Book: The Slow Fix by Ivan E. Coyote, 2009
by Arsenal Pulp Press, 152 pages.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
”Coyote is an important
literary voice, blending a keen sense of gay identity and community
with a refreshing appreciation for the goodness at the heart of some
straight people.”—Out
The first three story collections by
Ivan E. Coyote featured insightful, deeply personal tales about gender,
identity, and community, based on her own experiences growing up lesbian
in Canada’s North. Ivan’s most recent book, Bow Grip, was her
first novel; it was shortlisted for the Ferro-Grumley Prize for Women’s
Fiction, was named a Stonewall Honor Book by the American Library
Association, and won Canada’s ReLit Award for Best Novel of the Year.
With The Slow Fix,
Ivan returns to her short story roots in a collection that is
disarming, warm, and funny, while it at the same time subverts our
preconceived notions of gender roles. Ivan excels at finding the small
yet significant truths in our everyday gestures and interactions. By
doing so, she helps us to embrace not what makes us women or men, but
human beings.
Ivan E. Coyote is the author of five books, all published by Arsenal Pulp Press. Born in Canada’s Yukon Territory, she lives in Vancouver, BC.
My Thougths:
I absolutely love Ivan Coyote's storytelling. Her stories just draw me in and make me want to keep reading more.
This collection is a short story, memoir collection. She touches on a wide range of topics, though many of them involve how we view gender roles, but there are also other topics, such as family and growing up in the north. In the space of one story Coyote has the ability to make the reader laugh, cry, be entertained, be challenged, and think - quite a feat.
Coyote is clearly a master of her craft and I would love to get some of her audio recordings to hear her tell her stories. This is the second one of her books that I have read now, and the second one that I have raced though, telling myself that I'll read "just one more story" before I put it down.
Showing posts with label Ivan E. Coyote. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ivan E. Coyote. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Book Review: Missed Her by Ivan E. Coyote
Book: Missed Her, Stories by Ivan E. Coyote, Published
August 31st 2010
by Arsenal Pulp Press, 144 pages.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Ivan E. Coyote is a master storyteller and performer; her beautiful, funny stories about growing up a lesbian butch in the Canadian north have attracted big audiences whether gay, straight, or otherwise. Missed Her is Ivan's fifth story collection, following 2008's Lambda-nominated The Slow Fix and Bow Grip, her novel that was named a Stonewall Honor Book by the American Library Association. Whether discussing the politics of being a butch with a pet lapdog or berating a gay newspaper for considering butches and trans people as "extreme," Ivan traverses issues of gender and identity with a wistful, perceptive eye.
My Thoughts:
I'd never heard of Ivan Coyote before I saw her name on the list for the Word on the Lake Festival I'm attending in Salmon Arm, BC next week. I picked up her book, not knowing what to expect and found I tore right through it. Each story is only a few pages long and I found myself reading "just one more," until the book was done.
Coyote is a storyteller and her stories are engaging, entertaining and sometimes challenging. She is a lesbian butch and I haven't read anything like this since my university days. Her stories are very personal, mostly from her own life or from her family's history. I love this kind of attention to the details in life.
I will admit, I liked some of the stories more than others, but as a collection, they made me at various times laugh, feel angry, miss Vancouver (where I grew up), and think about things in a new light.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Ivan E. Coyote is a master storyteller and performer; her beautiful, funny stories about growing up a lesbian butch in the Canadian north have attracted big audiences whether gay, straight, or otherwise. Missed Her is Ivan's fifth story collection, following 2008's Lambda-nominated The Slow Fix and Bow Grip, her novel that was named a Stonewall Honor Book by the American Library Association. Whether discussing the politics of being a butch with a pet lapdog or berating a gay newspaper for considering butches and trans people as "extreme," Ivan traverses issues of gender and identity with a wistful, perceptive eye.
My Thoughts:
I'd never heard of Ivan Coyote before I saw her name on the list for the Word on the Lake Festival I'm attending in Salmon Arm, BC next week. I picked up her book, not knowing what to expect and found I tore right through it. Each story is only a few pages long and I found myself reading "just one more," until the book was done.
Coyote is a storyteller and her stories are engaging, entertaining and sometimes challenging. She is a lesbian butch and I haven't read anything like this since my university days. Her stories are very personal, mostly from her own life or from her family's history. I love this kind of attention to the details in life.
I will admit, I liked some of the stories more than others, but as a collection, they made me at various times laugh, feel angry, miss Vancouver (where I grew up), and think about things in a new light.
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