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Blues and Trouble
- Author
- Tom Piazza
- Narrator
- Todd Menesses
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 18 October 2022
- Run Time
- 4 hours 47 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Exploring the diverse landscape of American life, the stories in Blues and Trouble: Twelve Stories capture the lives of people caught between circumstance and their own natures or on the run from fate—from a Jewish couple encountering a dealer in Nazi memorabilia to the troubled family of a Gulf Coast fisherman awaiting a hurricane.
Tom Piazza’s debut short story collection, originally published in 1996, heralded the arrival of a startlingly original and vital presence in American fiction and letters. Set in Memphis, New Orleans, Florida, Texas, New York City, and elsewhere, the stories echo voices from Ernest Hemingway to Robert Johnson in their sharp eye for detail and their emotional impact
New to this volume is an introduction written by the author. Drawing themes, forms, and stylistic approaches from blues and country music, these stories present a tough, haunting vision of a landscape where the social and spiritual ground shifts constantly underfoot.
Critics Review
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“Tom’s stories…pulsate with nervous electrical tension, reveal the emotions that we can’t define.”
Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter
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“Tom Piazza’s writing is filled with energy and tender, insightful words for the brilliant and irascible.”
Elvis Costello, English singer and songwriter
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“In a few notes he can summon up a character’s voice or create a locale: a New Orleans cafe, a New York music company, a Gulf Coast fishing port.”
Los Angeles Times Book Review
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“Told in a clear tenor voice, Piazza’s first collection is as wonderfully dislocating as an all-night drive.”
Publishers Weekly
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“Kin to everyone from Huck Finn to Jack Kerouac and blues guitarist Robert Johnson…Piazza’s book revives the essence of the short story.”
Library Journal
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“Characters tend to be outsiders, often on the run, sometimes from failed relationships. Sometimes, too, the most enduring relationships are also the most unlikely.”
Booklist
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Tom Piazza
- Narrator
- Todd Menesses
- Duration
- 4 hours 47 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 October 2022
- ISBN
- 9798212169806
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Short stories, Fiction: general and literary, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Popular music
Synopsis
Exploring the diverse landscape of American life, the stories in Blues and Trouble: Twelve Stories capture the lives of people caught between circumstance and their own natures or on the run from fate—from a Jewish couple encountering a dealer in Nazi memorabilia to the troubled family of a Gulf Coast fisherman awaiting a hurricane.Tom Piazza’s debut short story collection, originally published in 1996, heralded the arrival of a startlingly original and vital presence in American fiction and letters. Set in Memphis, New Orleans, Florida, Texas, New York City, and elsewhere, the stories echo voices from Ernest Hemingway to Robert Johnson in their sharp eye for detail and their emotional impactNew to this volume is an introduction written by the author. Drawing themes, forms, and stylistic approaches from blues and country music, these stories present a tough, haunting vision of a landscape where the social and spiritual ground shifts constantly underfoot.
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