My Hard Bargain (Inscribed First Edition)

Kirn, Walter

ISBN 10: 0394583035 / ISBN 13: 9780394583037

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1990

About this Item

NY: Knopf, 1991. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine in near fine dust jacket. Author's First Book, stories. INSCRIBED by author to prior owner on title page. Book and jacket are both a bit sunned and faded.

Seller Inventory # Sale-Fiction-Kirn

Bibliographic Details

• Title: My Hard Bargain (Inscribed First Edition)
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0394583035
• ISBN 13: 9780394583037
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Stories about church, family, work, and decency present a portrait of heartland America

Reviews

A baker's dozen of short stories marks a disarming fiction debut by journalist Kirn. He reveals an American heartland where grandparents play along with TV game shows; Mormon missionaries go door-to-door, like Avon ladies, saving whole families; pesticides disable farmers; and healthy farmers go bankrupt. Kirn shines with his wicked but tough-minded portrayals of families as seen from their children's points of view (the narrator of the title story hears his father trying to appease his irate wife by calling her "honey": "and though he said the last word sweetly, especially for a man so tall, she went on a rampage anyway"). Although a few stories here weaken the collection--"Paying My Calls," for example, is uncharacteristically heavy-humored--Kirn's wit is essentially infectious, and his powers with language are prodigious ("The Personality of Writing" skewers English in a devastatingly deadpan tone). However, his strict identification with characters just short of adulthood and his cozy evocations of childhood may limit his appeal to readers of a 30-something age.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mormons play key roles in many of the 13 stories in this splendid debut collection. In "Whole Other Bodies," two young missionaries in dark suits visit a troubled family and bring about a miraculous conversion. In "The New Timothy," a young man returns from his mission in Korea with new priorities and an Oriental point of view. The title story features a family's move from Wisconsin to Arizona with a carsick dog, two restless brothers, and a Mom who reflects on the merits of the Mormon faith. Kirn develops strong characters in a few paragraphs; his settings and plots are also brought to life with a minimum of fuss. If there were best seller lists for short story collections, this one would deserve to be at the top.
- Dean Willms, Fort Collins P.L., Col.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.