Big Bad Love

BIG BAD LOVEIf you haven't read anything by Larry Brown as of yet, you need to. And then once you do read something by Larry Brown, you will want to read more. He is JUST. THAT. GOOD. I only have a few more books of Mr. Brown's to read. I was happy to read this book of short stories.There are eight short stories and two novellas. All are excellent. Most of the stories zero in on characters who drink hard, drive fast, fight dirty, and love awkwardly. There is plenty of cussing, drinking, driving, and womanizing. It's all wonderful.And the characters are more like people than characters in a book. Each character in these stories is more than human. You can feel their emotions. They react to situations like you or I would. They make you laugh, they make you cry, they make you cringe. They make unwise choices, they encounter heartache, they seldom feel the warmth of victory. They are down-trodden, they are out of money, and out of luck. I love them all!If you enjoy stories set in the South with wild and fleshed-out characters, great story lines, and plenty of raw emotions that you will definitely relate to, this is a book I know you would enjoy.Unfortunately, Larry Brown passed at a relatively young age. What a loss to his family, friends, and fans. All of his books are wonderful and shouldn't be missed. I loved them all but my favorites are JOE, FAY, A MIRACLE OF CATFISH, just to name a few.Check these out. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.

Big Bad Love is an astounding work rich with characters and gritty story telling. Brown's characters are flawed, damaged, earnest, and brutally real. They walk the Southland that is rarely seen or given its just due by storytellers. Brown gazes unflinchingly at the South in all it's flawed and beautiful glory. Whereas Faulkner gazed upon Mississippi's residents with disdain and bitterness, painting characters who were conniving, vile, and ultimately reprehensible, Brown's heroes are sympathetic, even likeable in their failings. Readers will find themselves hoping for Brown's characters to rise above their failings and achieve a measure of the salvation that waits just beyond the city limits, at the bottom of the glass, or on the next page.

I feel this way about Brown's work. Nearly always I am compelled to immediately re read. I do not live in the "deep south", but I have known Brown's characters, and they were not from the south. However I do think swampy places produce swampy behavior... someone criticized Brown's first person POV as all sounding the same... I had no trouble with that as the first person was an "everyman" in all kinds of organic situations which not many writers can put on paper; some dismal, some quite funny... 92 days is a work like no other... travelling into the mind of a born writer in a climate which can't cultivate his brilliance from the thorns and weeds...I loved it; I am sorry we aren't able to read what a uncommon and fascinating artist would continue to produce throughout a longer life.... great stuff, just GREAT stuff.

Ok novel. I read some of Mr. Brown's books and this one is readable but not his best in my opinion. The first book I read was Joe. That was a 5 star. I like reading books about other places in the country, namely the south where Mr. Brown grew up and lived until his untimely death.

Larry Brown was a great writer and humanitarian, as obvious in his stories and the people he wrote about (almost as if they are real people is the reason I say "people"). These stories focus intensely and intently on backwoods folk getting by in Mississippi--or not getting by so well. I prefer reading his novels but you still get a sense of what life is like in stunning detail and development-of-character down South. You can't go wrong whatever you read by Brown, just too bad he's not around to write more.

Larry Brown reminds me of Raymond Carver. Not that he imitates him; he has his own distinct voice. But he has the same gift Carver had of portraying characters straight on like a camera does, without apology or explanation.This is a truly original collection of stories. It includes my favorite opening line: "My dog died."There are two stories here about writing and perfecting your craft. Both are from Brown's own experience. He always said that he worked hard and suffered countless rejections for many years to become a good writer. He is really amazing. If you don't like this book, there is something wrong with you. This is great American literature.

I can't believe I hadn't already read this collection. It's great. You have to love an author who can use the word gleam in a sentence.

There is a HBO movie called Big Bad Love. Movie is based on these stories. It's excellent. One of my all time favorites. You can get it on Amazon.Features character Leon Barlow from '92 Days'.Big Bad Love (2002)Arliss Howard (Actor), Debra Winger (Actor), Arliss Howard (Director) | Rated: R | Format: DVD(I've never read these books, but saw the movie years and years ago. And again recently. Great music, characters, emotions, and writing.