In this novel, the protagonist, tassie keltjin, learns about how to handle. The questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of a gate at the stairs, the powerful, poignant, and laughoutloud story of a young womans coming of age in the midwest in the unsettling aftermath of the terrorist attacks of september 2001 and americas buildup. Childrens books edit moore has written a childrens book entitled the forgotten helper, about an elf whom santa claus mistakenly leaves behind at the home of the worst child on his good list. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. This is greek tragedy cloaked in a comingofage cape. Lorrie moores new novel, about a midwestern college student who hires on as a nanny for a brainy couple, brandishes its big material. When she takes a job as a parttime nanny to a couple who seem at once mysterious. Lorrie moore talks about a gate at the stairs interview. A gate at the stairs book club questions principles of marketing 16th edition pdf free download, discussion questions.
A gate at the stairs is a coming of age story about tassie keltjin, a 20yearold college student. September 2009 amy hanridge fiction a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moore s literary talent has always seemed exquisitely adapted to brevity. Moores reputation is for mastery of the short story. Buy a cheap copy of a gate at the stairs book by lorrie moore. She argues that, while watching a good movie is better than reading a bad book, the power of the written word remains unmatched. The novel was also a new york times bestseller, which also included the novel in a list of the best books of the year. Moore tackles american class, race, consumerism and the post911 landscape against the backdrop of americas midwest middle america in every sense, moving between an isolated farm town and the states university town. Reading guide for a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. As an admirer of lorrie moores short stories, ive long looked forward to the publication of the gate at the stairs, her first novel in fourteen years. The story opens with an unnamed woman and her lover, pete.
In her newest novel, a gate at the stairs, moore enters completely into the mind, heart and skin of a dynamic and perceptive college student, and in doing so, has created an incisive. Shes the sheriff of a wild and lonely territory, in which empathetic people fight despair with charming words. Pdf who will run the frog hospital download ebook for free. No one who is a fan of lorrie moore, or of comingofage novels rich in wit and specificity, should resist reading a gate at the stairs. About this guide the questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of a gate at the stairs, the powerful, poignant, and laughoutloud story of a young womans coming of age in the midwest in the unsettling aftermath of the terrorist attacks of. A gate at the stairs takes place just after the september 11 attack and is about a 20yearold midwestern womans coming of age. A gate at the stairs was published in 2009 and written by lorrie moore. A gate at the stairs is a piercing novel of race, class, love, and war in america. First of all, this is the first book by moore in ten years. Lorrie moore a gate at the stairs a novel on the anxiety and disconnection of post911 america, on the insidiousness of racism, the blindsidedness of war, and the recklessness thrust on others in the name of love.
A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore with america quietly gearing up for war in the middle east, twentyyearold tassie keltjin, a halfjewish farmers daughter from the plains of the midwest, has come to university escaping her provincial home to encounter the complex world of culture and politics. The title of lorrie moores heartbreaking new novel, a gate at the stairs, comes from a song that her heroine, a college student and sometime musician, writes. With her new novel, a gate at the stairs, high in the us charts and longlisted for the orange prize, lorrie moore talks to robert mccrum about black humour, middle age and rooneys chances in. Lorrie moores ability to blend quick wit and hilarious observations of current trends with moving portraits of people struggling with loneliness, confusion, and the desire for love has made her one of the most admired writers of our time.
This book, almost 10 years in the making, should establish her as a. About this guide the questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of a gate at the stairs, the powerful, poignant, and laughoutloud story of a young womans coming of age in the midwest in the unsettling aftermath of the terrorist attacks of september 2001 and americas buildup to war. Lorrie moore s new novel, about a midwestern college student who hires on as a nanny for a brainy couple, brandishes its big material about war and racism in a resolutely insouciant key. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. Contemporary fiction has produced few noticers with a better eye and more engaging voice than tassie keltjin, the narrator of lorrie moores deceptively powerful a gate at the stairs. Though most famous for her short stories, lorrie moore has also written 3 novels, her most event effort, a gate at the stairs being shortlisted for the penfaulkner and orange awards for fiction. The following version of this story was used to create this study guide. Capturing the mood of post911 america with astonishing deftness and precision, a gate at the stairs showcases moore at the height of her. Lorrie moores first two books, the story collection selfhelp 1985 and the novel anagrams 1986, introduced a writer possessing an appealing comic touch, lightly applied but not reducible to mere humor, and a modest if still palpable impulse to formal experiment.
A gate at the stairs, her first novel in ten years, has all these qualities. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore christopher guerin. Lorrie moore biography, age, family, husband, books, net. Houston chronicle lorrie moore inspires fierce loyalty, for good reason. San francisco chronicle moores penetrating and singular voice as a writer is one i could listen to for years and years. A gate at the stairs is a 2009 novel by american author lorie. A gate at the stairs kindle edition by moore, lorrie. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and. Set soon after the events of september 11th, a gate at the stairs follows tassie keltjin, the 20yearold daughter of a potato farmer and an undergraduate at a large wisconsin college who accepts a babysitting job for an upperclass couple. Lorrie moores a gate at the stairs falls into that tricky category of justnorthofgood a gray area that i struggle to write reasonable sentences about. Referential in referential, a short story from her new collection, lorrie moore nods to nabokov. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore in djvu, rtf, txt download ebook. A gate at the stairs quotes showing of 72 it was like the classic scene in the movies where one lover is on the train and one is on the platform and the train starts to pull away, and the lover on the platform begins to trot along and then jog and then sprint and then gives up altogether as the train speeds irrevocably off.
Lorrie moore, after many years as a professor of creative writing at the university of wisconsinmadison, is now the gertrude conaway vanderbilt professor of english at vanderbilt university. Interested in finding a parttime job, tassie applies for a nanny position and is interviewed by sarah brink, a woman who, along with her husband edward, is trying to adopt a child. The jacket copy of lorrie moores new novel, a gate at the stairs, declares that the story is about a young woman coming of age. For the centennial celebration of this beloved annual series, master of the form lorrie moore selects forty stories from the more than two thousand that. Click to read more about a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A gate at the stairs isbn 9780375409288 pdf epub lorrie. The best american short stories is the longest running and bestselling series of short fiction in the country.
In addition to her sense of humor and intelligence, what are tassies strengths. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore the new york times. But mostly there is the spotonness that readers have so come to identify with moores work. A gate at the stairs isbn 9780571249459 pdf epub lorrie.
A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moores literary talent has always seemed exquisitely adapted to brevity. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. A gate at the stairs is not a novel anyone will want to put down. Meditations of a midwesterner arts the harvard crimson. They hold the world, and the language used to describe it, a little off. In this novel, the protagonist, tassie keltjin, learns about how to handle the emotional pain that comes with love, loss. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore, paperback barnes. The woman is middleaged, and petes age is never stated, but he appears to be older than the woman. When it comes to me, a blank page and a blinking cursor, i prefer to hate something or want to roll naked in a meadow with it, rather than just thinking it is pretty good.
A gate at the stairs is a novel by american fiction writer lorrie moore. Told through the eyes of this memorable narrator, a gate at the stairs is a piercing novel of race, class, love, and war in america. While not incorrect, branding a gate at the stairs a comingofage novel, at the very least, does not do it full justice. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore is one of the most acclaimed novels of the year from one of americas most brilliant writers. Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers. It unfolds a startlingly brilliant series of portraits of the young, the hip, the lost, the unsettled and the unhinged of modernday america. Selfhelp incoporated as a formal strategy the conventions of direct address found in the genre of. The story takes place a few months after the september 11th attacks. Lorrie moore s a gate at the stairs falls into that tricky category of justnorthofgood a gray area that i struggle to write reasonable sentences about.
The novel won s best of the month designation and was a finalist for the penfaulkner award and the orange prize for fiction. Her work has won honors from the lannan foundation and the american academy of arts and let. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Now she has finally proved herself over the long haul, says geoff dyer. For much of moores first novel in 15 yearsher short stories have established her as something of a stateside alice munrotassies eye and ear are. Author lorrie moore discusses the importance of reading literature. Lorrie moore is the awardwinning author of the story collections selfhelp, like life, and birds of america, and the novels anagrams and who will run the frog hospital. This acclaimed book by lorrie moore is available at in several formats for your ereader. Lorrie moores dazzling collection of stories is remarkable for its range, emotional force and dark humour, and for the sheer beauty and power of its language.
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