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    Down at the End of the River
    Down at the End of the River
    Down at the End of the River
    Ebook161 pages3 hours

    Down at the End of the River

    By Angus Woodward

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    An elderly crook has trouble sticking to a vow to stop terrorizing his New Orleans neighborhood. A Baton Rouge couple's stable marriage is disrupted by a Katrina refugee from abroad. A returning Gulf War veteran struggles to resume an unfinished romance with her best friend. An unplanned streetcar ride unveils a racial divide. In these ten stories, Angus Woodward gives us a tour of south Louisiana as his characters tiptoe out of the corners into which they have painted themselves.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAngus Woodward
    Release dateDec 16, 2012
    ISBN9781301645589
    Down at the End of the River
    Author

    Angus Woodward

    Angus Woodward is a Louisiana writer of prose whose short story collection, Down at the End of the River, was published by Margaret Media in March of 2008. Livingston Press published his novel, Americanisation: Lessons in American Culture and Language, in 2011. His fiction can be found in a variety of journals and anthologies, including Mochila Review, Alimentum, Nightsun, and the Forest Press anthology Stolen Stories. His nonfiction has appeared recently in Normal School, Sport Literate and the University of Nebraska Press anthology Living Blue in the Red States (2007).

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    Reviews for Down at the End of the River

    3.5/5

    53 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I am a great lover of short stories. I find it amazing that writers can construct entire worlds in such a brief span of time. The stories in this book certainly met my expectations. Mr. Woodward wrote of many things and they all involved Louisiana. The stories gave a wonderful window into that world and some of those who live in it. Great book!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book of short stories. The tales are quirky and I enjoyed the characters and their frailty. Thank you so much for providing me this book via Librarything giveaway. Thoroughly recommend.
    • 5/5
      Down at the End of the River is a book of short stories by Angus Woodward. This book of quirky little stories gives you brief glimpses into the lives of a variety of characters living in southern Louisiana. Some are funny and some touch the soul, but all are written in a way that makes the ordinary interesting. The characters are quite realistic. They could be standing in line behind you at the grocery store or in the car ahead of you at the traffic light. They are ordinary people in so many ways, but also extraordinary because of the stories they have to tell.Woodward does a wonderful job of capturing moments. His descriptions drop you right into the story so that you feel like you know these people well. I enjoyed this book tremendously and would definitely recommend it.
    • 2/5
      First, let me just say that it has been a while since I have read a collection of short stories, but Down at the End of the River is really nothing new. I was so pleased to see an author get back to what writing is supposed to be; fun. When I started reading the first short story, "Down at the End of the River", I felt like I was sitting down with one of my neighbors. I'm from the south and it's a wonderful pastime here for anyone to sit down and listen to a story with a mason jar full of cold ice tea there beside you. It's not a stereotype, just how it is, and Woodward has captured this essence in this short. There is a metanarrative at work in majority of his shorts in this book, but it's so very evident in the first short. I could see this story unfolding and I could hear it being told. Such is any good story told by an elderly neighbor or friend of the family who just stopped by, right? A story is always in the making here in the south.The next story, "The Ride"--and I wish I could go through all of the stories, but that would mean me writing my own book about Down at the End of the River--is more of a list and the metanarrative here is that you can see this everyday. If you really wish to challenge yourself, sit down at the end of the day and write ten things that caught your eye throughout the day and what you thought at that moment. Your list might seem a little like this one. The problem is that this list seems to be very contrived, unnatural, and maybe even a little bit of conjecture going on. I do think it would've been a lot better had Woodward maybe done a little research, especially on race relations, before attempting something like this list. The reason I say this is because he tends to insert race (mainly black, or black person, etc.) and it doesn't really serve a purpose. Although, I can understand how anyone could see it as stereotypic language and unnecessary bias mentions. It doesn't really add anything to the story. Just saying there is a gang in town or that more people moved in without actually giving a race to it would make it just as effective, maybe even more so because it would allow the reader to use more of their imagination than not.The next stories seem to be written but unrevised. There are sentences that run nearly four lines long. It's very distracting. An editor is definitely in order for this author. There are some simple grammar mistakes that any author who is serious about their work should not make.
    • 5/5
      Angus Woodward has a fine eye, his vivid descriptions bring his characters to life. I've never been to Louisiana, but I know all these people and I can visualize the mise en scene as though on video. His deft characterizations catch the personalities of his protagonists with humor and compassion. I especially cherish in Gang of Three the narrator following his prey to a coffee house "I ordered a semi-large decaf pumpkin cream latte with whole milk to go." It totally on target. The 10 stories vary in mood and character, but they keep your attention, the plots move smoothly to their not necessarily predictable but always satisfactory conclusions. When I finished reading the book, I went back and read it all over again, the way one listens to a familiar piece of music. Mr. Woodward is a gifted writer indeed.
    • 4/5
      In Down at the End of the River, Angus Woodward delivers a set of short stories that explore the messiness of human relationships. These stories touch on life, love, memory, perception, and more.Overall, the writing is fairly good, but the stories seem to be rather hit-or-miss, and I'm sure that those that were hits for me will be misses for some others and vice versa. Still, there were several truly enjoyable tales in this collection.
    • 3/5
      A nice collection of short stories glimpsing into life events of the characters, they had a very realistic feel to them, some i liked better than others, but overall well written and worth the read.
    • 3/5
      This was a very interesting selection of short stories that explored life, relationships and the decisions we make. From all walks of life, the characters in these stories are described at one point in their lives, often a turning point where they are offered the opportunity to make a change or keep on track. Overall I enjoyed these stories, although there were a couple that were misses for me.
    • 4/5
      Down at the End of the River on March 08, 2013 These short stories set in Louisiana had a Guy de Maupassant feel to them.They were thought provoking, reflecting the vagueries of human relationships, many ironic in outcome. The writing was colloquial in style which reflected the characters portrayed. The material provides readers the opportunity to reflect on everyday life in today's society and uses an extensive vocabulary. In my opinion the opening paragraph of the gang of three was superb, and was sold short by not being at the beginning.
    • 3/5
      It was a nice group of short stories but at times it seemed as if different authors were writing them. Kudos to the author on being able to change his style.
    • 5/5
      What a magnificent collection of short stories. These stories could have been taken from real life with the protagonists like you and me. Everything looks so familiar and the reading was like sneaking into your neighbour's life. The spelling style is so vividly and rich and I've got always the feeling to be amid as an observer. The stories felt so real that I've got the feeling some incidents could happen to me, too. I enjoyed the reading very much and can strongly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      I was given this book for an honest review. This book of short stories of Louisiana life had a couple of good stories. My problem with this book was in some of the stories I could not figure out what the plot of the story was suppose to be.
    • 4/5
      Copy from the author in exchange for an honest review; Short stories set mostly in Louisiana. Some quirky, some funny, some just odd - but all were very readable.
    • 2/5
      I was not a big fan of the stories in this book. None of them really grabbed my attention and I honestly had a hard time reading the book. Some of the stories just didn't seem to have a recognizable plot. I just didn't enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      Down at the End of the River, by Angus Woodward, is a collection of short stories that take place in various areas of Louisiana. Each story presented a different theme, through a different lens, with well thought out characters, and mundanely human experiences that are somehow made to seem out of the ordinary. This is usually accomplished by adding one subtle aspect which gives the story an added flare. While showing signs of Steinbeck's Humanity, Woodward's writing style is distinctly Southern, and conjures memories of the writings of Faulkner, or Flannery O'Connor. Having lived in New Orleans for a decade, I was instantly drawn to the descriptions of familiar places in Louisiana. All in all, i absolutely enjoyed this collection, and I am anxious to read what comes next from this gifted writer. I received this book through the Library Thing member Giveaway
    • 5/5
      I love short stories, and I love Louisiana. So I may be a bit biased here! These stories will leave you with a lasting impression of Louisiana. The material varies from each, so you get a refreshing new look with each go. Even though these are short stories, all of the characters are so well thought out. It's a very impressive feat for the author. I highly recommend this book to any fan of short stories.**I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author and/or publisher.
    • 4/5
      [Down at the End of the River] by [Angus Woodward] is a compilation of short stories, which usually are not the type of thing I like to read. I did enjoy these and if I did not know they were the same author I would have thought they were penned by many different people. [Woodward] does an excellent job in creating characters and using those characters to drive the story. More than a few even caused me to feel the nervousness or anxiety of the characters.I was disappointed that the setting of Louisiana was not highlighted more that it was just a passing reference. I believe the south has a character all it's own and could have added even more to the stories.
    • 3/5
      This book has ten short stories that will give you a wide range of emotions. Each story is very different from the next and some are odd. The author seems to have different writing styles during these stories. This might be a book that some people love, while others are not so fond of.
    • 4/5
      Full disclosure...I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. The author had an odd style, that took me a little getting used to, but it was HIS style. Nice reading these stories that are set in Louisiana.
    • 4/5
      I have never been to Louisiana. In fact, the first things I think of when I hear the name of that state is humidity, hurricanes and heat. Other words like Creole and Cajuns also spring to mind, as do crocodiles (or are they alligators? I never can tell the difference). Alliteration and stereotypes aside, reading a collection of stories set somewhere that's new to me, is always a draw - a virtual vacation, if you will. Angus Woodward draws his audience into his home with these ten fascinating stories. They are entitled:Down at the End of the RiverThe RideA Proclaimer in CreeperdomGang of ThreeGuttering OutThe Story of Jane and GeorgeThat German GirlQatar Is an Emirate Out There in TV Land Don’t Put Me DownAside from the location, what all these stories have in common are his characters that each has something slightly off-kilter or quirky about them, while at the same time are still very ordinary. For instance, in the opening story we learn about an aging burglar thinking of retiring from the business, and not because he lives down the road from a retired cop. Probably the most mundane of his characters are found in the story "Guttering Out" which follows Curtis, a young man living on the streets, while one girl in his group is falling in love with him. Even here, Curtis is portrayed as being more involved in the tourists he sees and hears on the streets of New Orleans than he is in money, food, shelter, the future or the girl. This disconnected creature is starkly contrasted in the story "The Ride" in which Harold is almost completely self-absorbed. In some of the other stories, Woodward brings some of his characters to such levels of introspection that they are almost delusional, such as in "Gang of Three" where James has slowly been convincing himself that his postman is conspiring against him. This also comes through with lashings of humor in the last story "Don't Put Me Down" which is my favorite story in the book. Woodward also gives us several of stories that deal with love - new, old and ending ones. I particularly enjoyed the tenuousness of the relationship shown in "The Story of Jane and George" where she is Vietnamese and he was a soldier there during the war. That fragility of emotions comes through again in "A Proclaimer in Creeperdom" (which is terribly funny) and in "Qatar Is an Emirate" (a more poignant tale) which both explore the early stages of a couple just starting to get together. After reading these stories there were two things that struck me about them as a whole. The first was that Woodward tends to write his stories more like vignettes than complete wholes. By that I mean that for each of his stories, while we find out most of what has happened before the scenes we're witnessing, we are never sure what will become of these people after the last sentence. This open-ended style of writing a short story can be extremely effective, because we are given this beautifully thought provoking snapshot. On the other hand, some people might feel that this gives these stories an unfinished feel to them. I don't agree with that at all, since I find stories that tie things up too neatly can be annoying, if not an insult to the readers' intelligence. This also means that I can easily imagine Woodward taking any one of these stories and going on to make them into full-blown novels.My other impression was that I felt just a touch disappointed with these stories in that I didn't get more of that "Louisiana virtual vacation" that I was looking for. Yes, I know that's asking a whole lot from a short fiction collection. Still, I felt more like I was getting a tasting with just hints of the flavors of this location without actually getting at least one or two whole bites. I'm not sure exactly how he could have given me more, but I wanted it all the same. This is the only reason why I'm giving "Down at the End of the River" by Angus Woodward only four out of five stars, since everything else about the book is beautifully written, with fascinating characters and interesting plots.
    • 4/5
      Angus Woodward has a voice that is unusual and worth reading. In the ten short stories collected together in this book his characters grabbed me and then proceeded to tell me their stories. All of the stories are told from the male perspective and Woodward has stepped into the shoes of a variety of men in this book. Whether it is a thief going straight, a Vietnam veteran dealing with flashbacks and a Vietnamese wife, a businessman’s trip on a bus, a writer’s angst or a religious backslider falling in love…the people are believable and quirky and have a story to tell. I guess I should say that Angus Woodward has stories to tell and all of them based in Louisiana make me feel I might want to go visit there someday.
    • 3/5
      This is a collection of short stories that depicts every-day life in Louisiana. The stories range from one about a criminal having difficulty giving up his trade to a returning veteran looking to rekindle a lost love. I found the stories interesting, though they seemed, at times, to be written by different authors. It is a wonder that the author can change his style so well. The stories will definitely interest the reader who is interested in or from Louisiana or who likes short stories. I do like short stories but this particular collection did not really appeal all that much to me. I found the writing to sort of jump all over the place, leaving me wondering about the plot—or whether there even was one. At times, I even wondered what was going on or if I had missed something. I know the author, from what I read, has experience writing in literary journals, so perhaps his style of writing just did not appeal to me. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
    • 3/5
      A collection of short stories taking place in Louisiana. Many of the characters seem to be misfits, including a retired criminal, a religious zealot, and an Italian student, exploring their relationships with others.
    • 3/5
      This was an interesting collection of stories seeming to explore relationships. Some of the stories were very enjoyable and thought provoking, but some were rather forgettable. The title story really captivated me with how perceptions of others can change without anything "real" changing. I had to chuckle for a while over that one. All in all the effort to force myself to read the book from cover to cover was worth it.
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable collection of short stories. Having lived in the South I can appreciate the atmosphere much more so than had I lived my life in the North only but all the stories had their own appeal.
    • 4/5
      Cleverly written with a sarcastic humor, I really loved it.
    • 5/5
      I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.This is a collection of short stories about life in Louisiana. The author does a great job depicting everyday life and describes it in a way that keeps you compelled. The author shows his ability to write in different styles and not lose any of his own personal character. I look forward to reading more from this author.

    Book preview

    Down at the End of the River - Angus Woodward

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