Emperor of the Air

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Summary: I regret having loaned it out...
Review: ...because now I'll never see it again. Stated simply, this is a work of art. The stories are inspired, and the characters are handled with such compassion and subtle understanding that it is difficult to believe that this is Canin's first published work. I agree with the critics that it is also his best. Having read _Of Kings and Planets_ recently, I feel that his artistic integrity may be suffering the pressure of compromise coming from his book deal, but it may also be that his subject matter is exhausted. I thought that _Blue River_ was all right, though it was certainly outshined by this gem. I agree with the other reviewers that "We are Nighttime Travellers" and "Star Food" are the kind of stories that stop time dead in its tracks. If he never writes a good book again, Canin should still be regarded as an exceptional success.

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Summary: This book includes my favorite short story of all time
Review: Ethan Canin wrote these when absurdly young, in his early to mid- 20s, I think. In spite of his youth, this extraordinary collection of short stories is indispensable for those interested in short fiction. It includes "We are Nighttime Travelers," which I've probably read ten times and still marvel at the grace and nuance

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Summary: Exquisite rendering of dialogue
Review: This book was literary star Ethan Canin's first, a collection of short stories. I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but I'm a Canin fan, so I read it, and I'm glad I did. He's able to find compassion, loveliness, and surprise in the everyday lives of people. In the tale "We Are Nighttime Travelers," a retired couple rediscovers their love for each other, and in "Star Food," a boy protects the identity of someone stealing groceries from his parents' store. His writing is straightforward but exquisite and should have a wider appreciation among the reading audience.
Emperor of the Air was written during Canin's years as a medical student in Boston, reminding me of parallels with another boy wonder, Daniel Mason, who likewise wrote a dense and mesmerizing novel (The Piano Tuner) while he was in medical school in San Francisco. That it's possible to write like this while fellow classmates are struggling just to keep from flunking out just stuns me.

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Summary: Simply Wonderful
Review: This is one book that by some stroke of luck I plucked from the shelf at the library. I am a fan of short stories, and usually favor simple ones, Raymond Carver comes to mind. The stories in this collection were poignant, heart-warming tales of family and love. I had never heard of this author before finding this book, but I will certainly look for something else that he has written.