Author: John Updike
Stars: 4
Review by: patco81
Bittersweet collection of short stories evoking nostalgia, regret and sometimes triumph. Every story heightens the reader's awareness that Updike is old; his primary theme is the eye cast backward to record and perhaps revise memory. Sadly, of course, this is his final collection of writings. A note to those who may be new to Updike, or for others who prefer his earlier books: join me in returning to my favorite of his characters, the Maples, in a newly-released version by the same name (available in the HCL system). Updike is at his best when unflinchingly documenting the course of a marriage; Richard and Joan Maple are unforgettable: ordinary yet remarkable, iconic yet fallible, human beings.
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