Thomas McGuane's writing is always fantastic. As with all short story collections some stores are better than others, but nearly every story in this book was classic McGuane. ( )

My first experience reading McGuane and I'm a new fan! The collection is dark, cynical, and really funny at times. I enjoyed the Montana backdrop, but the observations about our frailty, psychology, and relationships could have worked anywhere. Some stories are stronger than others. The strongest ones are truly excellent. ( )

There are a few excellent stories in this collection; Hubcaps, Prairie Girl and Shaman are all stories where McGuane gives us more than what I gather must be his trademark cynicism. For the most part, though, I found the stories seemed to feature one character: the dejected loser who has nothing to offer but a jaded, rather cynical view of others. There is so little variety among his male characters that they seem to simply change names, occupations and locations. His writing style is as sparse as the characters and I think that, and the occasional surprise plot twist, give the illusion that there is more here than there really is. I had heard a lot about this author and was disappointed when I finally read him. Maybe his novels are better, but I found this collection of stories so depressing I am afraid to try him in the longer form. . ( )

A fine collection of stories, many featuring men that are found wanting, both in their eyes and in the eyes of others. In the title story, two brothers find their own ways to deal with the revelation that their mother had an extramarital fling with an Indian. In “Hubcaps” a young boy encounters cruelty while navigating his parent’s broken marriage. In “Prairie Girl” a former prostitute marries into a banking family and schemes her way to respectability. In “On a Dirt Road” and “The Casserole” wives find sneaky ways to humiliate their husbands. There’s a lot of distrust, befuddlement and harshness in these extremely well-written stories. Despite these depictions of the messy ugliness that can characterize relationships, the stories never let us lose hope. ( )

Thomas McGuane's writing is always fantastic. As with all short story collections some stores are better than others, but nearly every story in this book was classic McGuane. ( )