Gathering together almost all the short fiction that John Updike published between 1953 and 1975 this collection opens with Updike's autobiographical stories about a young boy growing up during the Depression in a small Pennsylvania town. There follows tales of life away from home student days early marriage and young families and finally Updike's experimental stories on 'The Single Life'. Here then is a rich and satisfying feast of Updike - his wit his easy mastery of language his genius for recalling the subtleties of ordinary life and the excitements and perils of the pursuit of happiness.
