Add this copy of The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories to cart. $6.96, new condition, Sold by Church Secretary rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Beaverton, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Dial Press.
Add this copy of The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories to cart. $7.00, very good condition, Sold by Burke's Book Store rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by The Dial Press.
Add this copy of The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories to cart. $12.00, like new condition, Sold by Marissa's Books and Gifts rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Salt Lake City, UT, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Dial Press.
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Fine. This book is hardcover. The pages are clean. The binding is tight. The dust jacket is clean and undamaged. This item is like new. Fast Shipping-Safe and Secure-Ships from Utah!
Add this copy of The Dream Life of Astronauts: Stories to cart. $30.79, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by The Dial Press.
Add this copy of The Dream Life of Astronauts; Stories to cart. $100.00, very good condition, Sold by Ground Zero Books, Ltd. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Silver Spring, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by The Dial Press.
Edition:
First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]
Publisher:
The Dial Press
Published:
2016
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
18101709886
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Seller's Description:
Klotz (Author photograph) Very good in Very good jacket. The format is approximately 5.75 inches by 8.5 inches. [10], 258, [4] pages. Inscribed by the author on the title page. The inscription reads For Kathleen--wonderful to meet you t AWP 17! Fondly, Patrick Ryan. The dust jacket has slight edgewear and soiling. In nine unforgettable stories, all set in and around Cape Canaveral, Patrick Ryan showcases his masterly understanding of regret and hope, relationships and family, and the universal longing for love. Set against landmark moments--the first moon launch, Watergate, the Challenger explosion--these private drams unfurl in startling ways. Patrick Eugene Ryan (born 1965) is an American novelist and short story writer. His books include short stories collections Send Me (2006) and The Dream Life of Astronauts, as well as three novels: Saints of Augustine (2008), In Mike We Trust (2009), and Gemini Bites (2011). He received his bachelor's degree in 1987 from Florida State University and his Master of Fine Arts in 1990 from the Writing Program at Bowling Green State University. He wrote short stories for about 10 years prior to the publication of his first book. His story "So Much for Artemis" earned him a National Endowment for the Arts in Fiction fellowship and was included in The Best American Short Stories 2006. His story "Getting Heavy With Fate" received the 2005 Smart Family Foundation Award for Fiction. For four years, Ryan worked as an editor at the literary magazine Granta. He was then editor-in-chief of One Story. The Dream Life of Astronauts balances heartbreak with wry humor as its characters try to make sense of the paths they find themselves on. A would-be Miss America auditions for a shady local talent scout over vodka and Sunny D; a NASA engineer begins to wonder if the woman he's having an affair with is slowly poisoning her husband; a Boy Scout troop leader, recovering from a stroke, tries to protect one of his scouts from being bullied by his own sons; an ex-mobster living in witness protection feuds with the busybody head of his condo board; a grandmother, sentenced to driver's ed after a traffic accident, surprises herself by falling for her instructor. Derived from a Kirkus review: In the shadow of the space program, everyday residents of Cape Canaveral and its environs cope with varying levels of domestic strife in these nine stories, set over the past 50 years. Ryan has a knack for squeezing drama out of seemingly everyday situations. In the title story, a nerdy gay teenager develops a crush on a self-aggrandizing ex-astronaut but gets more than he bargained for when the man and his wife invite him to dinner. A pregnant high schooler dreams of becoming a pageant queen in "Miss America" only to find herself in the home of a talent scout whose actions don't exactly inspire confidence. For the most part, these stories, while all rooted in the everyday, work best when Ryan amps up the volume a decibel or two. As the book progresses, the protagonists get older, too, and though all of Ryan's characters are endearing, they do get better-and saltier-with age. In the funny and affecting "Fountain of Youth, " a former "bookkeeper for an extortion racket" finds himself in witness protection at "the finest retirement community in all of Brevard County." Set in the wake of the Challenger explosion, "Go Fever" is about a NASA engineer's affair with the wife of his boss, who is obsessed with the idea that she's trying to poison him. And in Ryan's strongest piece, "Earth, Mostly, " a thrice-divorced grandmother attempts an afternoon tryst with her (married) defensive driving instructor. Ryan highlights the quirks of ordinary life in a place known for the extraordinary in this sharp and funny collection.