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Review
"Ross is the kind of writer who gets into his often-dysfunctional characters' heads with ease and inhabits them with compassion, giving them a sense of vulnerability... His prose has a pleasing ease to it, without being easy - there's an edge to the worlds he creates that rewards closer reading and prevents sentimentality or predictability. Definitely one to watch"
--The Herald, Lesley McDowell, January 2012
If you like short stories with a sharp twist in the tale, Adam Ross' astringent collection will be perfectly to your taste --Daily Mail
--The Herald, Lesley McDowell, January 2012
If you like short stories with a sharp twist in the tale, Adam Ross' astringent collection will be perfectly to your taste --Daily Mail
Review
"Ross studies families and couples in volatile combinations . . . Punches are thrown between brothers, wild dogs go on the attack, and someone gets pistol-whipped. Conversations lead out of the polite shallows into confrontation . . . For both the married and the divorced in [these] seven stories, full of reversals and surprise endings, potential catastrophe is always closer than you think." --Brian Miller, "Seattle Weekly"
"Riveting and affecting--the work of an author who has the rare ability to mesmerize "and" move us . . . Suspenseful, humorous and, at times, noirish, [Ross] crafts smooth sentences and can make you laugh out loud without ever undermining or selling out the poignancy of his stories . . . Irresistible." --Skip Horack, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Masterfully constructed . . . Skillful but never showy, [Ross's] highly polished, somewhat spare prose . . . gives these stories a beauty and clarity that are strangely at odds with [their] grim vision . . . "L
"Riveting and affecting--the work of an author who has the rare ability to mesmerize "and" move us . . . Suspenseful, humorous and, at times, noirish, [Ross] crafts smooth sentences and can make you laugh out loud without ever undermining or selling out the poignancy of his stories . . . Irresistible." --Skip Horack, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Masterfully constructed . . . Skillful but never showy, [Ross's] highly polished, somewhat spare prose . . . gives these stories a beauty and clarity that are strangely at odds with [their] grim vision . . . "L
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24 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Inventive, Exceptional Stories
30 Sep 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I believe short stories of quality are difficult to write and sometimes complicated to interpret. Their composition demands perfect settings and more precise character development than a novel. Adam Ross' stories remind me of English classes when an instructor or professor could spend at least five class days working through the analysis of a distinguished short story. Ladies and Gentleman took me back to those days when short story writing was a miraculous craft of developing characters and plot that culminate with a moral or an O'Henry- type twist. The impact of these stories is priceless.
Mr. Ross has an uncanny ability to capture relationships at the pinnacles of stress. From the perspective of male narrators, the stories are disheartening as he tells us that people whether they are married, single, parents, or siblings, will do whatever they have to do to stage-manage and destabilize others for their own tenacious desires.
In "Futures" the middle-aged loser is characterized with such cruelty, it became absurd. Not only was he the subject of a scam as he desperately searched for a job, he was robbed when he unselfishly helped his neighbor's son. The outcome was grim, to say the least. In other story, "When in Rome," two siblings have a sick relationship which ends in a horrid twist depicting the intensity of sibling hatred. The "Middleman" encompasses many destructive ends, with the hard working male again the loser. Many of the narratives involved females who were ruthless or incapable of any empathy. "The Suicide Room" is a composite of horrific deaths.
Most of Mr. Ross' characters are liars and they can manipulate the tale to suit their fancy. He can write about offensive incidents with a story of massacres or deception allowing individuals to present themselves in the version of their choice. Talk about poetic license!
Adam Ross is truly a gifted writer. His stories could be analyzed and dissected on many levels.
Mr. Ross has an uncanny ability to capture relationships at the pinnacles of stress. From the perspective of male narrators, the stories are disheartening as he tells us that people whether they are married, single, parents, or siblings, will do whatever they have to do to stage-manage and destabilize others for their own tenacious desires.
In "Futures" the middle-aged loser is characterized with such cruelty, it became absurd. Not only was he the subject of a scam as he desperately searched for a job, he was robbed when he unselfishly helped his neighbor's son. The outcome was grim, to say the least. In other story, "When in Rome," two siblings have a sick relationship which ends in a horrid twist depicting the intensity of sibling hatred. The "Middleman" encompasses many destructive ends, with the hard working male again the loser. Many of the narratives involved females who were ruthless or incapable of any empathy. "The Suicide Room" is a composite of horrific deaths.
Most of Mr. Ross' characters are liars and they can manipulate the tale to suit their fancy. He can write about offensive incidents with a story of massacres or deception allowing individuals to present themselves in the version of their choice. Talk about poetic license!
Adam Ross is truly a gifted writer. His stories could be analyzed and dissected on many levels.
19 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is a very good book!
1 July 2011
Format:Hardcover
I liked Adam Ross's debut novel, Mr. Peanut. I thought it was brilliant. I read. I re-read. I stopped to consider what I had just read. I discussed with others. I returned to step #1. It was invigorating to deconstruct the vivid, but complex, tapestry that Mr. Ross had woven. Like an advanced English Lit class - it made me work. But occasionally I wished I had the Cliffs Notes, if only because I felt I had not fully absorbed all that the story offered. That, in part, is why I loved Mr. Ross's encore performance so much, and consumed it so quickly.
Ladies and Gentlemen is a unique collection of self contained stories that are as entertaining as they are enlightening. None of the traits that made Mr. Peanut such a success are lost. Mr. Ross's clever dialogue and powerfully descriptive narrative immediately draws you into each tale and keeps you engaged throughout. The characters are richly developed, relatable and compelling. The stories are unique and captivating. This time, however, digesting Mr. Ross's remarkable insights into the complexities of human relationships felt a bit more like taking my medicine by coating it in, well... peanut butter. I could focus on the conscience shaking perceptions embeded within the center of each story, or I could just lick my lips and enjoy the peanuty goodness.
As each story is crisp and complete, it is hard to comment on the plots, beyond what is included in the dust jacket vignettes, without spoiling the experience for the next reader. I've read a few of the published reviews that tried. Each, in its own way, revealed too much. Suffice it to say that like any good collection of short stories, each tale stands on its own and the subject matter - which is really the characters that Mr. Ross is so adept at developing - evokes an emotional response that is both satisfying and unsettling.
Throw it in your beach bag and enjoy. It is an easy read that will not disappoint.
Ladies and Gentlemen is a unique collection of self contained stories that are as entertaining as they are enlightening. None of the traits that made Mr. Peanut such a success are lost. Mr. Ross's clever dialogue and powerfully descriptive narrative immediately draws you into each tale and keeps you engaged throughout. The characters are richly developed, relatable and compelling. The stories are unique and captivating. This time, however, digesting Mr. Ross's remarkable insights into the complexities of human relationships felt a bit more like taking my medicine by coating it in, well... peanut butter. I could focus on the conscience shaking perceptions embeded within the center of each story, or I could just lick my lips and enjoy the peanuty goodness.
As each story is crisp and complete, it is hard to comment on the plots, beyond what is included in the dust jacket vignettes, without spoiling the experience for the next reader. I've read a few of the published reviews that tried. Each, in its own way, revealed too much. Suffice it to say that like any good collection of short stories, each tale stands on its own and the subject matter - which is really the characters that Mr. Ross is so adept at developing - evokes an emotional response that is both satisfying and unsettling.
Throw it in your beach bag and enjoy. It is an easy read that will not disappoint.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
well-written stories though depressing at times
8 Oct 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
These short stories by Adam Ross may not appeal to everyone. Most of them are dark and sad. The first one broke my heart but I can't say why without spoilers. But if you can get past the darkness, they are an interesting look at singular events in the lives of different people. A lonely professor who wants to make his mark in the world but has a tendency to play it safe, a young couple comparing their own relationship to another's and thinking things aren't as bad as they thought, two brothers who have always been at odds and one trying to get the upper hand.
Ross is an amazing, insightful writer. You may not love the characters or the choices they make but they will leave an impact on you. I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Peanut, a book I never got to last year, but now I want to see what Ross can do in a novel.
Ross is an amazing, insightful writer. You may not love the characters or the choices they make but they will leave an impact on you. I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Peanut, a book I never got to last year, but now I want to see what Ross can do in a novel.
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