina, and the plains of Kansas. Lin-Greenberg provides insight into the human condition over a varied cross section of geography, age, and culture. Although the characters are often faced with obstacles and challenges, the stories also capture moments of optimism and hope.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
September 15, 2014 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780820347813
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780820347813
- File size: 2366 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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September 15, 2014
The 10 luminous stories in Lin-Greenberg's masterful collection are united by her examination of the various and devious ways people try to put things into perspective. She also follows the development and resolution of questionable decisions, the avenues ensuing actions take, and their consequences. Set in diverse locations, from a high-school library to a city art gallery to a small-town restaurant, the stories take universal human strengths and frailties writ large and reduce them to the most accessible and personal of encounters. Unrequited love induces a town's favorite young woman to volunteer with the Peace Corps in Mongolia in Miller Duskman's Mistakes, while sisterly devotion gets tested in the Half and Half Club. Chinese grandmothers fight over a statue of Jesus in Prized Possessions, and vigilante justice takes a surprising turn in the sweetly succinct Bread. A winner of the coveted Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, Lin-Greenberg deservedly joins such past recipients as Ha Jin, Kellie Wells, and Antonya Nelson as she offers a piquant look at life's bittersweet moments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)
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