When I picked this one up from my library, I didn't realize it was a set of novellas. I haven't read many novellas, but the ones I have have been tough. I think it's kind of an awkward form -- long enough to feel a little too long but not long enough to feel like a big hearty novel you can really get into. It's like the awkward teenager phase of fiction that nobody really wants to be all that much involved with.

The first two in this collection of three, and a good half of the third, fell pretty flat for me. The words and sentences were good, but the stories didn't do much for me. They didn't seem to have much emotional freight, and so they seemed oddly sized curiosities, little exercises in building a sense of place and maybe a little sense of character. But of course knowing that the story would be chopped off pretty soon after the development had built, I had trouble really connecting with either the fictional town of Falls or its inhabitants.

Well into the final novella, Decoy, after the catastrophe that basically bifurcates the thing, the piece took a turn for the better for me, and I thought the last 20 - 30 pages were good. But, 30 pages out of 300 make for pretty slim pickings, so it's not one I'd suggest. ( )

I had heard great things about Gurganus so I thought his latest would be a good introduction. He uses the small town of Falls, North Carolina as the backdrop for 3 novellas. His prose is excellent and the stories have good creativity and a sly black humor. I especially liked "Saints Have Mothers" about a mother with a perfect teenage daughter which she may or may not love. The last story "Decoy" was the longest and the length is what hurt it. I think it could have conveyed the same story in less pages, but ultimately it was a good commentary about friendship and growing old. This is a good read, but not sure if I will go back and read his earlier stuff, but instead I will see what he produces in the future. ( )

I immediately lost interest in the first story. I tried to get through the second, but failed. I found the narrator's voice both unconvincing, annoying and uninteresting. The story of a perfect, saintly child just seemed too far removed from reality to hold my interest. I just didn't get the point. ( )

I happen to like Gurganus as a writer but I don't agree with the rave reviews for this book of three novellas. I with great effort got through the first one and simply couldn't go any further. It didn't seem to be worth my effort. ( )