This anthology of short stories by Highsmith (1921–95), which additionally includes the novels Strangers on a Train (1950) and The Price of Salt (1952), illustrates the author's incomparable skill at disturbing psychological characterizations and unsettling, at times byzantine suspense. Actor/Audie Award winner Bronson Pinchot's performance of the male and female voices is flawless, while actress/voice-over artist Cassandra Campbell handles the children's voices with aplomb. Their clear, distinct, and well-paced performances, combined with this audio's high production values, make for an excellent listening experience. And though this recording might have been even more impressive had Pinchot and Campbell shared rather than alternated readings, it is nonetheless highly recommended for students of American literature and those into creepy, suspenseful, Hitchcockian and Koontz-like tales.—Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX
The remarkable renaissance of Patricia Highsmith continues with the publication of Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories, featuring two groundbreaking novels as well as a trove of penetrating short stories. With a critical introduction by Joan Schenkar, situating Highsmith's classic works within her own tumultuous life, this book provides a useful guide to some of her most dazzlingly seductive writing. Strangers on a Train, transformed into a legendary film by Alfred Hitchcock, displays Highsmith's genius for psychological characterization and tortuous suspense, while The Price of Salt, with its lesbian lovers and a creepy PI, provides a thrilling and highly controversial depiction of “the love that dare not speak its name.” Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories firmly establishes Highsmith's centrality to American culture by presenting key works that went on to influence a half century of literature and film. Abandoned by the wider reading public in her lifetime, Highsmith finally gets the canonical recognition that is her due.
The remarkable renaissance of Patricia Highsmith continues with the publication of Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories, featuring two groundbreaking novels as well as a trove of penetrating short stories. With a critical introduction by Joan Schenkar, situating Highsmith's classic works within her own tumultuous life, this book provides a useful guide to some of her most dazzlingly seductive writing. Strangers on a Train, transformed into a legendary film by Alfred Hitchcock, displays Highsmith's genius for psychological characterization and tortuous suspense, while The Price of Salt, with its lesbian lovers and a creepy PI, provides a thrilling and highly controversial depiction of “the love that dare not speak its name.” Patricia Highsmith: Selected Novels and Short Stories firmly establishes Highsmith's centrality to American culture by presenting key works that went on to influence a half century of literature and film. Abandoned by the wider reading public in her lifetime, Highsmith finally gets the canonical recognition that is her due.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940169602883 |
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Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
Publication date: | 12/06/2010 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |