California Palms - by Marnell Jameson (Paperback)

About the Book

In her first collection of short stories, Marnell Jameson goes close to the heart, bringing us tender and sometimes painful looks at growing up and growing older, missed connections, things taken for granted, and other common threads of humanity.

Book Synopsis

In her first collection of short stories, Marnell Jameson goes close to the heart, bringing us tender and sometimes painful looks at growing up and growing older, missed connections, things taken for granted, and other common threads of humanity. We experience the heartbreaking rift between husband and wife in the aftermath of their only child's death. We relive the impatient curiosity of two adolescent girls "eager to move on with life." And we sense the superficial emptiness of an upscale crowd that frequents a well-known shopping plaza. Like the California palms, all the stories reach far below the surface, only to rise singularly high above the lanscapt to offer perspectives not easily forgotten.

Review Quotes

"Reading California Palms is like walking in a hall of shinny little mirrors, catching glimpses of yourself-some amusing and some more than a little frightening. Don't be surprised if you are still thinking about the stories days after you have put down the book." (Albuquerque Journal) "The beauty of this book doesn't come from loving depictions of happiness; the stories are often careful presentations of unease as they are chronicles of satisfaction. The collection of diverse fictions comes together in the impulses of involvement and investment moving the stories-a fine and generous harmonizing force." (Cimarron Review) "A colorful montage of people and life reflective of her California heritage. Jameson offers an unsettling and painful glimpse at the callous superficiality of daily life." (Booklist) "Short story writing is a special art and takes a certain kind of talent. Jameson has that ability." (Book Chat)