Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns.Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns by J. California Cooper Joan California Cooper is an African-American playwright and author. Doubleday, April 2006 $24.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-385-51133-7 In her latest collection of stories, Cooper introduces us to characters who are as warm and familiar as the people with whom we live and work. Indeed, the primary voice in Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns is that of a gossipy but well-meaning neighbor who cares deeply for the women and men in her stories. Ten years ago, when I first read one of Cooper's novels, I was struck by the sense of intimacy the California-based playwright and author established between the reader, the narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. and the assorted characters who brought her stories to life. In Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns, readers will find more of the dear and simple prose that made Family, The Matter Is Life and Cooper's other books joys to read. Here, Cooper's narrator pierces the inner lives of people who are searching for love, acceptance and, often, a way to find some beauty in less-than-ideal circumstances. Some of the stories are morality tales: In "As Time Goes By," a young woman named Futila Ways devotes herself to a loveless union; and stories such as "Oysters and Pearls" and "The Party" illustrate the dangers of promiscuity Promiscuity See also Profligacy. Anatol constantly flits from one girl to another. [Aust. Drama: Schnitzler Anatol in Benét, 33] Aphrodite promiscuous goddess of sensual love. [Gk. Myth. . In "Just-Life Politics" and "Success," Cooper's characters struggle with questions about faith, race and social class. Still, while they all face unique challenges, it's quite clear that the characters' ultimate success or failure depends on how they relate to God, their neighbors and themselves. Perhaps, the best examples of this can be found in "The Eye of the Beholder," a story about a young woman's transformation after years of emotional abuse (this is also the strongest piece in the collection), and in "Catch a Failing Heart," which follows the slow courtship courtship paying attention to a member of the opposite sex with a view to mating; occurs in farm animals but is not highly developed other than estral display by the female and seeking by the male, activities that are rather more pragmatic than implied in the definition. between two lonely souls. The stories in Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns may be too preachy preach·y adj. preach·i·er, preach·i·est Inclined or given to tedious and excessive moralizing; didactic. preach for some, but Cooper's stories are memorable and satisfying--as much for her friendly but nononsense voice, as for the sense of authenticity that is present in every tale. Cooper's work is timeless, and she proves yet again that some of the best stories are also the simplest ones. --Reviewed by Denise Simon Denise Simon is a writer in Brooklyn, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . |
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