Gallatin Canyon: Stories

I had the good fortune to hear Mr. McGuane read from this during last year's NEW YORKER festival. He's as great in person as on the page.

Mcguane's stories are a wonderful example of the craft. Perfect and engaging little gems you think about for weeks after you read them. Mcguane also has a strong sense of place and a strong masculine voice - elements that seem rare in serious literature today. To me he feels like reading early 20th century writers like Hemingway or Steinbeck. Bravo!

Being a dyed-in-the-wool Mcguane fan, I think he just keeps getting better. Not only is he the best fishing writer alive, but his non-fishing stories are bizzarely entertaining, have an interesting twist, and always explore human interaction. I believe his writing is based on his many and varied experiences, from crazy street people to ego-crazed CEOs, as well as the many places he has lived. Who else would know what a cabinet is, except a Rhode Island resident? What...no mention of hot weiners or coffee milk?

Whether you appreciate McGuane's nonfiction stories such as "Some Horses" or "The Longest Silence" or prefer his vivid storytelling found in his fiction classics like "Ninety Two in the Shade" or "The Bushwhacked Piano" - you'll find "Gallatin Canyon" a captivating and entertaining read. McGuane's reflections on the American West, provide insight into this often misunderstood culture and landscape and challenge the reader to explore the human relation to their environment and circumstance. The selected stories of Gallatin Canyon, provide a myriad of views on modern western culture, and are worth every penny paid. Highly recommended.

Thomas McGuane (The Cadence of Grass, The Longest Silence) is recognized as one of America's preeminent literary figures. "A writer of the first magnitude" said the New York Times Review of Books. The reason for this praise is evident in Galatin Canyon, his first collection of stories in some time. The ten tales included in this volume all showcase McGuane's impeccable prose, his dazzling use of imagery, and his insight into the human condition. With "Ice" a boy who delivers newspapers for what is probably the Detroit News discovers who he can be one evening as he skates alone on frozen Lake Ontario. He has suffered from a number of fears but on this particular night we read his thoughts: "I believed that if I let coming darkness turn me back, would never be any good and the fog of cowardice would forever envelop me." The title story introduces an unnamed businessman and his girlfriend, Louise. He is hoping to close a deal on a small car dealership he owns. She is a comely woman whom he wants to marry, while at the same time he fears losing her. In order to close the sale the pair must go to Idaho. Further, it's going to be a bit tricky as he's received a better offer for the dealership and , according to his attorney, he can only sell for the best offer if the original buyer, Rigby, backs out. Therefore, his plan is to antagonize Rigby, anger him so that he does welch on the agreement. They're driving by way of the Gallatin Canyon, although he doesn't wish to do so, saying the route is too narrow and there are too many trucks. Their journey reveals their relationship. Pure McGuane - pure reading pleasure. Highly recommended. - Gail Cooke