Cruising Paradise: Tales

Stories, vignettes, short dialogues and memoir pieces from playwright and actor Sam Shepard. Most take place in the Western U.S., many in desolate places “ninety miles from nowhere.”

In the stories, love, friendship, and loyalty compete against hate, betrayal, and poor decisions. The memoir chapters are mainly about filming in Mexico, except for a piece about his family's burial plot.

Shepard’s writing is witty and observant. In this volume it’s sometimes hard to tell where the fiction ends and real life begins.

Short stories from the writers life in the SW and making movies ring true. Never over written and sometimes just an essay on an occurence in his life these stories describe a slice of American life that are familiar to me. Since Jim Harrisson died I have been searching for someone to read. He's got the Right Stuff.

Good read. It appears to be autobiographical....?....the last third of the book as Shepard deals with his career as an actor are for me the best. The style is easy and elegant. I never had any idea that S.S. was so talented until I met a bookstore owner who knows him personally and told me some funny stories about him. Those stories add another dimension.

Very enjoyable read. I like Sam Shepard. Nothing pretentious here at all.