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The Earth and the Sky: Stories |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780870744211 ISBN: 0870744216 Label: Southern Methodist University Press Manufacturer: Southern Methodist University Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 208 Publication Date: October 01, 1997 Publisher: Southern Methodist University Press Studio: Southern Methodist University Press |
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| Customer Reviews | ||
  - Global EmotionsDebbie Lee Wesselmann presents over a dozen short stories in her first book, "The Earth And The Sky". The book's stories are as varied as the landscapes and location they occur in. From Japan to Italy and the Caribbean to the American mid-west, Wessellman's stories have common themes. From intimacy lost and regained, the sharing of fear and angst and the ultimate understanding of our fellow human beings, the stories produce new situations with sometimes unexpected conclusions. There is the wonderfully difficult story of the American wife living with her Japanese husband in Japan. She is caught in an unfamiliar world having to learn new customs while maintaining her own self respect. There is the story of the woman who learns to overcome her fear of water while snorkeling in the Cayman Islands. The excitement of the storm chaser in the Mid-west hoping for the best photos of disaster learns to understand what it really means to live in tornado-alley. However, the most intriguing story is that of the two girls who are renting their family's Italian villa to an American family. Although told in English, the girls do not speak English very well. The ensuing language barrier proves both humorous and near tragic. It proves that language is not the barrier we think when it comes down to human emotions. Enhancing all the stories are rich and vivid descriptions of the landscape, the sights, the smells, the huge range of feelings from fear and confusion to understanding and contentment. This collection covers a lot of territory, cultures and personalities and satisfies at every turn. Wesselmann's latest book is, "Captivity". Rating: - Found in translationMost of the fifteen stories in Wesselmann's sterling collection present characters out of place, whether they are immigrants, tourists, or American expatriates. Various stories depict American students skiing in Europe, a Taiwanese immigrant earning the respect of her new in-laws outside of Princeton, the daughter of gypsies negotiating local prejudices in Florence, a Rhode Island woman chasing twisters in Tornado Alley. There is not a single story here that I didn't enjoy--and nearly all of them are close to perfect--but if I were to pick one that seemed emblematic of the whole (and which continues to resonate for me), I would select "Stone Daughter." Its protagonist, a woman who moves to Japan with her husband to attend to his late father's business, tries to fit in with his traditionalist rural family. She reassures her husband, "I want to be Japanese. Here you have such a spiritual society. What do we have in America?" and she attempts to help first with the household (much to her in-laws' dismay), then with the business--yet he, for his part, wishes they were back in America. They are "two expatriates of different countries." The author could almost have titled her book "Stranger in a Strange Land," except that, in each tale, she manages to make the strange universal and the stranger recognizable. Far from being forever lost in translation, most of Wesselmann's characters find themselves (or their destinies) in their universally strange surroundings. In the world of these stories, everyone lives on the same earth, under the same sky. Rating: - Cross-Cultural TreasuresA treasury of fifteen intriguing short stories from the accomplished author of the novel "Trutor & the Balloonist". Each story plumbs the depths of human nature and the underlying emotional currents, yet none of them end quite the way you would imagine. From Europe to Asia to the Caribbean, North and South America, through language differences, tragedy, loss, miracles, abuse and betrayal, the characters share cross cultural voyages of self discovery, all cleverly captured in clear, easily digestible language. The stories that stuck in my mind are "Rosa'a Vision", "Life as a Dragon" and "The Nearly Invisible People". The stories that echoed in my brain are the twin tales "The Advancement of Dawn" and "The Dance of the Falling Comet". The story that haunts my soul is "Maria Angelica". Fifteen great stories that can be read with the speed of a bullet train, but that you'd choose to linger over. Amanda Richards, November 27, 2004. Rating:  - Vivid collection of stories. (mazza review 03-15-04)The Earth and the Sky by Debbie Wesselmann is a collection of gently written short stories all relating to the theme of loss, displacement and assimilation. Wesslemann's character's deal with the difficulty of going from one cultural situation to another and how languages, customs and conventions can be mired in mental struggles. All of these stories deal with moving out from the familiar and getting into the unknown which I believe is the underlying theme in these stories. The fear of the unknown and the triumphs of making the unknown familiar. In Ingrid, face down the main character's has this intense fear of the ocean and space. She has great difficulty getting into the ocean on a vacation trip. A trip that her and her boyfriend, Max were supposed to take together. But it is because of the Max's unwillingness to move out of her mother house that their relationship has broken down. In Life as a Dragon, the main character Ming Li who is from China is about to marry her fiancé Warner. Her experiences deal with culture clashes of the east and west how she slowly assimilates and accepts her new family and her role as a bride. I found the imagery contained in these stories to be quite vivid and colorful. The ocean imagery in Ingrid is very fluid and carries a lot of emotional weight. The narration of these stories(whether in 1st or 3rd person) are handled with a clean delicacy. Overall I thought this collection was a fine read and each of these stories can be read in one sitting. Wesselmann is able to take the ends of the earth and fold them into each other. Rating: - Excellent short story collectionThe 15 short stories in this superb collection represent a wide variety of characters and cultures. While the stories take place in mainly rather exotic locations--Taipai, France, Italy, the Grand Cayman, Chili, Montreal, and Japan, the themes are universal and face humans across the globe. One of the main themes threaded through the collection is loss--the characters struggle with loss of culture, loss of independence, loss of the self, loss of a parent or a child, and the loss of love. Some of the characters experience loss while driven by acculturation, duty and family loyalty My favourite stories--in order--are: "Ingrid, Face Down," "Core Puncher," and "Snow Angels." And it was not an easy feat--either making the selection or putting them in order. These three stories are unforgettable. "Ingrid, Face Down" is the story of a schoolteacher who finds herself taking a long weekend getaway alone--and not with her boyfriend--as originally planned. The author creates a languid pace with language as the teacher, Ingrid, gathers the courage to try scuba-diving. Ingrid physically explores the silent beauty of the ocean while simultaneously analyzing her inner, emotional life and the inevitable shortcomings of her romantic relationship with her duty-driven boyfriend. "Core Puncher" is the story of a grieving parent who spends her holidays chasing tornados in Oklahoma. Family and friends simply don't understand the drive--or the need--Lillian has to face death and then record the event. Lillian meets a fellow traveller on the road, and they share a moment of recognition. "Snow Angels" takes place in France and concerns a quartet of young students--Kate (the narrator), Matthew, Aaron, and Dave who meet and befriend a fellow American, Daria. Daria finds herself abandoned in a strange country, and she quickly joins the group. However, Daria's presence upsets the existing dynamic, and both Matthew and Dave find her rather annoying. Kate's relationship with Aaron is also spoiled by Daria's presence, but some serious lessons await them all when they leave for a skiing holiday in the Pyrenees. For many years, I've found that reading short stories is a tried and true method for discovering new authors. Some authors I have discovered through reading short stories ... To this list, I shall now add Debbie Lee Wesselman. As a reader, I am in awe of a talent that can create a perfect, unforgettable tale within the structure and confines of the short story format--displacedhuman |
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