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Burning Bright: Stories Hardcover

by Ron Rash (Author)

4.3 556 ratings

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Author Ron Rash, captures the eerie beauty and stark violence of Appalachia through the lives of unforgettable characters. With this masterful collection of stories that span the Civil War to the present day, Rash, a supremely talented writer “recalls both John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy” (The New Yorker).

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0044KN0LS
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.8 ounces

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4.3 556 ratings

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Ron Rash

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Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling novel, Serena, in addition to three other prizewinning novels, One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, and The World Made Straight; three collections of poems; and four collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the 2010 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and Chrmistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award. Twice the recipient of the O.Henry Prize, he teaches at Western Carolina University.

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4.3 out of 5

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Jayne P. Bowers

Mountains, Gorges, and Graveyards

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020

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After reading an essay in which the writer used one of Rash’s stories to describe how a character could be both likable and despicable at the same time, I ordered Burning Bright to read and study “The Ascent.” I wanted to see for myself how Rash was able to develop empathy (and perhaps sympathy too) in the reader for people who are far less than perfect.

Having read One Foot in Eden and Serena a few years ago, I thought I was prepared for the short story collection. I wasn’t. All of the stories included tragic (to me) characters trying to live their lives the best way they can. Whether it’s starvation, meth addiction, loneliness, fear, old age, or marriage dissolution, Rash paints the scenes with vivid description, especially of places, i.e., a truck “disappearing into the folds of the higher mountains;” a graveyard in the middle of the night, complete with grave robbers and “a whole passel of stars spilled out over the sky;” a crashed airplane containing the bodies of two people whose jewelry is used to help provide meth for a young boys’ parents; a ginseng patch; a roadhouse with the most of down-on-their-luck crew of folks under one roof I’ve ever read about (“Another pulls out his false teeth and clamps them the ear of a gal at the next table.”); and a chicken house where eggs keep disappearing.

All of the stories are intense and angst-producing. You want to stop reading, but you can’t. You have to find out what happens to Jesse, Lily, Wesley, Marcie, and the others. The characters become real, and I, for one, will never visit Bryson City, Boone, or Sylva again without feeling their presence. At the same time, you don’t have to visit the mountains of North Carolina to know there’s sadness, poverty, need, loneliness, and desperation. They’re everywhere. And Rash is an acute observer and master storyteller of the human condition.

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Elizabeth R. Kral

but wasn't sure I would like this short story Anthology

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016

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I selected the Kindle version because I was enamoured with Ron Rash's The Cove, but wasn't sure I would like this short story Anthology. Well, the stories blew me away. They are short, but fulfilling. Every character, every setting, every plot grabbed me, and wouldn't let me stop reading. I couldn't connect with this cross section of Appalacian people and events except to understand and believe the stories represented truth. A truth that could be possible only in the depths of Appalachia.

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2014

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I like dark stories so I enjoyed this book. If you live in Appalachia, you will recognize the landscapes and characters that fill Ron Rash's beautifully crafted collection of stories. If you don't live there, you will find vivid introductions to the land, particularly the mountain areas. And you will be introduced to some of the people of the region. Like the populations of your area, some are kind, some pragmatic, some mean, some superstitious, some drug-addled. All are trying to live, and a lot are failing. Some have consciences that guide their actions and some are adept at finding practical, if harsh, solutions to their problems.These are stories of the human condition. There aren't any happy ones here, but all in this collection are satisfying and thought-provoking, and they are very well written.

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Gene

A pretty good collection of short stories

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2018

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A pretty good collection of short stories. I enjoyed the characters and the odd situations they find themselves in. The southern literary style is prevalent and reminded me of Chris Offutt's Kentucky Straight (which I liked better). I bought this during a Goodreads promo for $2, but I wouldn't pay full price for it.

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BeachMountainMan2012

The South as Seen by a True Southerner

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2012

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"Burning Bright: Stories" by Southern writer and poet Ron Rash is a peek into the rural South that many of us live in but few REALLY see. Ron Rash's writing is visceral--it surprise you by what it makes you feel, and with what intensity. Lucky enough to have heard him give a reading of his poetry recently and to meet and talk with him, I was struck by his affability after reading his work that I found, at times, to be particularly "dark." Thus, the title was surprising to me, because I devour everything that this talented man writes, some of which disturbs me long after I have finished the book (like his novel, "Serena"). I live in the area of which Ron writes, and he captures so precisely the speech and the look and the feel of this area that it is remarkable. "Burning Bright: Stories" are stories that you will return to again and again, each time with anticipation, and each time with reward. I highly recommend his other titles as well--the novels are wonderful tales of environmentalism, greed, human nature and family, and many were inspired by one of his previously-published poems, each one a gem. Do yourself a favor and discover this man's work and feel it yourself.....

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JohnnyP

Probably the best American short story writer around

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2022

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Ron Rash is a genius writer with a powerful economy of words that allows him to forensically expose the human condition. This collection is probably his finest and delivers an intensity and humanity across a spectrum of stories linked by place. His gift is to deliver serious and reflective meditations on life through a propulsive style that absorbs you entirely and leaves you needing to finish each story in one sitting if you possibly can. A really brilliant book from one of the best American short story writers around.

Laura

Fascinating collection

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2014

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Ron Rash is a new author to me, an this was certainly a goo introduction.
Some o the short stories were much stronger than others an perhaps the first part was more enjoyable than the second.
Rich with atmosphere, and a fascinating journey through eras. Issues of poverty, difficult circumstances and life choices.
While short stories are by nature quick paced, these do reveal depth and fascinating issue in the stronger stories. In many cases creating characters and scenery not often achieved in brief storytelling.
The stronger tales far out shine the weaker, less compelling ones. This has certainly curled my interest in Southern American literature and writers- would be interested in searching out some of Ron Rash's longer works.

TimT

Burning bright, no question

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2012

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This is an excellent set of short stories. Just like the fires in the eponymous tale, each of them takes hold quickly and despite the deceptively sparse prose style there is plenty to grip and plenty for the reader to think about in this masterly collection. Rash's writing conveys a strong spirit of place and he draws us in with a minimum of sentiment; he focuses on people who are in, or going into, or emerging from dark places or difficult times. The end results are powerful stories which carry their weight lightly.

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kimborams

Great collection of stories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2013

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Bought on Kindle - thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories set in the Appalachian region of the USA, home to the author himself. Mr Rash's powers of description and story-telling are absorbing and evocative; the characters are lovingly depicted and revealed; the stories intriguing and entertaining. Overall, an excellent read.

Miss Shirley J Moore

He loved the stories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2018

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I bought this for a friend who is a writer. He loved the stories. It arrived within the time limit and in good condition.

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