Gli unici racconti significativi sono quelli di King e Lansdale (e in parte quello della Oates). Alla fine le storie che ti restano dentro sono quelle in cui senti che l'autore ama i suoi personaggi. Gli altri racconti hanno una scrittura superficiale, quasi sciatta. Si percepisce come un senso di forzatura.

Ho acquistato il libro perché sono affascinato dai dipinti di Hopper, ma non ne valeva la pena.

---
Precedente: [b:Pian della Tortilla|13493256|Pian della Tortilla|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414360459l/13493256._SY75_.jpg|890203]
Successivo: [b:Bartleby lo scrivano e altri racconti|40138533|Bartleby lo scrivano e altri racconti|Herman Melville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526574357l/40138533._SX50_.jpg|15956900] ( )

Veteran author Lawrence Block has pulled together 17 of the best short story writers around today and given each one an Edward Hopper painting — that’s the idea. And it works exceptionally well, and not only because the authors of the stories include legends like Stephen King, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver and Joyce Carol Oates. The Hopper paintings lend themselves to stories about men and women, secrets and money, love and violence. The paintings often seem quite sad, but the stories here are not uniformly so. They are stories in some cases of hope, and in one case, of vengeance. In reading them, I kept turning back to the Hopper painting that inspired the story. A brilliant collection that shows the full power of the short story – highly recommended. ( )

Wonderful collection of short tales based on the paintings of Edward Hopper. Lawrence Block has excellently executed the momentous task of collecting and stitching together stories from a variety of authors. They put voice to sixteen of Hopper's works spanning the length of his career.

The great thing about the choice of Edward Hopper as inspiration for these works is that his paintings seem to lend themselves to this kind of interpretive exercise. There are settings, there are figures, and there is silence. Even when the figures in these paintings are performing, such as the nearly nude dancer in the work titled Girlie Show, the scene feels like it is action that has been frozen inside a soundless vacuum, just waiting for a writer or a storyteller to finally give it voice.

I won't review every tale in the tome. They are all wonderful efforts. However, I will say that I docked this volume one star for two reasons.

The first reason is that Stephen King's story, although a beautiful Stephen King-like take on the subject matter, felt rushed and a bit phoned in when compared to the rest of the volume. Block's introduction to King's story only lends credibility to that theory when he points out that King didn't think he'd be able to find time to commit anything to this project. Although it feels much shorter than the other works (and somewhat inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart as much as the chosen Hopper painting), it does pack a punch.

The second reason for the one-star docking is Gail Levin's contribution, which is apparently her first work of fiction. Levin is an Edward Hopper expert. She is an art professor and Hopper's biographer. There is no doubt that her voice belongs in the volume. However, her tale, which is apparently based on a true story of art theft, includes herself as a character. In the end, it comes off as too insidey and self-aggrandizing (full disclosure: I have a similar issue with King's use of himself as a character in the later volumes of his Dark Tower series, although I am most definitely a King fan).

If King's story had been either fleshed out or excluded and Levin had instead written the foreword, an introduction, or an afterword to this volume (or even a simple paragraph about the real-life history and circumstances surrounding each of the paintings chosen by the writers), it would absolutely get five stars from me. ( )

A fantastic collection that lives up to the art it's inspired by. ( )

In Sunlight or in Shadow has an intriguing premise. Within you will find short stories based upon the paintings of Edward Hopper. One doesn't need to be familiar with Hopper's work to enjoy this book. Each tale is prefaced with information about the author and an image of the painting on which the story was based. These were my favorites:

SOIR BLEU (based on the painting below) by Robert Olen Butler

I'm a horror fan and this story features a creepy clown. How could I go wrong? The best part of this one was the tricky way in which it was told.


TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS by Craig Ferguson

Yes, you read that right-It's THE Craig Ferguson and he also writes stories in addition to his work on television. This is another case of tricky story-telling and it was superb. One of my favorite quotes in this entire book comes from this story:

"The sea was guilty and quiet like it had just eaten."

THE MUSIC ROOM by Stephen King

What is that thumping from the closet? This tale was just plain fun and even if SK's name wasn't listed, I would know this story was his. Twisted and short, this is an example of the King at his best.

OFFICE AT NIGHT by Warren Moore

Large Marge finally scores herself a job in the big city. I adored this bittersweet tale of a young woman taking on NYC.

NIGHT WINDOWS by Jonathan Santlofer

Featuring a creepy Peeping Tom, (and that's the least of this man's crimes), this is a great tale of a woman's revenge. I have a soft spot for revenge tales and this one is a doozy!

Overall this anthology features not only well known authors, but lesser known authors as well. For the most part it was the lesser knowns that shined the brightest for me. Those, and Mr. Hopper himself, who I've developed a fondness for after reading this book. I would love to view some of his artwork in person, and I'm going to try to do just that.

Highly recommended for fans of diverse short stories and for fans of Edward Hopper!

You can buy your copy here: In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper

*Thanks to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the free advance review copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.* ( )