Ethan Canin

Tells of the lives of two men searching for a way to become brothers.

Summary:"Extraordinary for its craft and emotional effect ... [Ethan Canin is] a writer of enormous talent and charm." 'The Washington Post "Character is destiny," wrote Heraclitus'and in this collection of four unforgettable stories, we meet people struggling to understand themselves and the unexpected turns their lives have taken. In "Accountant," a quintessential company man becomes obsessed with the phenomenal success of a reckless childhood friend. "Batorsag and Szerelem" tells the story of a boy's fascination with the mysterious life and invented language of his brother, a math prodigy. In "City of Broken Hearts," a divorced father tries to fathom the patterns of modern relationships. And in "The Palace Thief," a history teacher at an exclusive boarding school reflects on the vicissitudes of a lifetime connection with a student scoundrel. A remarkable achievement by one of America's finest writers, this brilliant volume reveals the moments of insight that illuminate everyday lives. "Captivating ... a heartening tribute to the form ... an exquisite performance." 'The Boston Sunday Globe "A model of wit, wisdom, and empathy. Chekhov would have appreciated its frank renderings and quirky ironies." 'Chicago Tribune

Summary:After a lonely childhood in the woods of northern Michigan in the 1950s, it is not until Milo Andret goes to U.C. Berkeley as a graduate student that his professors realise what a prodigiously gifted and unusual mind he has. Yet with these gifts come risks, and California in the seventies is rife with temptation, opening Milo's eyes to the allure of both ambition and indulgence. The research he begins there will make him a legend; the woman and the rival he meets there will haunt him forever. It soon becomes clear that Milo's brilliance is inextricably linked to a dark side, and it is this duality that ultimately threatens to unravel his work, his family, and his life. It is a duality that his son, Hans, inherits and one which he must conquer if he is to avoid the fate of his father. A Doubter's Almanac is at once a captivatingly virtuoso illustration of the powers of the mind and a deeply moving exploration of the nature of love, ambition and genius. It is a novel of flawed characters and frustrated dreams; of the bonds that tie and the passions that destroy

Eighteen stories featuring human quirks. In Life Prerecorded by Jill McCorkle, a pregnant woman has nightmares her baby will be deformed because of her smoking, but she continues smoking all the same, while in Po Bronson's The Impossible to Kill Me Game, a single mother's new boyfriend creates anxiety in her son who is afraid she will abandon him.

Story of a Greek boy in Anatolia during the early years of the 20th century, and of his dream of emigrating to America. Based on an unpublished dramatic work by the author entitled "Hamal". With short introduction by S.N. Behrman.

Orno Tarcher arrives in New York City from a small town in Missouri, feeling unsophisticated and disadvantaged by his family's bedrock values. He meets Marshall Emerson, the charismatic gem of a worldly family, a seductive and brilliant New Yorker who is revealed, as time passes, to be bent on destruction. The novels explores with depth and sophistication the conflicts of character at the heart of every life, the desire for grandeur and the lure of normalcy, the tension between rivalry and friendship, fathers and sons, love and betrayal. For Kings and Planets is the story of a man who thinks of himself as moral, and who tests his character against power, deception, and seduction. It is also the story of a friendship fractured by love.

Explores the beauty and mystery in everyday existence.

"August Kleinman is told by his mother to "take the advice of no one" as the Nazi party rises to power around them in Hamburg. With these words to guide him, young August escapes to America, where he goes onto build a fortune, a family, and a life on his own terms." -- Jacket.