Midnight Magic: Selected Stories of Bobbie Ann Mason

Rating:
Summary: BAM's Greatest Hits (with commentary)
Review: Not only are the best stories from "Shiloh and Other Stories" here, but some excellent pieces from another volume as well. Even the cover of this book is great, as it illuminates the highly discussed snaking sidewalk in "Shiloh." The commentaries on the stories are gems as well, letting you inside the writer's mind. Wonderful book!

Rating:
Summary: And beautiful Kentucky too
Review: This is a wonderful compilation of short stories, many of which i had already read in Shiloh. The common thread that i found is that the characters in these stories mean well, but are slightly clueless in this business of life. Here you have Leroy, whose life is disintegrating in front of his eyes, or Sam, who looks back at his long life not understanding how some things happened, or Nancy, wondering how she ended up so far away from home. But there's something very endearing about these people, in most cases illiterate, living in the periphery of middle class. A very enjoyable read.