To Skin a Cat

by Thomas McGuane

Overview

A collection of thirteen stories of great range, verve, and humor from the highly acclaimed author of Cloudbursts and Ninety-two in the Shade

Thomas McGuane's first short story collection  is "a cornucopia of McGuane's grace, humor, gusto, and smarts" (Philadelphia Inquirer), and McGuane is a writer who “makes the page, the paragraph, the sentence itself a record of continuous imaginative activity.... [He is] an important as well as a brilliant novelist" (The New York Times Book Review).

Includes the stories:
• The Millionaire
• A Man in Louisiana
• Like a Leaf
• Dogs
• A Skirmish
• Two Hours to Kill
• The Rescue
• Sportsmen
• Little Extras
• Partners
• The Road Atlas
• Flight
• To Skin a Cat

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780394755212
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/12/1987
Series:	Vintage Contemporaries
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

THOMAS McGUANE lives on a ranch in McLeod, Montana. He is the author of ten novels, including the National Book Award-nominated Ninety-two in the Shade, three works of nonfiction, and four collections of stories. His work has won numerous awards, including the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and has been anthologized in the Best American Stories, Best American Essays, and Best American Sporting Essays.

Editorial Reviews

"A cornucopia of McGuane's grace, humor, gusto, and smarts." —Philadelphia Inquirer

From the Publisher

This collection of 12 stories seems to prove once more that McGuane is a writer who lacks consistency. When he is good, he is very good; at other times he can be underpowering. Some of these tales are highly interesting, imbued with power and the ability to startle; in others, McGuane seems to be coasting, failing to deliver the bite that makes the difference between a good and a great story. The title narrative, the last in the collection, has that bite. The tale of a jaded young man who aspires to become a pimp, it teeters on the edge of the bizarre until it finally crosses over. Another story, ``The Millionaire,'' exhibits a delicious tension as the parents of a pregnant teenager await the arrival of the child whose adoption has already been arranged as a sort of birth of convenience. Taken as a whole, the collection is entertaining, sometimes memorable. (October 14)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this short story collection, McGuane focuses his Midwest perspective on the eccentricities of small towns and their inhabitants. A pregnant girl selling her baby, a man who steals his neighbor's dogs, a young boy imprisoned by bullies, and topics such as infidelity, hunting, and handicaps all are explored. McGuane is distanced from his characters, and the writing is self-conscious at worst, interesting at best. Though he seems to have something to say, his laconic style often muddles the meaning. The title story is quite different in tempo from the othersto the point of being anomalousand appears to parody something, but again the intention isn't clear. Buy for demand, though even his fans may be disappointed. Susan Avallone, ``Library Journal''

Library Journal

The finest stories in this volume...have the sad - funny sad-surreal texture of daily life; and the depth of emotion not only attached to the happy continuation of development from Mr. McGuane's last two novels, but hints at better things to come. -- The New York Times

Michiko Kakutani