Surely one of the best short story writers ever, 02 Nov 2008
'Although Kit and Rafe had met in the peace movement, marching, organizing, making no-nukes signs, now they wanted to kill each other.'

The opening lines of the opening story remind us of some of Lorrie Moore's attributes; the ability to set a scene concisely and with wit and to explore how people and relationships change. She is right up there with the very best of short story writers such as Carver, Munro or Updike. Her dialogue is superb and spare. She writes about people and situations we instantly recognise with the impact of an observational stand up comic - but with compassion and humanity also. Superb.

Surely one of the best short story writers ever, 02 Nov 2008
'Although Kit and Rafe had met in the peace movement, marching, organizing, making no-nukes signs, now they wanted to kill each other.'

The opening lines of the opening story remind us of some of Lorrie Moore's attributes; the ability to set a scene concisely and with wit and to explore how people and relationships change. She is right up there with the very best of short story writers such as Carver, Munro or Updike. Her dialogue is superb and spare. She writes about people and situations we instantly recognise with the impact of an observational stand up comic - but with compassion and humanity also. Superb.

Super, 08 Nov 2007
I read this book a year or two ago after hearing a paper on lorrie moore at a conference. she is a wonderful writer who deals so deftly with female adolescence in 'who will run the frog hospital'. i have since picked up other texts by moore - inc. anagrams, self-help, and birds of america - which i am very much looking forward to reading. recommended.


Read again and again, 23 Aug 2006
I haven't read this book for a few years, but it's always remained one of my favourites. brilliantly written, sad and funny, I would recommend this to anyone - but mainly women probably! It's a great book to keep and go back to after a year or two - the story is just as good the second time round, as it's the lovely and vivid style of writing, rather than any major twists or suprises, that make this such a good book. I love it. In fact, after writing this, I might read it again!

A poignant and exquisitely written novel., 15 Dec 2000
"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital" is a superb novel! It tells the poignant story of woman's life in a rich and poetic prose whilst being moving, humourous and nostalgic.

Lorrie Moore made her debut in 1985 with Self-Help, which proved that she could write about sadness, sex and the single girl with as much tenderness--and with considerably more wit--than almost any of her contemporaries. She followed this story collection with another, Like Life, as well as two fine novels, Anagrams and Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? Yet Moore's rapid-fire alternation of mirth and deep melancholy is so perfectly suited to the short form that readers will greet Birds of America with an audible sigh of relief--and delight. In "Willing", for example, a second-rate Hollywood starlet retreats into a first-rate depression, taking shelter in a Chicago-area Days Inn. The author's eye for the small comic detail is intact: her juice-bar-loving heroine initially drowns her sorrows in "places called I Love Juicy or Orange-U-Sweet". Yet Moore seldom satisfies herself with mere pop-cultural mockery. She's too interested in the small and large devastations of life, which her actress is experiencing in spades. "Walter leaned her against his parked car," Moore relates. "His mouth was slightly lopsided, paisley-shaped, his lips anneloid and full, and he kissed her hard. There was something numb and on hold in her. There were small dark pits of annihilation she discovered in her heart, in the loosening fist of it, and she threw herself into them, falling." Elsewhere, the author serves up a similar mixture of one- liners and contemporary grief, lamenting the death of a housecat in "Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens" and the death of a marriage in "Which Is More Than I Can Say About That". And her hilarious account of a nuclear family undergoing a meltdown in "Charades" will make you want to avoid parlour games for the rest of your natural life. --James Marcus

Surely one of the best short story writers ever, 02 Nov 2008
'Although Kit and Rafe had met in the peace movement, marching, organizing, making no-nukes signs, now they wanted to kill each other.'

The opening lines of the opening story remind us of some of Lorrie Moore's attributes; the ability to set a scene concisely and with wit and to explore how people and relationships change. She is right up there with the very best of short story writers such as Carver, Munro or Updike. Her dialogue is superb and spare. She writes about people and situations we instantly recognise with the impact of an observational stand up comic - but with compassion and humanity also. Superb.

Super, 08 Nov 2007
I read this book a year or two ago after hearing a paper on lorrie moore at a conference. she is a wonderful writer who deals so deftly with female adolescence in 'who will run the frog hospital'. i have since picked up other texts by moore - inc. anagrams, self-help, and birds of america - which i am very much looking forward to reading. recommended.


Read again and again, 23 Aug 2006
I haven't read this book for a few years, but it's always remained one of my favourites. brilliantly written, sad and funny, I would recommend this to anyone - but mainly women probably! It's a great book to keep and go back to after a year or two - the story is just as good the second time round, as it's the lovely and vivid style of writing, rather than any major twists or suprises, that make this such a good book. I love it. In fact, after writing this, I might read it again!

A poignant and exquisitely written novel., 15 Dec 2000
"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital" is a superb novel! It tells the poignant story of woman's life in a rich and poetic prose whilst being moving, humourous and nostalgic.

Sublime Writer, 15 Oct 2004
Lorrie Moore is a consummate writer. For anyone who has not yet discovered her, "Birds Of America" is the ideal place to start. These short stories reach the deepest levels of the heart and the mind, laying forth a series of scorching, miniature portraits of absolute individuals, not one stereotype, full of the unexpected, painted with the deftest of brush strokes like impressionist paintings. The heart of contemporary America is laid bare through these jewelled miniatures, and the sheer, joyful richness of her language.

A broad spectrum of american life, 14 Apr 2001
"Birds of America" contains a number of stories which seem to cover a broad spectrum of the american life. Each story is very different from the others, but still, they are all insightful in the emotions that come with many aspects of life. It makes me wonder where Moore gets her inspiration. It would be painful to undergo all these emotions in person.

An astounding collection of bittersweet short stories., 18 Jun 1999
Birds of America is an amazing collection of short stories. Read them alone, in the sun. These bittersweet moments in Moore's characters' lives are by far the best thing I have read this year. I don't wish to sound cliched, but they will make you smile, laugh and cry. Totally astounding.

Surely one of the best short story writers ever, 02 Nov 2008
'Although Kit and Rafe had met in the peace movement, marching, organizing, making no-nukes signs, now they wanted to kill each other.'

The opening lines of the opening story remind us of some of Lorrie Moore's attributes; the ability to set a scene concisely and with wit and to explore how people and relationships change. She is right up there with the very best of short story writers such as Carver, Munro or Updike. Her dialogue is superb and spare. She writes about people and situations we instantly recognise with the impact of an observational stand up comic - but with compassion and humanity also. Superb.

Super, 08 Nov 2007
I read this book a year or two ago after hearing a paper on lorrie moore at a conference. she is a wonderful writer who deals so deftly with female adolescence in 'who will run the frog hospital'. i have since picked up other texts by moore - inc. anagrams, self-help, and birds of america - which i am very much looking forward to reading. recommended.


Read again and again, 23 Aug 2006
I haven't read this book for a few years, but it's always remained one of my favourites. brilliantly written, sad and funny, I would recommend this to anyone - but mainly women probably! It's a great book to keep and go back to after a year or two - the story is just as good the second time round, as it's the lovely and vivid style of writing, rather than any major twists or suprises, that make this such a good book. I love it. In fact, after writing this, I might read it again!

A poignant and exquisitely written novel., 15 Dec 2000
"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital" is a superb novel! It tells the poignant story of woman's life in a rich and poetic prose whilst being moving, humourous and nostalgic.

Sublime Writer, 15 Oct 2004
Lorrie Moore is a consummate writer. For anyone who has not yet discovered her, "Birds Of America" is the ideal place to start. These short stories reach the deepest levels of the heart and the mind, laying forth a series of scorching, miniature portraits of absolute individuals, not one stereotype, full of the unexpected, painted with the deftest of brush strokes like impressionist paintings. The heart of contemporary America is laid bare through these jewelled miniatures, and the sheer, joyful richness of her language.

A broad spectrum of american life, 14 Apr 2001
"Birds of America" contains a number of stories which seem to cover a broad spectrum of the american life. Each story is very different from the others, but still, they are all insightful in the emotions that come with many aspects of life. It makes me wonder where Moore gets her inspiration. It would be painful to undergo all these emotions in person.

An astounding collection of bittersweet short stories., 18 Jun 1999
Birds of America is an amazing collection of short stories. Read them alone, in the sun. These bittersweet moments in Moore's characters' lives are by far the best thing I have read this year. I don't wish to sound cliched, but they will make you smile, laugh and cry. Totally astounding.

Too busy to read novels? Dip into this, 21 May 2008
This is one of a series to dip into if not in the mood for a novel. A good way to discover writers work you may not previously have read. Well known authors: Alice Munro, Annie Proulx, and John Updike have slots here. I became hooked on short stories many years ago. They are in every way as good as novels. These stories are gleaned by the series editor from a huge range of magazines such as, The New Yorker, Harper's, and Granta. It's an accolade for any writer, even for best selling authors, to be included in these collections. If too busy or tired to get stuck into a novel, the short story is the answer to that.

This is also a very good series for neophyte writers and students of literature to read. They're cost effective too. What you get are twenty varied, fascinating stories, for less than the price of many novels. Even the introductions are a good read. I highly recommend this one published in 2004, and the whole series.

Surely one of the best short story writers ever, 02 Nov 2008
'Although Kit and Rafe had met in the peace movement, marching, organizing, making no-nukes signs, now they wanted to kill each other.'

The opening lines of the opening story remind us of some of Lorrie Moore's attributes; the ability to set a scene concisely and with wit and to explore how people and relationships change. She is right up there with the very best of short story writers such as Carver, Munro or Updike. Her dialogue is superb and spare. She writes about people and situations we instantly recognise with the impact of an observational stand up comic - but with compassion and humanity also. Superb.

Super, 08 Nov 2007
I read this book a year or two ago after hearing a paper on lorrie moore at a conference. she is a wonderful writer who deals so deftly with female adolescence in 'who will run the frog hospital'. i have since picked up other texts by moore - inc. anagrams, self-help, and birds of america - which i am very much looking forward to reading. recommended.


Read again and again, 23 Aug 2006
I haven't read this book for a few years, but it's always remained one of my favourites. brilliantly written, sad and funny, I would recommend this to anyone - but mainly women probably! It's a great book to keep and go back to after a year or two - the story is just as good the second time round, as it's the lovely and vivid style of writing, rather than any major twists or suprises, that make this such a good book. I love it. In fact, after writing this, I might read it again!

A poignant and exquisitely written novel., 15 Dec 2000
"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital" is a superb novel! It tells the poignant story of woman's life in a rich and poetic prose whilst being moving, humourous and nostalgic.

Sublime Writer, 15 Oct 2004
Lorrie Moore is a consummate writer. For anyone who has not yet discovered her, "Birds Of America" is the ideal place to start. These short stories reach the deepest levels of the heart and the mind, laying forth a series of scorching, miniature portraits of absolute individuals, not one stereotype, full of the unexpected, painted with the deftest of brush strokes like impressionist paintings. The heart of contemporary America is laid bare through these jewelled miniatures, and the sheer, joyful richness of her language.

A broad spectrum of american life, 14 Apr 2001
"Birds of America" contains a number of stories which seem to cover a broad spectrum of the american life. Each story is very different from the others, but still, they are all insightful in the emotions that come with many aspects of life. It makes me wonder where Moore gets her inspiration. It would be painful to undergo all these emotions in person.

An astounding collection of bittersweet short stories., 18 Jun 1999
Birds of America is an amazing collection of short stories. Read them alone, in the sun. These bittersweet moments in Moore's characters' lives are by far the best thing I have read this year. I don't wish to sound cliched, but they will make you smile, laugh and cry. Totally astounding.

Too busy to read novels? Dip into this, 21 May 2008
This is one of a series to dip into if not in the mood for a novel. A good way to discover writers work you may not previously have read. Well known authors: Alice Munro, Annie Proulx, and John Updike have slots here. I became hooked on short stories many years ago. They are in every way as good as novels. These stories are gleaned by the series editor from a huge range of magazines such as, The New Yorker, Harper's, and Granta. It's an accolade for any writer, even for best selling authors, to be included in these collections. If too busy or tired to get stuck into a novel, the short story is the answer to that.

This is also a very good series for neophyte writers and students of literature to read. They're cost effective too. What you get are twenty varied, fascinating stories, for less than the price of many novels. Even the introductions are a good read. I highly recommend this one published in 2004, and the whole series.


Simply the Best, 09 May 2008
It can't be easy to choose the best American short stories of the 20th Century. Even if you have over 700 pages to fill (like this collection) classic stories are bound to be left out. Although there are plenty of good stories here from canonical writers, I had a few problems with this anthology. First of all, some of the stories were not very good, and I can't help feeling that they were chosen because they fit some kind of needed token representation. It's a crime that Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is not in this collection (surely one of the best American short stories ever written?); and if we are going to talk quotas, why not include a Science-fiction story? Towards the end, there's a story by Alice Munro, which is kinda funny when you consider that she's the quintessential Canadian writer who has, by the way, never lived in America. And here's a question for you: if somebody asked you to choose the best short stories of the century, would you include one of your own?

Where is "A Perfect Day for Bananafish?", 13 Apr 1999
I bought this book instantly, and couldn't wait to reread such classics as "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by Salinger, and "Where I'm Calling From" by Raymond Carver. Only one of those stories made it to this book. Of course, any list of the best is going to be controversial, but the omissions from this book are glaring. Even so, most of the choices are great. Six stars.