Grace Paley : illuminating the dark lives /

It is good to see such a clear, sane, and well-written study of Grace Paley's three volumes of short stories. Not only has Taylor read all the work scrupulously, but she has systematically analyzed the factors that make Paley's stories simultaneously so wounding and funny. Taylor refers to the muted music found in the fiction, the silences and the insistence on language that is necessary to explain her women characters in confrontation with the men in their lives. The development of Paley's art attests to an evolution of technique, a style resembling oral history yet clearly artfully shaped by the observations of the narrator, often in first person. Through the narrator, the reader gets valuable insights into women's lives--as mothers, as abandoned wives, as dumped-on women and all those who wait for their lives to change. No study of Paley would be complete without mention of her wit, broadly based on Jewish humor, and Taylor captures it wonderfully well. Most of Paley's stories take place in New York City, which affords the opportunity to examine the lives of a whole parade of women. The reader will get a very complete idea of both story and style from this engaging book. Necessary reading for all Paley fans. -H. Susskind, Monroe Community College