[.ca] The Palace Thief: Stories (ISBN 0812976177)

not bad, but not great either:
I grow so weary of reviewers touting the hackneyed line, "unforgettable characters". Please! The characters in this collection inspire a certain curiosity but are hardly "unforgettable". The story "The Palace Thief" would have been much more enjoyable had I not read the quintessential teacher/student story which is "Of This Time, Of That Place" by Lionel Trilling - hands down the best short story I've ever read. I wonder if Ethan Canin has read this because there is a similiarity. But where Trilling's story is a classic, Canin's is merely average. Also, the first-person narratives in two of the stories (the first & last) sound like the same person - both are pedantic, somewhat pompous, and long-winded. I'm beginning to worry that the reading public has become immune to terrible writing, which is why when someone like Canin comes along, there's an overflow of enthusiasm which is just not warranted. These are good little stories, but all are easily forgettable. This is easy-reading, and the neither the stories nor the writing, are particularly memorable.

Wonderful human drama.:
Let's face it folks: All stories have already been told. In fact, the Greeks nailed down about every possible archetypal character, conflict and plot over 2,000 years ago. So, bashing this book for being "trite" or "banal" essentially bashes every modern work of fiction. The value of literature, then, becomes how well something is done rather than how original it is. What these snobby critics (i.e. The New York Times) simply can't stand is that Canin's methods are entirely anti-postmodern. If you're into literary trickery a la David Foster Wallace or Paul Auster or Thomas Phynchon you had better stay clear of these gorgeous stories about human beings (rather than talking dogs). This is exactly what literature should be. The stories are about the characters, not the author. Writers like Wallace and Pynchon want you to remember the author. So much of postmodern fiction is about the author and the author's baggage, all rendered in a self-serving mess of psychological confession and silly pop-art trendiness. Canin's writing is about telling a profound story with beautiful language. God forbid! Canin is willing to subordinate fake originality to a supreme understanding and mastery of the world's most noble craft. American fiction needs more writers like this, willing to embrace the fundamentals of literature rather than faddish trickery. Very impressive.

Only one gem in the palace:
This book contains 4 short stories that are good, but not terribly memorable (even though the back cover calls them "unforgetable"). I read this book only a couple of weeks ago and can only remember one of the stories very well: The Palace Thief. The Palace Thief has nothing to do with a palace or a conventional thief. It was also used as the basis of the movie, The Emperor's Club. The story has the same feel as Dead Poet's Society with a professor that gets his students to dress in togas as they study Greek history and literature. The story is good but, in my opinion, the only true gem in the palace of this book. Ethan Canin likes to infuse his stories with baseball and other diversions enjoyed by men. I suppose these are the types of things he himself enjoys when he's not writing books or working as a doctor.

I hate Ethan Canin because...:
...my wife used to work at Houghton Mifflin whose vaunted Trade Division published Ethan Canin when he first started. All the 25 year old women of HMCO were in love with this guy who wrote beautifully, was excessively handsome (see book jacket and be your own judge...what do I know?) and was slumming at Harvard Medical School to become an MD. OK, so it has taken me about 12 years of marriage before I could bring myself to pick up Dr. Canin's work. And what do I think? Not too bad. If you like terrific writing. If you are a fan of great American story tellers like Fitzgerald, O'Hara, Cheever. If you like baseball. If you have ever been part of a family. If you are left brained or for that matter right brained...well you get the picture. I concede. This Canin dude has it all, and I recommend you add him to your reading table. (Just don't let your wife see the bookjacket.)

Disappointment! Why is this author so loved? OVER-RATED!:
I went out to buy this set of stories after seeing the wonderful movie THE EMPEROR'S CLUB and remembered the story "The Palace Thief" was the story that movie was based upon. In the past, I have read books after seeing movies and found the movie much more enjoyable than the films they are based on UNTIL NOW. The short story was definitely worse than the movie that developed the beloved high school teacher, making the character much more interesting than the man described by the author. SO DISAPOINTING! Why is everyone (except me) so crazy about Ethan Canin? I found it strange that a medical doctor would have time to be writing books in the first place. Now, I wonder if his medical knowledge is as limited as his writing abilities? Sure, the story about the father and son who share a love for baseball (sort of) but nothing else has intriguing moments, but to say that Canin is one of the country's best writers scares me. I know why I still read books written fifty years ago- the writing was much better.