"Each story is a minor masterpiece of the writer's craft. . . Highly Recommended for Personal Reading Lists and Library Collections" "Each story is a minor masterpiece of the writer's craft. The totality of this outstanding collection, while thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, is also thoughtful and thought-provoking and while works of fiction, resonate with real life experiences of us all. The Man Who Built Boxes And Other Stories is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be noted that The Man Who Built Boxes and other stories is also available in a Kindle edition ($2.99)." Midwest Book Review Get your copy |
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Advance Reviews for The Man Who Built Boxes and other stories by Frank Tavares
“Too often, life stuns us with nuances and a mix of emotions that need time and patience to digest. Frank Tavares’ greatest gift is in delivering all of these layers and textures in a single pass, and doing so with a beautiful taste of humor to make it all palatable. The stories contained in The Man Who Built Boxes run the whole gamut from painful to absurd to pure joy and comedy, but they never depart from the complexity of real life. Tavares never betrays what it means to be human in today’s world, nor does he ignore how difficult it is to remain humane in the face of life’s trials. This is a writer you’ll want to know, writing a life you’ll be happy you’ve lived in for a while.” Jack B. Bedell, author of Bone-Hollow, True: New & Selected Poems and Director of Louisiana Literature Press
“We've always known what Frank Tavares sounds like. Now we see what he thinks like too, and Frank is as enjoyable to read as he is to listen to.” Tom Bodett, author, blogger, and panelist on NPR's Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!
"Frank Tavares really is a terrific storyteller; like someone surrounded by folks at a party or the person sitting next to you on an airplane who keeps you totally enthralled during the entire flight. In many ways, you probably know the people and situations he writes about. Indeed, you may even find parts of yourself among them. Even so, they are bound to surprise you; which makes it so enjoyable to read about them." Howard Gross
“We've always known what Frank Tavares sounds like. Now we see what he thinks like too, and Frank is as enjoyable to read as he is to listen to.” Tom Bodett, author, blogger, and panelist on NPR's Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!
"Frank Tavares really is a terrific storyteller; like someone surrounded by folks at a party or the person sitting next to you on an airplane who keeps you totally enthralled during the entire flight. In many ways, you probably know the people and situations he writes about. Indeed, you may even find parts of yourself among them. Even so, they are bound to surprise you; which makes it so enjoyable to read about them." Howard Gross
A remarkable debut collection from an already accomplished storyteller
In these twelve stories, you’ll meet a remarkable cast of complex, quirky characters tangled up in the limits they’ve put on their lives. Driven by love or loneliness, like the man in the title, they’ve boxed themselves in. Frank Tavares tells their stories with humor and compassion.
While the themes may be familiar—crumbling marriages, feuding neighbors, sparring business partners, and the endless searching for what might have been—here they become fresh, unpredictable, and surprising. This exciting debut collection from a first-rate storyteller will haunt and fascinate you long after you finish reading. You may never look at a chance pick-up in a bar the same way again.
Readers’ bonus. An excerpt from Frank’s new novel, Digging Up Mr. Bradley, is included in this collection.
While the themes may be familiar—crumbling marriages, feuding neighbors, sparring business partners, and the endless searching for what might have been—here they become fresh, unpredictable, and surprising. This exciting debut collection from a first-rate storyteller will haunt and fascinate you long after you finish reading. You may never look at a chance pick-up in a bar the same way again.
Readers’ bonus. An excerpt from Frank’s new novel, Digging Up Mr. Bradley, is included in this collection.
About Frank Tavares
If you’re an NPR listener, then you already know Frank Tavares. For many years, he’s been called “The Most Heard Voice” on public radio. Listeners across the country have heard him dozens of times a day as the man who says "Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and . . . .", announcing the funding credits after every national news and information program. Frank has been writing his entire professional life. He started publishing fiction 10 years ago and his short stories have appeared in a variety of literary journals including Louisiana Literature, Connecticut Review, Story Quarterly, and The GW Review.
He is a professor of communication at Southern Connecticut State University. He is also one of the founding editors and active member of the editorial board of The Journal of Radio and Audio Media.
He lives in Connecticut, where you can find him most morning, up before dawn, writing fiction.
He is a professor of communication at Southern Connecticut State University. He is also one of the founding editors and active member of the editorial board of The Journal of Radio and Audio Media.
He lives in Connecticut, where you can find him most morning, up before dawn, writing fiction.
