Lost in the City | Edward P. Jones | Criminally out of print

Lost in the City | Edward P. Jones | I agree: truly is a crime that this is out of print.

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Lost in the City

	Lost in the City Edward P. Jones, 2004 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Criminally out of print

This book of stories is one of the treasures of the 1990's, and it's a sad commentary that it is out of print. Jones hasn't helped himself by not publishing a follow-up, but Lost in the City is good enough to stand on its own. If you can find it second hand, buy it.

I agree: truly is a crime that this is out of print.

(That's really all I have to add. Why don't they reissue it?)

Amen.

The previous two reviews are absolutely on target, and it is criminal indeed that this is out of print. (for New Yorkers: I saw one remaining copy at Strand Book Store) I would only add that this book was listed for the National Book Award in 1992 and won the PEN-Hemingway Foundation Award for best first fiction. These are moving stories that capture a time and place but transcend both, and reach beyond ethnic boundaries to larger truths. Maybe it's not a stretch to say that Jones does for D.C. what Joyce did for Dublin in "Dubliners."

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Just enough for the city

It seems as though some of my favorite books of all time had a strong emphasis on the setting in which they took place. Rainelle Burton ingeniously incorporated Detroit into her novel, The Root Worker. Zora Neale Hurston's writings were all heavily emphatic on the southern setting in which her characters resided. Not unlike these, Edward P. Jones' collection of short stories entitled LOST IN THE CITY not only uses Washington, DC as its backdrop, but the city's intricacies and nuances are woven together with each storyline he presents. He uses this setting so competently that we are led to the notion that the city of Washington itself is the protagonist as it jumps out as a recurring character in all of the pieces.

There truly wasn't one story that I felt lukewarm toward, however, some of them do stand out among the rest because of both their plots and characters. One of my favorites, entitled "The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed", was a day in the life of Cassandra, a tough teen who also happens to be the local vocal starlet's best friend. Throughout the course of the story, Cassandra's personality came to the forefront, allowing the reader to walk with her through her adolescent journey.

Jones is a great writer, and an excellent storyteller. His characters are the folks you know from next door, from down the street, or from the church choir. Emblazoned with universality, even those who have never been to Washington will know how it feels to be lost in its grandeur. Edward P. Jones has a novel due out this year as well. You can trust that I will be reading it.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

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For the living: read this book

An easy-to-read collection of fourteen short stories, all set in Washington D.C. Edward P. Jones tells the stories of African Americans of all ages struggling to make ends meet in our nation's capital. The author's unique writing style can be confusing at times, but creates a real voice for uncovering the reality behind the museums and monuments. Mr. Jones shows what D.C. is really like by pushing the political curtain aside to reveal the city's vast mass of poverty, crime, drugs, and misfortune.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5

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