I Cannot Tell a Lie, Exactly
And Other Stories
By Mary Ladd Gavell
By Mary Ladd Gavell
Category: Literary Fiction | Women's Fiction
Love and Obstacles
Tales of Falling and Flying
Mona and Other Tales
Fast Lanes
Fat Man in History
Dangerous Laughter
The Afterlife
Emporium
If the River Was Whiskey
Praise
“Everyone should have this book on their shelf…for the pleasure of reading a perfect story again and again.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“[Stories of] wives, mothers and daughters who know more than they say and subtly question the conventional surfaces of their lives…In her best work, Gavell’s prose is both light and deep, wry, with a quick, sharp edge.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Like Grace Paley, Gavell takes the slice-of-life incident and transforms it into something more…with resonance and meaning.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Her stories made the ordinary compelling and often jabbed the sad and serious with an elbow of humor….[I Cannot Tell a Lie, Exactly] helps elevate the short story to a national art form.”
—The Seattle Times
“Replete with an understated wisdom and humor that make one regret that the book will have no encore.”
—Time Out New York
“Each [story] is a perfect gem….John Updike selected ‘The Rotifer’ for The Best American Short Stories of the Century, but any of the pieces in [this] collection could be rightly chosen for this honor.”
—BookPage
21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
Become a Member
Start earning points for buying books! Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.
Find Out More Join Now Sign In