I somehow have gone my whole life not knowing anything about Bukowski, before picking this up from the Audible Included library. Made it part way into the title story and was getting weird vibes, so I did a bit of a look into him and his writing and I'm no longer interested in anything this guy had to say. For me, good prose and some powerful poetry don't excuse being a creep and exuding that in your work.

Not telling or judging anyone who has a different perspective, but I'll never manage to read every author and book I want to before I die, so it's a very simple thing for me to cut the bigots and chauvinists that I'm aware of from my reading pool. ( )

stories 1967 -1983

I've read many/most of Bukowski's books - he is a truly gifted poet - he is from and of the gutter - but some of the stories in this volume are beyond the pale - they are just too degenerate, too disturbing even for us 21st century amoral Americans - the code by which we now live degrades every aspect of our sordid lives, but, for godsakes, can't we leave the babies and the dead out of it - can't we have just one or two sacrosanct no-go zones. Two astonishingly vile stories about fucking a dead body and another about doing the same to a very little girl - why? - to what end? some things are truly better left unsaid. ( )

This is some rough stuff. That’s a warning. Do not go into this thinking you’re going to read some nice little stories that describe the rougher side of life. You are going to read some rough stories that make the seamy side of life seem boring in comparison. Bukowski does not pull back. Some will consider it obscene. Some will consider it over the top. (The ultimate example is a story called “The Fiend” which I will not describe because, in a review, it is best not to describe it.) But, all that being said, this collection contains some of the most compelling…things…I have recently read. (For all the distaste that arises from “The Fiend”, it is still an incredible example of craft and storytelling. I don’t think I’d ever want to read it again – just looking up the title again gave me pause – but I’m glad I read it once.)

The content is all over the place. Some are stories, some are snippets of Bukowski’s life, some seem to be somewhere in between. And, that means the results are all over the place. Some are good, some are so-so, but some are gems. The best may be the opening story, “The Most Beautiful Woman in Town”. But I may also think that because, as the opening story, I was hit smack in the face with Bukowski.

It is almost impossible to describe the stories (particularly on a web site where children may accidently read the review). Suffice to say they are the tales of people who haven’t had the best of lives and are living on the edge. But the interesting thing is that the stories are not judgmental (probably because Bukowski was right there with them.) The people accept their lives and live them.

Again, the contents are rough. I happened to be reading a number of these in doctors’ offices (it would take too long to explain why) and, while no one could actually see what I was reading, I kept figuratively looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching. But they are worth the time and effort. Even the slowest and least exciting still have writing that catches your attention and does not bore.

Enter at your own risk, but do enter. ( )

I confess I didn't like Tales of Ordinary Madness, the counterpart to this collection, all that much. Maybe it's just because I had lower expectations for this second volume, but I did like The Most Beautiful Woman in Town a bit more. It's rather front-loaded, and the stories in the first half of the book are rather strong. The rape and paedophilia stories towards the end soured me a lot; not only because of the content but because there seems to be no reason for them – no artistic imperative or theme or message or method beyond simple fantasizing. But, often, when you read Bukowski you're not a reader – you're a panner sifting through dirt to find bits of gold-dust. I think I just liked the sloshing around a bit more this time. ( )