I'm a bit uncertain as to how to rate this collection of stories. Some of the stories I found more engaging than others, some I really struggled to get through.

This set of stories is definitely very masculine. The protagonists are men, baseball players, marines, professors, and the women, for the most part, . One could even make the claim that the woman in the stories are all characterized as good girl/whore - no more apparent than in the final piece with Edith and Lori vs. Monica. The men are hard working but lost, a trope that appears in each piece which helps to weave the stories together. But the repetition grew wearisome and the stories began to blend together.

From a technique standpoint, this book is amazing. The writing is spare without being sparse. I never felt lectured to or lost in unnecessary explanation or diversions. Every piece in this book is extraordinarily self-contained and complete.

But, in the end, I just didn't enjoy the book. It might not be that I'm the intended audience and that the completely masculine tone just doesn't resonate with me. As I said, the technique is extraordinary, but I didn't feel any emotional involvement with any of the repeating characters. ( )

Interesting and very literary short stories. The language was very lush and poetic, which could sometimes be confusing and push you out of the story, and much of it was in the stream of consciousness style, but certainly interesting work. ( )

Andre Dubus has been hailed as the greatest writer of short fiction in the twentieth century and this posthumous collection should cement the title. He manages to make men vulnerable in a world that expects a man to be hard-drinking,-loving,-thinking and generally without a clue to his and others misery.
Divided into three parts, Dubus deals with man's "Grand Passions" (Part I),people on the brink of change (Part II) and, finally, man's willingness, however unsure, to begin again (Part III).
The short stories reminded me of Raymond Carver with a soul. Strongly etched characters face challenges which seem insurmountable. Men don't just drink and swear but face their lives with spouses and children and try to understand where they have been and where they want to be. The novella,"Finding a Girl in America", is a solid ending for it not only reflects on the male condition but makes an admirable attempt to give the female version of events.
In an era of stoicism, Dubus brings to life the inner turmoil of real people. The reader cannot help rooting for his characters, hoping they find the peace they so need and deserve. A "must-read" for anyone trying to understand a century that broke out of its shell and became,simply, human. ( )

This is a collection of ten haunting short stories and a novella. The author digs deep into the motivation behind the characters' deeds, he uncovers the darkest traits in man and brings them to the surface. He focuses on character portrayal which is always convincing, authentic and detailed so that the plots are pushed to the background, but seeing how the characters are all very intriguing and multi-dimensional this makes the stories only more enjoyable to read. Occasionally, perhaps, the dense style and super long sentences distract, but not so much that the true skill of the writer wouldn't show through.

The lengthy biography of Andre Dubus and his photos are also a nice addition at the end, shedding more light onto the author and his inspiration.

A very good read. ( )

Finding a Girl in America
Andre Dubus

Though the title of this short story collection is “Finding a Girl in America” it could be just as easily be titled “Being a Man and Looking for a Clue in America.” Whether they are filled with dread like first story, “Killings,” or with a tenuous hope like the last, “Finding a Girl in America,” they are the stories of men struggling to find a way to relate to the women and oftentimes children in their lives. Dubus writes in a succinctly intimate prose that pulls the reader into the lives of these men and makes us, (or at least this reader) care what happens to these characters. At one point I caught myself whispering to a character, “don't do it, you'll regret it”. In another instance the main character from one story wandered through a different story years down the road like a forgotten high school acquaintance, and I had the satisfaction of thinking he ended up just like I thought he would. The only story that I didn't thoroughly enjoy was “The Pitcher” and I think that if I knew anything about baseball I'd feel differently. As it was I skipped quite a bit of the baseball action and focused on 'the good parts'.

There is a brief biography at the end of the book and I was shocked to read that Dubus was from Louisiana originally. The stories are rooted in New England and California and the New England stories in particular, are filled with a real sense of place. I could feel the seasons and the snow and the Merrimack River. All in all a great read. ( )