We'll Always Have Paris

December 1, 2008
A nostalgic collection of stories by the celebrated author finds humor and tenderness in unexpected encounters. A few of these brief tales deliver the trademark Bradbury chill, such as “The Reincarnate,” in which a newly dead man harbors the doomed hope of rejoining the living. Or the creepy “Fly Away Home,” which sends to Mars “rocket men” who re-create buildings from their hometowns to keep from going mad. Other stories are sentimental character studies, such as “Massinello Pietro,” about a flamboyant man who keeps a menagerie that the neighborhood and the police see as a public nuisance, or “Pietà Summer,” an affecting boyhood memory about a sleep-deprived 13-year-old who's excited about the two circuses coming to town. Other stories delve into romantic ironies, as in “Un-pillow Talk,” in which two new lovers unravel the steps that brought them to bed, or the curious title story, which follows a married American man through Paris as he pursues an alluring young Frenchman. Though many of these feel like they've been sitting in a drawer for decades, Bradbury's fans will find his fiction still open to experimentation.

March 1, 2009
Adult/High School-Renowned for his numerous novels and short-story collections, Bradbury has once again created a book that will both entertain and stretch readers' imaginations. Never before published, these 22 selections explore the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people. The author's talent for devising eerie and emotionally moving plots is evident in "The Reincarnate," in which a dead man attempts to reunite with his wife but discovers that he cannot recapture the past, and in "When the Bough Breaks," in which the ghostly cry of an unknown baby challenges a couple's decision not to have children. Much more than traditional science fiction, the collection contains a variety of other genres including chilling psychological thrillers such as "The Murder" and "Ma Perkins Comes to Stay," and bittersweet romances such as "We'll Always Have Paris" and "Doubles." Short-story fans will revel in this superb compilation, which elicits quick yet powerful emotions. Teens who appreciate unique, well-crafted tales will enjoy it. English and literature teachers will find a wealth of instructional opportunities in this book, either as a stand-alone collection or as a companion to Bradbury's other works or the collections of other authors. This is a must-have for short story collections and any school library in which Bradbury is part of the curriculum.Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2008
Never-before-published stories from the prolific —and increasingly nostalgic —author of classics such as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.

In the introduction to this collection, Bradbury (Now and Forever, 2007, etc.) advises the reader to "enjoy " the stories rather than "think about them too much. Just try to love them as I love them, " and these are indeed stories for enjoyment rather than for existential agony. We find here the usual range: some stories are sci-fi right out of the 1950s, some are eerily edgy, and some are a bit dewy-eyed. In "Fly Away Home, " Bradbury revisits familiar territory, the colonization of Mars. After a six-month, 60-million-mile voyage on the First Rocket, the pioneers almost immediately feel alienated and alone on the harsh Red planet, but the team psychiatrist had anticipated this estrangement and arranged for a Second Rocket to arrive, one containing all the accoutrements of Main Street and its sentimental attachments to the home planet —the crew is even able to get pineapple malts at the Martian drugstore. In "Arrival and Departure, " one of Bradbury's most poignant flights of fancy, an old couple finally escapes their dreary indoor life and exultingly drinks in the glories of spring only to discover by the end of the day that they ' re much more comfortable in the circumscribed and lonely life they ' ve been living in their house. In the amusing "A Literary Encounter, " Charlie takes on the persona of whatever literary work he happens to be reading at the moment. His wife Marie is not too pleased when Charlie's reading the expansive Thomas Wolfe or the ultraformal Samuel Johnson, so she persuades him to get reacquainted with the ten romantic books he was absorbed in when he was courting her.

Nothing too surprising, but the stories are pleasant and evocative.

(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2009
In a career spanning 60-plus years, dozens of story collections, and classic novels such as Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury has proven to be a seemingly inexhaustible font of ideas. While many of these never-before-published tales have the feel of dusted-off sketches, the vast majority are happily recovered gems that once again showcase Bradburys versatile imagination. Massinello Pietro recounts the fate ofa noisy shopkeeper whose neighbors dont realize how much they need him until he is jailed as a public nuisance. In A Literary Encounter, a bibliophile adjusts his relationship to his wife according to the style of the author he is currently reading. The title piece describes a curious romantic encounter its married narrator has with a stranger one night on the streets of Paris. Perhaps the volumes standout, however, is Fly Away Home, a story about the loneliness encountered by Mars first astronauts that could have easily been an outtake from The Martian Chronicles. Bradbury fans can only hope there are more like it still in his archives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 15, 2009
At 88, Bradbury is a national treasure who does not seem inclined to be set aside on the trophy shelf. With this collection of 21 stories and a poem, he employs the humor, empathy, and quirky approach that have been the hallmarks of his career to the question of "What if?" Bradbury has a gift for quickly building an intriguing premise and then allowing readers room to speculate about what might happen next. The witty winners here include "The Twilight Greens," about the meandering preoccupations of men of a certain age; "Come Away with Me," which concerns one man's attempt to save another from an unhappy relationship; "Fly Away Home," a nostalgic, somewhat melancholy look at the dream and reality of space travel; and "Apple-core Baltimore," a backward view of the lingering effects of childhood cruelty. These accessible stories are quick to read but may linger long after the book is done. Recommended for all public libraries and story collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 9/15/08.]Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.