Synopsis "The Charm of Other Springs and Other Stories"
The Charm of Other Springs and Other Stories The author of this collection, Stanley Sokol, grew up in the South Bronx, and lived in Alabama, Texas, New Jersey and Queens before settling in White Plains, NY. He has degrees from the City College of New York and Fairleigh Dickinson University. He has published one other book, a novel called The Czartoryski Raphael. These stories range widely over diverse characters, times and settings. A Short Riff on Sixty-fifth, is a jazzy tale, fueled by poetry, about a somewhat older Runyonesqe hipster and a young beautiful swinger. Don Quixote Comes to the Meadowlands, is a strange little story about a Mexican con man and his loony partner bringing the New Jersey Turnpike to a halt. Zitzith, is about young men, their hormones, faith and hypocrisy. The Charm of Other Springs, tells of a retired widower who retreats to Vermont and encounters a big bird who may be his father. The Genius of the Bronx, is about the secret to making things last, especially marriages. Under Elsie's Eyes, tells us about a young white man in the South Bronx many years ago learning about racial relations. Snake Eyes, is a story about the non-traditional ways a contemporary young black father makes ends meet. The Eye of the Betrothed, takes place in the early part of the twentieth century in Barcelona, and in modern times. It tells a tale of the force of circumstance and a strangely arranged marriage. Up, Up, and Away, brings us a mystical version of Holden Caulfield. Santa Fe, 1952, is a love story. And, Soup, is simply a good way to end the collection.
