A gate at the stairs lorrie moore pdf

The story takes place a few months after the september 11th attacks. Maureen corrigan, fresh air, npr tassie is achingly real and, thanks to moore s nimble prose, an unbeatable guide through the thicket of early adulthood. 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. The jacket copy of lorrie moore s new novel, a gate at the stairs, declares that the story is about a young woman coming of age.

San francisco chronicle moores penetrating and singular voice as a writer is one i could listen to for years and years. Aug 24, 2010 a gate at the stairs is vintage lorrie moore. 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 dazzling collection of stories is remarkable for its range, emotional force and dark humour, and for the sheer beauty and power of its language.

Around the whiteness was a low wood qualline fence, and when i pushed open its gate it slipped a little. 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. But some obstacles like race, or past mistakes, or ignorance, or preconceived notions are harder to climb over than others. Like practically everything else in lorrie moore s novel, the title a gate at the stairs is a metaphor. 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.

Selfhelp incoporated as a formal strategy the conventions of direct address found in the genre of nonfiction named in the title. 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. San francisco chronicle moore s penetrating and singular voice as a writer is one i could listen to for years and years. 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. A conversation with lorrie moore the new york times. A gate at the stairs, by lorrie moore the new york times. Fortunately, her latest offering proves well worth the wait. Apr 22, 2010 lorrie moore s a gate at the stairs follows a year in the life of tassie, a 20 year old college student. A gate at the stairs, her first novel in ten years, has all these qualities. First of all, this is the first book by moore in ten years. Moores books are anagrams in 1986, who will run the frog hospital. Publication date 2009 topics families, nannies, college students publisher. A gate at the stairs isbn 9780571249459 pdf epub lorrie.

Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore in djvu, rtf, txt download ebook. 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. Lorrie moores a gate at the stairs follows a year in the life of tassie, a 20 year old college student. The following version of this story was used to create this study guide. A gate at the stairs is a piercing novel of race, class, love, and war in america. When she takes a job as a parttime nanny to a couple who seem at once mysterious and. 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. Moore tackles american class, race, consumerism and the post911 landscape against the backdrop of americas midwest middle america in every sense, moving between. No matter your station in life, there are always obstacles. 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. Houston chronicle lorrie moore inspires fierce loyalty, for good reason. 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.

Lorrie moore biography, age, family, husband, books, net. 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. Moores reputation is for mastery of the short story. A gate at the stairs is not a novel anyone will want to put down. Its been more than 10 years since her most recent short story collection, and nearly 15 since her last fulllength work of fiction, who will run the frog hospital. Reading guide for a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore about the book tassie keltjin has come from a small farming town to attend college in troy, the athens of the midwest. This is greek tragedy cloaked in a comingofage cape.

Capturing the mood of post911 america with astonishing deftness and precision, a gate at the stairs showcases moore at the height of her powers. 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. They hold the world, and the language used to describe it, a little off. A gate at the stairs, the authors third novel, is solidly and delightfully lorrie moore territory. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore christopher guerin. In addition to her sense of humor and intelligence, what are tassies strengths. A gate at the stairs is the new york times one of the best books of the year winners as well as various other literary awards and nominations. Click to read more about a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore.

Lorrie moore s 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. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore reading group guide. Shes swept into a thrilling world of books and films and riveting lectures, highflying discussions about bach, balkanization, and. A novel on the anxiety and disconnection of post911 ameri. 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. Tassie keltjin, a naive student at a university in the midwest, takes a job as a babysitter for a couple in the process of adopting a child.

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. Meditations of a midwesterner arts the harvard crimson. She is a professor of english at the university of wisconsin in madison. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moore the. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore, paperback barnes. A gate at the stairs is a coming of age story about tassie keltjin, a 20yearold college student. Finalist for the penfaulkner award finalist for the orange prize for fiction chosen as a best book of the year by the new york times book. Lorrie moore talks about a gate at the stairs interview.

This acclaimed book by lorrie moore is available at in several formats for your ereader. 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. The story opens with an unnamed woman and her lover, pete. Tassie is from a small town in rural wisconsin, and her world is expanded exponentially over the course of the novel, first by her experience in the college town of troy, then by her employment as the nanny for a young adopted mixed race.

Sep 27, 2015 a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore in djvu, rtf, txt download ebook. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. Lorrie moores ability to blend quick wit and hilarious observations of current trends with moving portraits of people struggling with loneliness. This book, almost 10 years in the making, should establish her as a. An assignment for first and second year college students, this exercise asks students to draw a specific connection between some of the topical elements of lorrie moores novel a gate at the. The cold came late that fall and the songbirds were caught off guard. Maureen corrigan, fresh air, npr tassie is achingly real and, thanks to moores nimble prose, an unbeatable guide through the thicket of early adulthood. Lorrie moore is the author of the story collections like life, selfhelp, and birds of america, and the novels who will run the frog hospital.

A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moore s literary talent has always seemed exquisitely adapted to brevity. Lorrie moore is the author of the story collections birds of america, like life, and selfhelp and the novels who will run the frog hospital. Buy a cheap copy of a gate at the stairs book by lorrie moore. Mar 16, 2020 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. September 2009 amy hanridge fiction a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore. In this novel, the protagonist, tassie keltjin, learns about how to handle the emotional pain that comes with love, loss. Selfhelp incoporated as a formal strategy the conventions of. 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. A gate at the stairs is a novel by american fiction writer lorrie moore. Now she has finally proved herself over the long haul, says geoff dyer. The novel won s best of the month designation and was a finalist for the penfaulkner award and the orange prize for fiction. While not incorrect, branding a gate at the stairs a comingofage novel, at the very least, does not do it full justice. Sep 08, 2009 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. 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.

Self help lorrie moore pdf download self help lorrie moore read online. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moore the guardian. Apr 10, 2010 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. Sep 26, 2009 a gate at the stairs by lorrie moore lorrie moore s literary talent has always seemed exquisitely adapted to brevity. Shes the sheriff of a wild and lonely territory, in which empathetic. 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. A gate at the stairs by lorrie moore a copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Id liken lorrie moore to a cross between zoe heller and lionel shriver. Shes the sheriff of a wild and lonely territory, in which empathetic people fight despair with charming words. It unfolds a startlingly brilliant series of portraits of the young, the hip, the lost, the unsettled and the unhinged of modernday america. 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. Lorrie moores 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.