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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Ms. Hempel Chroniclesby Sarah Shun Li Bynum
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Ms. Beatrice Hempel, teacher of seventh grade, is newnew to teaching, new to the school, newly engaged, and newly bereft of her idiosyncratic father. Grappling awkwardly with her newness, she struggles to figure out what is expected of her in life and at work. Is it acceptable to introduce swear words into the English curriculum, enlist students to write their own report cards, or bring up personal experiences while teaching a sex-education class? Sarah Shun-lien Bynum finds characters at their most vulnerable, then explores those precarious moments in sharp, graceful prose. From this most innovative of young writers comes another journey down the rabbit hole to the wonderland of middle school, memory, daydreaming, and the extraordinary business of growing up. Review:"A National Book Award finalist in 2004, Bynum returns with an intricate and absorbing collection of eight interconnected stories about Beatrice Hempel, a middle school English teacher. Ms. Hempel is the sort of teacher students adore, and despite feeling disenchanted with her job, she regards her students as intelligent, insightful and sometimes fascinating. Bynum seamlessly weaves stories of the teacher's childhood with the present — reminiscences about Beatrice's now deceased father and her relationship with her younger brother, Calvin — while simultaneously fleshing out the lives of Beatrice's impressionable students (they are in awe of the crassness of This Boy's Life). Though there isn't much in the way of plot, Bynum's sympathy for her protagonist runs deep, and even the slightest of events comes across as achingly real and, sometimes, even profound. Bynum writes with great acuity, and the emotional undercurrents in this sharp take on coming-of-age and growing up will move readers in unexpected ways. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:It just shows what context can do. Part of "Ms. Hempel Chronicles" was recently published in the New Yorker, in the issue with the infamous Obama cover. For me, I guess, that cover stained the contents of the magazine like ink in milk. I confess I found the excerpt to be smirky, supercilious, superior to its characters — detestable, in fact. But when I opened this utterly charming... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) Review:"Subtle, dazzling...There is so much elliptical richness in the multifaceted character of Ms. Hempel that every chapter in this short, taut novel brings revelation...No sign of sophmore slump in this masterful illumination of character." Review:PRAISE FOR MADELEINE IS SLEEPING "A hallucinogenic fairy tale that veers between the clinical clarity of hard fact and a surreal mysticism . . . Bynum's lush, poetic imagery is full of vivid, sensuous details one can almost smell, taste, and feel."The Boston Globe Review:"Sarah Shun-lien Bynum enchants in Ms. Hempel Chronicles." Review:"[A] marvelous new book...Each of these eight stories dazzles on its own terms; all together they create a stunning portrait of an unforgettable character at a crossroads." Review:"Shun-lien Bynum has already shown herself as a masterful conjurer of the off-kilter...[In Ms Hempel Chronicles, she] manages to imbue middle school, already an uneasy place, with topsy-turvy wonder." Review:"[U]tterly winning...[Bynum] creates a seamless, intuitive novel of short stories...Each is a small gorgeous thing on its own, but the wise and whimsical Ms Hempel Chronicles gives them their collective due, deploying them on a broader canvas, their colors more layered, their impact more powerful." Review:"The idea that were all just aging, idiosyncratic children snatching at happiness is central to Ms Hempel Chronicles, Sarah Shun-lien Bynums gently, deeply affecting second novel....Ms. Hempels consciousness is a joy to inhabit." Review:PRAISE FOR MADELEINE IS SLEEPING "A hallucinogenic fairy tale that veers between the clinical clarity of hard fact and a surreal mysticism . . . Bynum's lush, poetic imagery is full of vivid, sensuous details one can almost smell, taste, and feel."The Boston Globe Review:"[W]hen I opened this utterly charming novel, I fell in love with it..." Review:"Such a beautiful book is MS HEMPEL CHRONICLES, the kind that gives its reader profound insights into ordinary, everyday life... [D]eeply affecting." About the AuthorSARAH SHUN-LIEN BYNUM's first novel, Madeleine Is Sleeping, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2004. She was recently appointed head of the creative writing department at the University of California, San Diego. She lives in Los Angeles. Table of ContentsContents
Talent 1 Accomplice 23 Sandman 49 Creep 75 Crossing 101 Yurt 123 Satellite 149 Bump 175 Acknowledgments 195 What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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