The Development: Nine Stories

It's rather unusual of me to read a collection of short stories, but that's what I did this week. THE DEVELOPMENT: NINE STORIES, by John Barth, is a collection that reads almost like a novel because the tales are populated by the same characters with flashbacks to earlier happenings.

The title refers to a Chesapeake Bay housing development and the stories involve the over-50 crowd who live in this active seniors community. There are surprises, there is routine, there is satire, there is poignancy, all of the above, which is sufficient to keep us readers turning pages to the very end.

I have to be honest: I've never read any of John Barth's novels, but this collection of short stories leaves me wanting to catch up with what I've missed. (Click on the link to learn more.)