{"product_id":"9780312186944","title":"The Lifeguard : Stories","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Lifeguard\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Mary Morris\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Lifeguard \u003c\/i\u003ecombines Mary Morris's consummate craft as a storyteller with her gift for dramatic travel writing. In the title story, a teenage lifeguard sees his mystique among the girls on the beach dissolve in a panicked moment when he cannot save a child. In \"The Glass-Bottom Boat,\" a mother on her first trip abroad learns about trust from a solicitous stranger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Lifeguard \u003c\/i\u003eis a powerful collection of ten short stories that shows Morris's great sensitivity to men and women at moments of turbulence, uncertainty, and crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mary Morris seems to have a microscope trained on the souls and hearts of mankind . . . A superb collection . . . A magnificent writer.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dizzy with self-realization, Morris's characters venture out beyond the beach resorts to more compelling but often perilous territories.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Chicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These knowing, sometimes dark tales are about people struggling to connect with each other in spite of their own ambivalence.” —\u003ci\u003eGlamour\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mary Morris's compassion is on par with her sense of humor, a rare combination.” —\u003ci\u003eBetsy Willeford, The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The stories are quite disarmingly complex, while keeping up a surface appearance of clarity and straightforwardness . . . It's a fine book.” —\u003ci\u003eCharles Baxter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ten subtle, impressionistic stories that linger and expand in the memory.” —\u003ci\u003eMademoiselle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“As a storyteller, Morris shines. Reading her best stories is like sinking into a good photograph. She packs them with tiny details, but never allows the particulars to interfere with the vision and balance of the whole.” —\u003ci\u003eJulia Corbin, St. Petersburg Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A poised and articulate collection.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Exquisitely revealing moments...clearly Morris hasn't lost her touch as a story writer.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Morris's ability to reincarnate her travel stories into fiction make for a well-rounded, fully formed body of work. It is also a pleasure to come upon a contemporary author who writes fiction and nonfiction equally well.” —\u003ci\u003eKristin Rose, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What really unifies these stories is Morris's spartan approach to descriptive detail and her spare language. Instead of spoon-feeding her readers, Morris leaves much for them to infer.” —\u003ci\u003eMarie Elsie St. Leger, Time Out New York\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780312186944\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40594626805966,"sku":"9780312186944","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_767bdee7-18ab-49d3-bd76-3198c37e3920.jpg?v=1637812880","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780312186944","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}