The Music of Your Life: Stories

With a voice that is both sophisticated and deeply Southern, author John Rowell evokes the memory of the great Truman Capote in this wonderful collection of short stories, filled with unforgettable, endearing characters and filled with wry insights.

Drawn from the emotional well of a young man who grew up in love with the glittery, glamorous world of music and movies and theater--far removed from his own more prosaic life in North Carolina--and informed with honesty and compassion, the seven short stories that comprise The Music of Your Life showcase the talent of a remarkably gifted writer.

Compulsively readable and always accessible, each story takes the reader into the mind and heart of its central character, whether a young boy suffering from Lawrence Welk damage and teetering precariously on the edge of puberty (The Music of Your Life) or a not-so-young-anymore man for whom fantasy and reality have become a terrifying blur and who finds himself slipping over the edge toward total meltdown (Wildlife of Coastal Carolina).
Nostalgia plays a part in these stories as a somewhat jaded New York film critic looks back on his life and the movies that shaped him (Spectators in Love), and an aging flower-shop owner ruefully assesses the love he found and lost when, as an eighteen-year-old, he embarked on a Hollywood career that never soared but did include one particularly memorable appearance on the I Love Lucy television show (Who Loves You?) These stories all create entire worlds within which the characters live and struggle to find their way.

Funny, touching, serious, and tender, the tales within The Music of Your Life are sure to appeal to anyone who has ever known the awkwardness of being different, and while life is often harsh for the stories' characters, the bold determination with which they persevere offers inspiration to all.

Author: John Rowell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 06/01/2004
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.53h x 5.52w x 0.73d
ISBN: 9780743258036

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 09/26/2004 pg. 28

About the Author
Rowell, John: - John Rowell is a native of North Carolina, now living in New York City, where he conducts a seminar and writes theater criticism. His fiction, essays, and reviews have been featured in Tin House, Bloom, and Show Business Weekly, among others. He holds an MFA from the Writing Seminars at Bennington College in Vermont. He teaches English and Fiction Writing at The Gilman School of Baltimore, MD, where he also directs in the Upper School theater program.