From Booklist
In this knowledgeable but never abstruse extended essay on the achievement of esteemed contemporary southern writer Reynolds Price, Schiff's critical attention focuses primarily on Price's novels, on which his most lasting reputation will undoubtedly rest; but the discussion includes his short stories, essays, memoirs, poetry, drama, and biblical interpretations, for Price is here lauded as "an extraordinarily versatile writer who excels in all genres and subgenres." Schiff's trenchant, sensitive explication of Price's prose and verse guides not simply students of literature but also his dedicated fans toward an appreciation of his unique vision of life and his decidedly distinctive voice. Conclusions drawn here indicate that Price's reputation as a major writer will continue to be enhanced by the passing years--as more and more books emerge. Brad Hooper

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the first full-length critical analysis of Reynolds Price's writings to appear in more than a decade, James A. Schiff traces the development of one of America's most esteemed contemporary writers from the publication in 1962 of his award-winning first novel, A Long and Happy Life, to the arrival in 1995 of the third volume of his Mayfield trilogy, The Promise of Rest. Demonstrating how literary trends have often run counter to Price's career, Schiff argues that Price has remained committed to a bold personal vision that is unlike that of any other contemporary American writer. Schiff provides extended coverage of Price's multivolume works - A Great Circle (the Mayfield trilogy) and the Mustian novels - along with readings of Kate Vaiden, the "Tongues of Angels," "Love and Work," and "Blue Calhoun." He also considers Price's two volumes of memoirs: A Whole New Life, which documents his recovery from cancer, and Clear Pictures, the book that inspired the Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Guggenheim to direct a documentary about Price's life. Through detailed analysis, Schiff sheds light on such signature aspects of Price's writing as his intense concern with family and love, his underlying belief in the presence of a universal design, his rich narrative voice, which is firmly rooted in the language and rhythms of his native North Carolina, and his depiction of a world of rural familiarity that contrasts with the urban disorientation and dislocation prevalent in the work of so many mid-to late-20th-century American novelists.

FROM THE CRITICS

Jeffrey J. Folks - Mississippi Quarterly|

...[A] useful, comprehensive, clearly written work....provides a large amount of useful information about [his writing's] critical and aesthetic contexts....his critical judgments are admirably restrained.

Booknews

A critical analysis of Price's writing from his first novel in 1962 to 1995, noting how American literary trends have often run counter to the course of his career. Emphasizes such characteristics as his concern with family and love, underlying belief in the presence of a universal design, rich narrative voice rooted in his native North Carolina, and depiction of rural familiarity.

Jeffrey J. Folks