Something Rich and Strange: Selected Stories

*Heads up to potential buyers: This collection contains ALL of the short stories included Rash's other short story collection titled "Burning Bright", as well as some that aren't in that collection.Having read most of Ron Rash's novels & short stories, I would rate this as a mediocre collection. When it comes to Rash's literary power, he's always at his best when he writes about what he knows. And, to his credit, he usually does a great job. But sometimes he veers onto very shaky cultural territory. Most of the short stories in this collection were enjoyable reads, but there were some definite duds.For example, when Rash tries to create characters like the "hippie" couple, Wendy and Thomas, who appear in the story "Magic Bus," things go from bad to worse. His stereotyped view of the counter culture was lame & the behavior of these two characters went from silly to malevolently ridiculous. Thomas does something outrageously destructive near the end of the story that comes completely out of left field...it simply makes no sense.I'm glad counter-culture characters seldom show up in Rash's geographic, temporal, & literary space. Because when they do he demonstrates a shallow, media-hyped understanding of that cultural movement & those who lived it. Everywhere "hippies" appear in his novels or stories they come off as cardboard characters. They either come from San Francisco or want to move there. They say "groovy" a lot, wear "love beads" and are constantly referencing The Jefferson Airplane, Jimmy Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and the Quicksilver Messenger Service. All of them come off as ne'er-do-wells who talk the language of love & peace, but are really just selfish, mean-spirited, opportunist stoners.I'm a few years older than Ron. I grew up in the Bay Area during those times & considered myself part of that counter-culture. I rarely heard the word "groovy" used ("far-out" sometimes, but not groovy). Beaded necklaces were fairly popular, but they were rarely called "love beads" (except by the media) & were usually sold in Haight Street & Berkeley head shops to weekend lookie-loos & hippie wanna-bes.Counter-culture music was far more varied & diverse than the stock line-up of acid rock bands Rash always mentions. In fact, many counter-culture musicians spent considerable time in the South; played & toured with country & bluegrass artists; & incorporated those influences into their music. But, most of all, there were as many different types of people in the counter-culture as there were in the Southern Appalachian towns & hamlets his stories & novels describe so well. But, if you only learned about "hippies" from Rash's novels, you'd never know it.

This short story collection is completely masterful. That word, “masterful,” gets thrown around a lot. Here, you’ll get to see what it actually means.North Carolina is Ron Rash’s home turf, and it is sometimes the North Carolina of the Civil War, sometimes that the Depression, and sometimes that of the methamphetamine-cursed current day, but in Rash’s hands it always comes alive in all its hardscrabble beauty and hardscrabble pain, and Rash summons up the language, the sounds, the very feel of his various North Carolinas, in a way I can’t imagine anyone else holding a candle to.Characters come fully alive with a single deft stroke. A scene is made utterly vivid by just a simple phrase. This is amazing writing – mostly in the fact that you are so thoroughly engrossed in the story itself, you don’t think much about the writing.Those who “experiment” with the short story form are welcome to their experiments, I suppose. But these stories – thoroughly traditional, with beginnings, middles, and ends, summoning up character and time and place with masterful compression, show you what can be done with the traditional form, and make you regret time lost entertaining those “experiments.”I’ve never had a more satisfying fiction reading experience. Memorable gem after memorable gem. How can anyone write so beautifully, so seamlessly, so powerfully, so simply, so honestly? Want the American short story in its consummate expression? Read Rash.

Some stories made me cry, others made me laugh out loud. Reminiscent of another day and time before we all got formally educated and molded into part of mainstream America, life was simpler and more colorful in so many ways. Rash captures that essence beautifully and sometimes comically or tragically. A great read.

I have always enjoyed Ron Rash's books - perhaps because I grew up in the South in the period that he writes about. I indicated "Predictable" to describe the plot and "nostalgic" the mood but I also thought "hopeful" because he wrote about what had been but pointed to what could have been. Some of the stories did not seem to be complete but gave the reader the opportunity to imagine an ending; a few just didn't seem to be stories at all but that may be due to my antiquated definition of a story. As always his characters are well developed and portray the people of that time and place but often point to the beginning of a better way.over all, it is a very good collection!

I heard about this book on NPR so I got it and read it. I just gave it to my daughter who teaches literature in middle school. I thought most of the stories were fascinating. Some just seemed to end while others really had a punch. The time frame is from the Civil War through recent times. Each story had it's own time and location although they are all in the Carolinas. I recommend the book. I liked it so well that I went out and bought the novel he wrote, "Serena." Serena is a dark depressing story and I really don't see that it is a great novel. The have made a movie of it and I don't care to see the movie. Of the two, I highly recommend "Something Rich and Strange." "Serena" did nothing for me

What a spellbinding collection! These stories are so unique. Some are haunting, some are humorous, and some are heartbreaking. They left me wanting more.

Short stories are great, especially if you don't have a lot of time to read. It is a real mixture of life in Appalachia, and even different time periods. The stories are often wonderful, giving you a perspective of lifestyles with which you may not be able to relate. However, the endings often seem to come abruptly and somewhat unsatisfyingly. Not that everything always needs to have a neat and definite conclusion, but I feel a little too being left hanging. I do recommend the book despite this, as the stories are very worthwhile.

Ron Rash is my favourite writer of short stories right now , truly a master of his craft.What we have here is an anthology of his very best efforts , a "greatest hits" if you like , featuring some fine selections from Ron's previous collections The Night The New Jesus Fell to Earth , Chemistry , Burning Bright and Nothing Gold Can Stay. There is literally not ONE bad story in any of those books ( incredibly) so you can imagine how high the quality is here.His stories are set in the hard-bitten country of the Appalachians and Ron knows this landscape and it's people inside out , documenting with penetrating insight all their problems and worries be it alcohol , drugs, poverty , heartache, missed opportunities etc etc , you get the picture i hope. Tales of life's "ordinary" people if you like and what makes them tick and what they think of all this holy mess we're living through. Utterly amazing stuff and one of the planets finest writers , easily on par with the likes of Richard Ford and Cormac McCarthy. There's a story here called "Their Ancient , Glittering Eyes" which is just so rich and involving , it's a masterpiece , one of the very best i've ever read. 10/10 , easily , in terms of both content AND value for money.

Excellent, gives a voice to hillbilly rural America, the people who may well have voted Trump but aren't the stupid rednecks that the urban media portray. People are complex and this collection of stories reflects that.

perfect