The Vanishing Point: Stories
by Paul Theroux
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"From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and "master of the short story" (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection. The stories in Paul Theroux's fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life's vanishing points--a moment when seemingly all lines running through one's life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has show more long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form"-- show lessTags
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The Vanishing Point: Stories by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended collection of 18 short stories with settings ranging from New England to Hawaii to Africa. As expected, the writing is excellent in the collection. These insightful stories are about men experiencing aging, reliving memories, longing for fulfillment, and the passing of time.
With any short story collection it is natural for some stories to resonate with various readers more than others. While I found the majority of the stories were compelling and insightful, others were less pertinent for me. It should be noted that the majority of the stories were really written for a male audience and in a few the situations were off-putting for me. This is a good, but uneven show more collection.
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/01/the-vanishing-point.html show less
With any short story collection it is natural for some stories to resonate with various readers more than others. While I found the majority of the stories were compelling and insightful, others were less pertinent for me. It should be noted that the majority of the stories were really written for a male audience and in a few the situations were off-putting for me. This is a good, but uneven show more collection.
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/01/the-vanishing-point.html show less
The Vanishing Point by Paul Theroux.
Paul Theroux is a novelist, travel writer and has been called ‘the master of the short story’.
His writing is very detailed, dramatic, and very thought-provoking.
I was drawn to his early works with their descriptions of his Peace Corps experiences. I also liked his books and stories taking place in Hawaii. I like the ‘atmosphere’ he creates with
his words.
The stories in The Vanishing Point “focus on life’s vanishing points - a moment when
seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge and one can see no further, yet
must deal with the implications.”
****
Paul Theroux is a novelist, travel writer and has been called ‘the master of the short story’.
His writing is very detailed, dramatic, and very thought-provoking.
I was drawn to his early works with their descriptions of his Peace Corps experiences. I also liked his books and stories taking place in Hawaii. I like the ‘atmosphere’ he creates with
his words.
The stories in The Vanishing Point “focus on life’s vanishing points - a moment when
seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge and one can see no further, yet
must deal with the implications.”
****
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112+ Works 32,269 Members
Paul Edward Theroux was born on April 10, 1941 in Medford, Massachusetts and is an acclaimed travel writer. After attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst he joined the Peace Corps and taught in Malawi from 1963 to 1965. He also taught in Uganda at Makerere University and in Singapore at the University of Singapore. Although Theroux has show more also written travel books in general and about various modes of transport, his name is synonymous with the literature of train travel. Theroux's 1975 best-seller, The Great Railway Bazaar, takes the reader through Asia, while his second book about train travel, The Old Patagonian Express (1979), describes his trip from Boston to the tip of South America. His third contribution to the railway travel genre, Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China, won the Thomas Cook Prize for best literary travel book in 1989. His literary output also includes novels, books for children, short stories, articles, and poetry. His novels include Picture Palace (1978), which won the Whitbread Award and The Mosquito Coast (1981), which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Theroux is a fellow of both the British Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Geographic Society. His title Lower River made The New York Times Best Seller List for 2012. Currently his 2015 book, Deep South , is a bestseller. (Bowker Author Biography) Paul Theroux is the distinguished author of numerous award-winning books, including "The Mosquito Coast," "Kowloon Tong," & "Half Moon Street." (Publisher Provided) show less
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- Original publication date
- 2025-01-28
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- 38
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- 761,557
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.08)
- Languages
- English
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- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
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