Ms. Hempel Chronicles - Brossura

Bynum, Sarah Shun-Lien

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0547247753 ISBN 13: 9780547247755

Casa editrice: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

Riassunto

Ms. Beatrice Hempel, teacher of seventh grade, is new—new to teaching, new to the school, newly engaged, and newly bereft of her idiosyncratic father. Grappling awkwardly with her newness, she struggles to figure out what is expected of her in life and at work. Is it acceptable to introduce swear words into the English curriculum, enlist students to write their own report cards, or bring up personal experiences while teaching a sex-education class?
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum finds characters at their most vulnerable, then explores those precarious moments in sharp, graceful prose. From this most innovative of young writers comes another journey down the rabbit hole to the wonderland of middle school, memory, daydreaming, and the extraordinary business of growing up.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

PRAISE FOR MADELEINE IS SLEEPING "A hallucinogenic fairy tale that veers between the clinical clarity of hard fact and a surreal mysticism . . . Bynum's lush, poetic imagery is full of vivid, sensuous details one can almost smell, taste, and feel."—The Boston Globe

Praise for MS HEMPEL CHRONICLES: An Amazon Top 100 Books of the Year pick "This story of a love affair is pure pleasure to read. Its heroine happens to be a schoolteacher, but Ms. Bynum has such keen eyes and ears and such deep and appealing self-knowledge, you feel she could write no less compellingly about an accountant or an administrator. She can move you in one sentence from wit and hilarity to desperation and wrenching loss. She's really good." -Jonathan Franzen

"[W]hen I opened this utterly charming novel, I fell in love with it..." --Carolyn See, The Washington Post

"Such a beautiful book is MS HEMPEL CHRONICLES, the kind that gives its reader profound insights into ordinary, everyday life...[D]eeply affecting." --Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

"[U]tterly winning...[Bynum] creates a seamless, intuitive novel of short stories...Each is a small gorgeous thing on its own, but the wise and whimsical Ms Hempel Chronicles gives them their collective due, deploying them on a broader canvas, their colors more layered, their impact more powerful." --Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Sun "In [Bynum's] second book, her prose tacks traditional but sacrifices none of its lilting charm. Ms Hempel is a seventh-grade English teacher besotted by her students but ambivalent about her profession; Bynum's portrayal makes this humanist appealingly human. It's a pleasure to be in her class." --Time

"[A] marvelous new book...Each of these eight stories dazzles on its own terms; all together they create a stunning portrait of an unforgettable character at a crossroads. It's a remarkable accomplishment, and proof that when it works, the novel in stories is a uniquely satisfying form." --Malena Watrous, San Francisco Chronicle

"Sarah Shun-lien Bynum enchants in MS. HEMPEL CHRONICLES. --Vanity Fair, "Hot Type" column

"[B]rilliant...It's impossible to walk away from this beautifully written book without feeling nostalgic." --DailyCandy.com

"[An] intricate and absorbing collection...Bynum writes with great acuity, and the emotional undercurrents in this sharp take on coming-of-age and growing up will move readers in unexpected ways." --Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Subtle, dazzling...There is so much elliptical richness in the multifaceted character of Ms. Hempel that every chapter in this short, taut novel brings revelation...No sign of sophmore slump in this masterful illumination of character." --Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"Bynum's second novel provides a narrative voice as unique and engaging as that in her award-winning debut, Madeleine Is Sleeping (2004)... Bynum dares to put much stock in... small moments and in the dreamy perspective of her heroine, and the result is charming without being quirky. The attention to detail is spectacular." --Booklist

"Bynum writes with concise, careful phrasing and a clarity that illuminates the depths to be found even in the most quotidian existence." --Library Journal

L'autore:

 SARAH SHUN-LIEN BYNUM's first novel, Madeleine Is Sleeping, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2004. Her fiction has appeared in theNew Yorker, Tin House, the Georgia Review, and the Best American Short Stories. She teaches writing at the University of California, San Diego.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0547247753
• ISBN 13: 9780547247755
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 193