Reviews
Block asked 17 writers to write a story generated by Hopper paintings. The combined effect is ingenious, engrossing, and at times deliciously menacing., Absolutely superb. A fascinating concept. Every story is superlative. Hopper deserves a tribute of this grace and sensitivity., If a picture is worth a thousand words, any of Edward Hopper's paintings of American loneliness is worth an entire short story. Ekphrasis--seeing a story in a picture--was seldom so much fun., Iconic American painter Edward Hopper serves as muse for editor Block and an impressive array of 16 other writers who select their favorite paintings to inspire a short story. A remarkable collection., If there is one crime writer currently capable of matching the noirish legacies of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, it's Lawrence Block., There is only one writer of mystery and detective fiction who comes close to replacing the irreplaceable John D. MacDonald. The writer is Lawrence Block., For anyone who has puzzled over the vividly evocative--yet frustratingly enigmatic--works of the beloved Edward Hopper, this little volume is the perfect gift. Short stories by 17 writers--some famous, like Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King, some less so--dramatically start where the paintings leave off., Block is a mesmerizing raconteur, the kind who collects the stories he hears on the street and then reprises the voices of the storytellers, many of them long gone., Each contribution is superbly conceived and executed, enhancing the sum of the parts--and each is illustrated with a full-page color image of a Hopper painting that serves as the writer's inspiration. With stunning imagination, narrative power and arresting prose, each story succeeds individually and contributes to the overarching excellence of Block's anthology. A unique collection that blends art as literature and literature as art, In Sunlight or in Shadow also explores the origins of inspiration and showcases the brilliance that flows from the fertile psyches of the talented., A great idea and a strong collection. This book is a must for Edward Hopper fans, and anyone interested in the intersection of visual art and fiction., One of the most varied and yet rewarding story anthologies to appear in a long time. Belongs on the top of the reading pile of every crime, mystery, and horror fiction fan., Block has assembled a superb and very varied group of writers to spin their own golden thread from Hopper's raw flax. It's a sumptuous production in beautiful hardback., Block has assembled a superb and very varied group of writers to spin their own golden thread from Hopper''s raw flax. It''s a sumptuous production in beautiful hardback., This absolutely superb anthology starts out with two advantages: a true legend at the helm in crime writer Lawrence Block, and a fascinating concept. Block's clout has enticed some huge stars to contribute and each offers a splendid entry based on one of Hopper's works. But every story is superlative. Hopper, America's great mournful lyric realist, deserves a tribute of this grace and sensitivity., With Lawrence Block, one of the most prolific mystery writers alive, it's always been plotting, and a clever ear for dialogue, that illuminates the inner regions of his characters' souls., Superbly conceived and executed. With stunning imagination, narrative power and arresting prose, each story succeeds individually and contributes to the overarching excellence of Block's anthology. A unique collection that blends art as literature and literature as art, In Sunlight or in Shadow also explores the origins of inspiration and showcases the brilliance that flows from the fertile psyches of the talented., Block invited fellow mystery writers and other literary luminaries to pick a Hopper painting and write a story inspired by it. The 17 results are searing and ensnaring, clever, erotic, and disquieting tales of anger and subterfuge, desperation and revenge. A lushly illustrated, darkly alluring, deliciously unnerving union of art and story., Edward Hopper, the painter of American loneliness, inspires a selection of short stories from a host of notable writers. This strong collection begins in a spirit of homage but winds up showing how powerful inspiration can be.
