From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Staff Pick
There’s a lot that’s stunning about this collection. Whether McBride is digging through the wreckage of American history and our stubborn refusal to reckon with race and class, or examining mankind’s cruelty and avarice through the perspective of sentient zoo animals, these stories sparkle with grace and empathy, celebration and sorrow. Each one of these pieces is firmly grounded in character and setting, but that doesn’t stop the author from showing off his incredible range. I read a lot of books about America’s sins and our inability to confront them this year, but this one just might be the most powerful. Recommended By Tim B., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The stories in
Five-Carat Soul--none of them ever published before--spring from the place where identity, humanity, and history converge. They're funny and poignant, insightful and unpredictable, imaginative and authentic--all told with McBride's unrivaled storytelling skill and meticulous eye for character and detail. McBride explores the ways we learn from the world and the people around us. An antiques dealer discovers that a legendary toy commissioned by Civil War General Robert E. Lee now sits in the home of a black minister in Queens. Five strangers find themselves thrown together and face unexpected judgment. An American president draws inspiration from a conversation he overhears in a stable. And members of The Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band recount stories from their own messy and hilarious lives.
As McBride did in his National Book award-winning The Good Lord Bird and his bestselling The Color of Water, he writes with humor and insight about how we struggle to understand who we are in a world we don't fully comprehend. The result is a surprising, perceptive, and evocative collection of stories that is also a moving exploration of our human condition.
Review
"Five-Carat Soul by James McBride covers a lot of ground, all of it unpredictable, exhilarating, and, often, hilarious. The short stories bounce from one unlikely protagonist to the next... I loved these stories individually; all together they make for a wild and utterly delightful ride." BuzzFeed
Review
"The stories are diverse enough in style, theme and milieu to keep one's head thoroughly engaged... Serious fun." Newsday
Review
"Brash, daring and defiantly original... [these] stories are bound to stay with readers for a very long time." NPR
Review
"Humming with invention and energy, the stories collected in McBride’s first fiction book since his National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird again affirm his storytelling gifts… McBride adopts a variety of dictions without losing his own distinctly supple, musical voice; as identities shift, ‘truths’ are challenged, and justice is done or, more often, subverted." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"A vivid, often funny story collection that examines serious topics like race, war, history, and self-identity — all with a deft hand and a fluid, musical voice." Entertainment Weekly