Selected Shorts: Wondrous Women (Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story)
Starred Review. According to these well-chosen stories, a wondrous woman is foxy, resilient, stubborn and a bit magical. In David Haynes's Taking Miss Kezee to the Polls, the title character is a fiery octogenarian with a flaming red wig to match. Michael Genet delivers Miss Kezee's sassy proclamations with aplomb and brilliantly renders the bewilderment and compassion of the good-hearted young man who has been delegated to chauffeur her around town. In Kim Edward's The Story of My Life, Holly Hunter is pitch-perfect as the spunky teenage daughter of an antiabortion activist, reclaiming her right to individual choices. Two of the stories involve a touch of magical realism. In Allan Gurganis's It Had Wings, a frail widow takes full advantage of an angel who falls into her yard. Marian Seldes performs the woman's narrative slowly and carefully as surely such a woman would address us. In contrast, Kathleen Chalfant takes us slowly but sensuously through a humble bank clerk's lust for The Red Fox Coat she covets until she becomes one with it. This touching and hilarious collection of well-crafted tales is beautifully rendered by its performers.(Jan.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.