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Jane McCafferty
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Thank You for the Music: Stories Kindle Edition

by Jane McCafferty (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

This collection of short stories, linked by the theme of music, is a gorgeous follow-up to One Heart, award-winning writer Jane McCafferty’s critcially acclaimed debut novel

In 14 original stories, Jane McCafferty illuminates modern life weaving her love of music throughout the lives and stories of her characters. From two middle-aged strangers who meet in an empty baseball stadium during a rainstorm, to a 23-year-old man who brings his 62-year-old wife home to meet his parents, to a young couple who live next door to an unemployed clown and his wife, these stories are at once unexpected and enthralling.

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  1. Print length
    228 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  4. Publication date
    October 8, 2013
  5. File size
    2.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like a favorite old mix tape, McCafferty's collection of 14 stories tugs at the heartstrings and illuminates life's pivotal moments. In "Family on Ice," a spunky X-ray technician longs for a divorced man who's smitten with their mutual friend; at a Christmas party, she - a self-proclaimed "third wheel" - finds quiet companionship with a self-proclaimed "family bum." In "Guiding Light," a young girl convinces her seemingly closed-minded mother (whose musical taste stops at Burt Bacharach) to let her take piano lessons with their new neighbor, "a mixture of a nun and an artsy-fartsy." Twenty-five-year-old Griffin shocks his parents by bringing home a 60-year-old veterinarian bride in "Berna's Place"; as his parents slowly warm up to Berna, they also begin to reassess their own marriage. Under the influence of loneliness (and some newly prescribed Paxil), the father in "Light of Lucy" contemplates shouting to a parking lot full of parents waiting for their children, "Do you not grasp that life could be more like the movies if only you got out of your stupid car and opened your heart?" Before long, he finds himself sharing the front seat with a vibrant woman who bears a striking resemblance to the late, great Lucille Ball. Though some character types seem a bit overplayed, McCafferty (One Heart) offers tales as down-to-earth as the Bruce Springsteen tunes that unite a lonely woman with a young boy from the other side of the tracks in "Dear Mr. Springsteen," and as irresistible as any pop song.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

McCafferty (One Heart, 1999) has a wicked sense of humor and a whimsical way with a plot. In the 14 stories collected here, the spiky humor is omnipresent, and the outcomes are never predictable. In "Family on Ice," a lonely X-ray technician is invited by her elegant friend to a family outing ("Did I mention that the very idea of a family that goes ice skating together is beyond my ken?"). There she meets the "family bum," who reminds her how big life can be, how the world is "lit with grace." In "Bernie's Place," a 25-year-old man brings home his 60-year-old wife to meet his folks, improving the family dynamics in an unexpected but welcome way. Elsewhere, a Paxil-popping divorced father drinks hot chocolate with Lucille Ball. Loneliness and the unexpected, life-affirming connections that people are capable of forging with strangers are favorite themes. Music is ever-present, sometimes in the background, sometimes more prominently, serving as a cue to both mood and meaning. These are funny and uplifting stories for fans of the form. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00EXOFE1E
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (October 8, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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Jane McCafferty

Jane McCafferty

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
11 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Chuck Selvaggio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You for These Stories
    Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    "Thank You for the Music" is McCafferty's third major published work and her second collection of short stories. This is a collection that celebrates the contradictions and mysteries of our lives and shows us why we're worth writing about, worth reading about, worth thinking about, and, ultimately why our lives are worth living. Few people are able to find the sacred in the ordinary as well as McCafferty does. So while many of these stories begin with our very mundane selves - the jealous brother and husband, recent empty-nesters (who have only themselves and their "achievements" left to live with-or to avoid), insomniacs who are moved to graced risk by misapportioned devotion to pop stars, the family misfit, the suburban father, frustrated by the life he seems to have gotten painted into, and others - McCafferty perseveres and penetrates each protagonist deeply and keenly for more, faithful to her belief that there is more, lots more. Often, we can't see beyond what we think her characters should be; neither can most others in her stories. But it's because she's able to expose what lies beneath all our foibles so respectfully, so artfully, subtle but important epiphanies emerge. And in being witness to them, we get all that blessed residue.
    McCafferty's writing is both visionary and clear, both mystical and well grounded, both spontaneous and well organized. Reading this book, her first collection of stories, and her wonderful novel, "One Heart," I'm reminded of Richard Yates, both for his writing ability and, unfortunately, for the fact that he wasn't aptly appreciated during his time. If this collection doesn't move McCafferty out where she deserves to be, it's not going to be for want of a solid achievement.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Kathleen Stone
    3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, thought-provoking, eclectic mix of short stories
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
    This was an interesting, thought-provoking, eclectic mix of short stories. McCafferty's poetic writing style had me hooked from the first page to the last and I enjoyed the circus of characters very much.

    Some of my favorite passages from the book:

    "I remembered being in that kind of love, where everyone's a threat. I was far enough away from such pain to envy its intensity." (Berna's Place)

    "...I read Mr. Chomsky to further complicate my patriotism, which rose in me like dark sap in the shape of question marks." (Dear Mister Springsteen)

    "She wanted to be present to the present, leaving the past behind like a sealed box in the attic of a house in a dream." (So Long, Marianne)

    "But her own heart had been unable to hold onto the roots of her dreams; they dangled in space, then vanished." (Elizabeth Tines)

    "Let me tell you, old friend, the echo of those words is like a pet I keep in the basement, a mangy one that stalks my house at night." (Thank You For The Music)
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  • Martha
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    An excellent book. Very original.
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  • David Mellor
    4.0 out of 5 stars Had to take it in small bites
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013
    Jane McCafferty has captured the quiet suffering, the individual pain, the shared longing that so characterizes so many of our lives. I ached for those longings young people feel for each other. I listened in on a late-night conversation over chocolate milk and fried potatoes and felt the loneliness the wanted to share. Thanks for the music and the truth.
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  • avidreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best Story Collection of 2004
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    Now that 2004 has ended, I can say with confidence that this is the best story collection of 2004. It's one of the best collections I've read in years -- and woefully ignored. Whenever I direct someone to this collection, I get this response: WOW! Please discover this writer.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Elisa Schmit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for the music
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2005
    Jane McCafferty's compilations are like musical selections from a favorite cd. You can feel the characters and setting, and find yourself getting caught up in the outcome of each short story, hoping the next selection is just as lyrical. Filled with bittersweet hope, this book does not disappoint. Thank you-Jane.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Library Mama
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2005
    What a treat! I've discovered a new short story favorite. This collection is worth reading if only for one story in particular, "The Dog That Saved Her." Well, also, "Dear Mr. Springsteen." Two of my very favorite short stories ever, up there with the best of Lorrie Moore and Amy Bloom. Please pick up this slim, moving, surprising gem of a book!
    One person found this helpful
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