Over by the River

"Over By the River" is a collection of twelve short stories by William Maxwell, written over five decades, from 1941 to 1984. As arranged in this volume, it seems to me that they grow in power and quality from first to last. Notes on the stories' dates of composition would have been welcome - maybe they've been arranged chronologically? The title story, presented first, seemed to me rather longish and unfocused, but with an interesting structure. Among my favorite stories were two - "The Pilgrimage" and "The Gardens of Mont-Saint-Michel" - about people vacationing France, who in each case try to relive a past experience and fail, but find something unexpected when they've given up. Others are "The Value of Money", a touching story in which a young man realizes for the first time how much his father means to him, and "What Every Boy Should Know", in which a young boy learns early lessons in betrayal and loss.These are unflashy, domestic, stories, told with great skill and sympathy. Maxwell constructs amazingly rich miniature worlds, assembling lots of detail on a small canvas. Enjoy this collection of gems by a master storyteller.