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All the Time in the World: New and Selected Stories
From Ragtime and Billy Bathgate to World’s Fair, The March, and Homer & Langley , the fiction of E. L. Doctorow comprises a towering achievement in modern American letters. Now Doctorow returns with an enthralling collection of brilliant, startling short fiction about people who, as the author notes in his Preface, are somehow “distinct from their surroundings—people in some sort of contest with the prevailing world”.
A man at the end of an ordinary workday, extracts himself from his upper-middle-class life and turns to foraging in the same affluent suburb where he once lived with his family.
A college graduate takes a dishwasher’s job on a whim, and becomes entangled in a criminal enterprise after agreeing to marry a beautiful immigrant for money.
A husband and wife’s tense relationship is exacerbated when a stranger enters their home and claims to have grown up there.
An urbanite out on his morning run suspects that the city in which he’s lived all his life has transmogrified into another city altogether.
These are among the wide-ranging creations in this stunning collection, resonant with the mystery, tension, and moral investigation that distinguish the fiction of E. L. Doctorow. Containing six unforgettable stories that have never appeared in book form, and a selection of previous Doctorow classics, All the Time in the World affords us another opportunity to savor the genius of this American master.
A man at the end of an ordinary workday, extracts himself from his upper-middle-class life and turns to foraging in the same affluent suburb where he once lived with his family.
A college graduate takes a dishwasher’s job on a whim, and becomes entangled in a criminal enterprise after agreeing to marry a beautiful immigrant for money.
A husband and wife’s tense relationship is exacerbated when a stranger enters their home and claims to have grown up there.
An urbanite out on his morning run suspects that the city in which he’s lived all his life has transmogrified into another city altogether.
These are among the wide-ranging creations in this stunning collection, resonant with the mystery, tension, and moral investigation that distinguish the fiction of E. L. Doctorow. Containing six unforgettable stories that have never appeared in book form, and a selection of previous Doctorow classics, All the Time in the World affords us another opportunity to savor the genius of this American master.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
E.L. Doctorow
87 books1,068 followersHistory based known novels of American writer Edgar Laurence Doctorow. His works of fiction include Homer & Langley, The March, Billy Bathgate, Ragtime, The Book of Daniel, City of God, Welcome to Hard Times, Loon Lake, World’s Fair, The Waterworks, and All the Time in the World. Among his honors are the National Book Award, three National Book Critics Circle Awards, two PEN Faulkner Awards, The Edith Wharton Citation for Fiction, and the presidentially conferred National Humanities Medal. In 2009 he was short listed for the Man Booker International Prize honoring a writer’s lifetime achievement in fiction, and in 2012 he won the PEN Saul Bellow Award given to an author whose “scale of achievement over a sustained career places him in the highest rank of American Literature.” In 2013 the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded him the Gold Medal for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
March 15, 2011
E.L. Doctorow is without a doubt one of the most critically acclaimed authors publishing in America today. He has enthralled me with Ragtime, mesmerized me with Homer & Langley, snapped me to attention with March, and provoked me to think outside of the box with The Book of Daniel.
But even though I’ve periodically read his short stories in The New Yorker, I never quite viewed him as a “short story writer.” Well, after finishing All The Time in the World, that perception has definitely changed.
Stylistically, Doctorow has been described as a nomad, leaping across styles and genres and this collection is no exception. The reader must dig hard to discover a thread that connects these disparate stories, finally deferring to Doctorow’s own judgment as defined in the preface, “I see there is no Winesburg here to be mined for humanity… What may unify them is the thematic segregation of their protagonists. The scale of a story causes it to home in on people who, for one reason or another, are distinct from their surroundings – people in some sort of contest with the prevailing world.”
Take these stories for example: an affluent lawyer at the end of an ordinary workday decides to become an observer of his own life, hiding within feet of his wife and twin daughters. As he pares his life down to the bare essentials, it is only the thrill of competition that brings him back once again.
A husband and wife – who have elevated verbal sparring to a fine art – see their relationship exposed in bare relief when a homeless poet who once lived in their home enters their life.
A young immigrant, with aspirations to produce films, takes a dishwasher’s job in a criminal enterprise, and agrees to marry the top honcho’s beautiful niece for money. Yet this mercenary decision entangles him in a greater emotional involvement than he ever expected.
A teenage boy named Jack – the writer in the family – is prevailed upon by an aunt to write letters to his ancient grandmother in the voice of his recently deceased father…until he comes face to face with his father’s real dream of life.
And, in the eponymous final story, an urban citizen, out for a typical morning run, no longer recognizes his city and suspects that a nefarious Program has put him there without his consent.
These wide-ranging pieces span time, American geography, and social strata: they’re set in New York City, a nameless but instantly recognized suburbia, the deep south, the Midwest. They move from the late nineteenth century to a moment in the future. They are populated with disenchanted lawyer, a down-on-her-luck teenager, an increasingly cynical priest, even a son of a serial murderer. They sing with tension, poignancy, and authenticity. And they evoke the past, present and future in ways that are both mysterious and familiar.
In short, this is yet the latest indication that E.L. Doctorow is an author not only for our times, but for all time. The book contains six memorable stories that have never appeared in book form combined with a selection of beloved Doctorow classics.
But even though I’ve periodically read his short stories in The New Yorker, I never quite viewed him as a “short story writer.” Well, after finishing All The Time in the World, that perception has definitely changed.
Stylistically, Doctorow has been described as a nomad, leaping across styles and genres and this collection is no exception. The reader must dig hard to discover a thread that connects these disparate stories, finally deferring to Doctorow’s own judgment as defined in the preface, “I see there is no Winesburg here to be mined for humanity… What may unify them is the thematic segregation of their protagonists. The scale of a story causes it to home in on people who, for one reason or another, are distinct from their surroundings – people in some sort of contest with the prevailing world.”
Take these stories for example: an affluent lawyer at the end of an ordinary workday decides to become an observer of his own life, hiding within feet of his wife and twin daughters. As he pares his life down to the bare essentials, it is only the thrill of competition that brings him back once again.
A husband and wife – who have elevated verbal sparring to a fine art – see their relationship exposed in bare relief when a homeless poet who once lived in their home enters their life.
A young immigrant, with aspirations to produce films, takes a dishwasher’s job in a criminal enterprise, and agrees to marry the top honcho’s beautiful niece for money. Yet this mercenary decision entangles him in a greater emotional involvement than he ever expected.
A teenage boy named Jack – the writer in the family – is prevailed upon by an aunt to write letters to his ancient grandmother in the voice of his recently deceased father…until he comes face to face with his father’s real dream of life.
And, in the eponymous final story, an urban citizen, out for a typical morning run, no longer recognizes his city and suspects that a nefarious Program has put him there without his consent.
These wide-ranging pieces span time, American geography, and social strata: they’re set in New York City, a nameless but instantly recognized suburbia, the deep south, the Midwest. They move from the late nineteenth century to a moment in the future. They are populated with disenchanted lawyer, a down-on-her-luck teenager, an increasingly cynical priest, even a son of a serial murderer. They sing with tension, poignancy, and authenticity. And they evoke the past, present and future in ways that are both mysterious and familiar.
In short, this is yet the latest indication that E.L. Doctorow is an author not only for our times, but for all time. The book contains six memorable stories that have never appeared in book form combined with a selection of beloved Doctorow classics.
July 6, 2011
I was very excited to read this one since so many of my Goodreads friends have gushed over Doctorow's work. In fact, I have several of his novels waiting in the wings, but I thought his short stories would give me a nice glimpse of what I could expect from his style. Overall, I thought the book was just okay. As with most short story collections, some stories really stand out more than others. However, I will say that a lot of Doctorow's stories had a dark edge to them that I found intriguing, so I'm looking forward to picking up his other works that are collecting dust biding their time in my library. Perhaps those same Goodreads friends could point me in the direction of which E.L. Doctorow book I should wrap my mind around next? *hint hint*
{Stacie, say the word and I'll send this out to you!}
(First Reads Win.)
{Stacie, say the word and I'll send this out to you!}
(First Reads Win.)
October 19, 2021
A Dollar Tree $1 gem.
VERDICT: 3+ pointy things, rounded up to 4 for GR. Overall, an entertaining (sometimes a bit darkly so) collection that mostly got better as the stories progressed.
Best read one or two tales at a time, rather than powering through. Give them time to sink in. Trust me.
The first story was a little sillly (but still okay). One was borderline incomprehensible (or maybe I was reading wayyyy to late at night). Several memorable stories, including "Jolene: A Life" and "The Heist."
Mostly 3 stars or above, as far as writing style and impact. Nothing below 2 stars here, if I ignore one story that was borderline incomprehensible (I was up reading wayyyyy too late, so could have just been me). I'll also ignore the story about an idiot in a cult; it was well-written, but I don't enjoy reading about cults--real or fictional.
RECOMMENDED: Yes, if you like short stories that tend towards the sad/dark end of realism.
WOULD I READ MORE DOCTOROW? Yes.
ALSO CONSIDER:
The Language of Sharks by Pat MacEnulty
VERDICT: 3+ pointy things, rounded up to 4 for GR. Overall, an entertaining (sometimes a bit darkly so) collection that mostly got better as the stories progressed.
Best read one or two tales at a time, rather than powering through. Give them time to sink in. Trust me.
The first story was a little sillly (but still okay). One was borderline incomprehensible (or maybe I was reading wayyyy to late at night). Several memorable stories, including "Jolene: A Life" and "The Heist."
Mostly 3 stars or above, as far as writing style and impact. Nothing below 2 stars here, if I ignore one story that was borderline incomprehensible (I was up reading wayyyyy too late, so could have just been me). I'll also ignore the story about an idiot in a cult; it was well-written, but I don't enjoy reading about cults--real or fictional.
RECOMMENDED: Yes, if you like short stories that tend towards the sad/dark end of realism.
WOULD I READ MORE DOCTOROW? Yes.
ALSO CONSIDER:
The Language of Sharks by Pat MacEnulty
May 14, 2011
My favorite stories:
"House on the Plains" -- 4.5 stars. The darkness of the story is so subtle that it literally sneaks up behind you and smothers you.
"Walter John Harmon" -- 4.5 stars. Exquisite
"Wakefield" -- 4 stars. Very well written and emotionally engaging. Left me thinking, "what an asshole."
"Edgemont Drive" -- 4 stars. Deftly captures the tension in a suburban home.
"Jolene: A Life" -- 4 stars. Beautifully written snapshot.
"
"House on the Plains" -- 4.5 stars. The darkness of the story is so subtle that it literally sneaks up behind you and smothers you.
"Walter John Harmon" -- 4.5 stars. Exquisite
"Wakefield" -- 4 stars. Very well written and emotionally engaging. Left me thinking, "what an asshole."
"Edgemont Drive" -- 4 stars. Deftly captures the tension in a suburban home.
"Jolene: A Life" -- 4 stars. Beautifully written snapshot.
"
May 1, 2011
This book represents what I don't like about short story collections. Some of them are great and others far from it. So, it's not a uniform 3 rating, but an average. It's also frustrating that the ones that grab you are over so soon! The writing is certainly elegant.
August 19, 2015
I didn't care very much for City of God when I read it around 18 months ago. However, I may have to give it another chance, because Heist, the short story on which it's based, is absolutely brilliant. Perhaps this is just more evidence for my belief that some stories simply work best in the short form. All the stories in this collection are very good, and Doctorow's settings are completely immersive. It's been a while since I visited New York, but within a paragraph or two of his stories, the memories came back in full force. He does justice to his setting in every story, whether it's an old farmhouse in a remote Illinois location or a run-down school building. The stories span a variety of styles, and Doctorow shifts gears with no apparent effort, keeping the reader enthralled as he spans distances and centuries. This book is definitely going on my "favorites" list.
April 24, 2011
my good friend karen got me a signed copy of this book...i'm so excited! can't wait to read it...it's next on my list.
as i've said before on goodreads, i am not generally a big fan of short stories, as they usually seem to be over before they get anywhere.
this book, however, is an exception for two reasons. firstly, because the stories average around 20 pages long, which is adequate for each story to actually have some plot.and excellent stories they are.
which brings me to the second reason, which is that doctorow is one of my favorite authors.i've read all of his fiction and have never been disappointed. not this time either.
as i've said before on goodreads, i am not generally a big fan of short stories, as they usually seem to be over before they get anywhere.
this book, however, is an exception for two reasons. firstly, because the stories average around 20 pages long, which is adequate for each story to actually have some plot.and excellent stories they are.
which brings me to the second reason, which is that doctorow is one of my favorite authors.i've read all of his fiction and have never been disappointed. not this time either.
October 28, 2017
In the preface, E.L. Doctorow says he's not sure there's a common marker, tracer or relation, shared geography or time. The unifier may be the "thematic segregation of their protagonists."
Each story has "its own particular light, though I don't expect that to be visible to the reader." The 12 stories are "banded" in "packets of similar mental light - a principle of order no more arbitrary than any other."
With that set up, I decided not to be too hard on myself if I was too dim to see the light.
Themes that I felt unified the stories include: home+family as two-headed identity of (dis)possession, (dis)illusion, (dis)ownership, (dis)appointment. And, overall betrayal. And all of the time in the world won't change things, or make them better or worse. They are what they are. Or at least, what they appear to be.
Observation with regard to women: While generally a motley crew of characters, the female characters seem to get the brunt of Doctorow's disdain. I actually thought I'd come across the exception in The Writer in the Family, when I assumed the main character was a girl. But then why would a girl be trying on her father's suit jacket, I thought? Why wouldn't she? Well, because that might have broken the chain of negativity - females as gullible yet wily, manipulative yet malleable, demanding (bitchy) yet compromising, and most importantly, powerful (beauty) yet powerless.
Each story has "its own particular light, though I don't expect that to be visible to the reader." The 12 stories are "banded" in "packets of similar mental light - a principle of order no more arbitrary than any other."
With that set up, I decided not to be too hard on myself if I was too dim to see the light.
Themes that I felt unified the stories include: home+family as two-headed identity of (dis)possession, (dis)illusion, (dis)ownership, (dis)appointment. And, overall betrayal. And all of the time in the world won't change things, or make them better or worse. They are what they are. Or at least, what they appear to be.
Observation with regard to women: While generally a motley crew of characters, the female characters seem to get the brunt of Doctorow's disdain. I actually thought I'd come across the exception in The Writer in the Family, when I assumed the main character was a girl. But then why would a girl be trying on her father's suit jacket, I thought? Why wouldn't she? Well, because that might have broken the chain of negativity - females as gullible yet wily, manipulative yet malleable, demanding (bitchy) yet compromising, and most importantly, powerful (beauty) yet powerless.
May 17, 2021
Quit after the third story, Assimilation, which I could not make sense of at all. The first story is rather implausible but the real problem is that it is not clear what it is about. Is it an anecdote? A revenge tale? A moral lesson? None of these really fit. The second story is funny, a long anecdote, but with a disappointing ending. General problem is that the author doesn’t have a clear idea what the reader needs to know, and produces sentences which leave one wondering what he means. In the third story the character Leon turns out to be the mc’s brother but this is only mentioned casually much later on. The author doesn’t use quotation marks and keeps one puzzling who says what in a dialogue. Very annoying. In the beginning the author says that the mc went upstate to see Leon, whom he hasn’t mentioned before. Then he says they talked through the phones. ? Is he in prison? Later on it is mentioned that Leon, who now turns out to be his brother has been in prison, but apparently free again at that time. Why? How? When?
A sentence near the end:
One Monday morning, Jelena said, I’m going to the beach.
The absence of quotation marks leave you in doubt how to read this. Is she saying that on an undetermined Monday in the near future she will go to the beach or does she say I’m going to the beach on a certain Monday morning?
Why unnecessarily confuse the reader?
A sentence near the end:
One Monday morning, Jelena said, I’m going to the beach.
The absence of quotation marks leave you in doubt how to read this. Is she saying that on an undetermined Monday in the near future she will go to the beach or does she say I’m going to the beach on a certain Monday morning?
Why unnecessarily confuse the reader?
April 17, 2018
This is my first E.L. Doctorow. I enjoy short stories, and All the Time in the World was an interesting collection, as he stated in the preface, about people who were different. The cliché would be "walk to a different drummer." To say they were weird would be an understatement. Nevertheless, the characters are intriguing, and you can't sleep without replaying scenes over and over in your mind. "Did I get that right? Did the 15 year old really want his father to kill his mother?" Also,
I was thirty pages into the book before I realized that Doctorow used no dialog punctuation in the whole book! While I was surprised that it made little difference to my understanding--I couldn't help wonder why would he think that was necessary? It added nothing to the mystery, or characters, and after awhile, was not even a distraction. Is there some driving force that moves wonderful writers, who maybe are insecure, into strange presentations? To what purpose? Just to let us know they are different an above all the writing instructors in the world.
I was thirty pages into the book before I realized that Doctorow used no dialog punctuation in the whole book! While I was surprised that it made little difference to my understanding--I couldn't help wonder why would he think that was necessary? It added nothing to the mystery, or characters, and after awhile, was not even a distraction. Is there some driving force that moves wonderful writers, who maybe are insecure, into strange presentations? To what purpose? Just to let us know they are different an above all the writing instructors in the world.
June 12, 2017
It's a shame that none of the stories included here pack the same kind of punch as, say, The Book of Daniel, which remains the best thing Doctorow ever wrote.
The characters are compelling enough in places, particularly in Wakefield - a suburban American version of Dostoevsky's Underground Man - but the conclusions are a little unsatisfying. Most of the stories just end, as if Doctorow didn't know how to finish them properly and just didn't bother.
But the writing is typically beautiful and that's worth a decent 4 stars.
The characters are compelling enough in places, particularly in Wakefield - a suburban American version of Dostoevsky's Underground Man - but the conclusions are a little unsatisfying. Most of the stories just end, as if Doctorow didn't know how to finish them properly and just didn't bother.
But the writing is typically beautiful and that's worth a decent 4 stars.
December 9, 2022
Another collection of stories, some new and some old. 'All the Time in the World: New and Selected Stories' (2011) by E L. Doctorow puts on display is his talent as a writer of historical fiction but the stories themselves don't really register. It includes some of the good stories from previous short story works and some new ones that are decent. On the whole, I prefer E.L. Doctorow as a historical fiction writer of novels versus his short stories. Worth a read but not going to leave an imprint on the memory banks.
February 18, 2023
A treasured author, a rich if uneven collection of shorter works. The chunk of this book that flowed from his Billy Bathgate project can be skipped for neither adding anything to that story nor being engaging on its own. The remaining stories include several gems including Edgemont Drive, Assimilation (unequivocal 5-star rating), and House on the Plains. The eponymous final chapter was, well, for me one chapter too much. It’s hard to rate a collection, but easy to recommend this one especially for a reader able to be more selective going through it.
June 25, 2018
Leí completos cinco de los doce cuentos y abandoné el resto de los relatos en las primeras páginas, y eso que me gusta mucho "Ragtime", la excelente novela de Doctorow. Los cuentos que terminé de leer son: "Wakefield" (me gustó), "Edgemont Drive" (no me gustó), "Integración" (me gustó), "Una casa en la llanura" (me gustó) y "Jolene: una vida" (me gustó mucho).
January 29, 2021
One of a very short list of books in my entire life that I have started and then couldn't force myself to finish--and it's a short story collection! I get that this author is highly acclaimed. I don't get how. I've heard his novels are better, but I am not certain I'll ever drum up the patience to read one after this experience.
September 2, 2023
I'm usually a novel reader, but when I find a writer I really like, I try their short stories just to branch out a little. These weren't bad, the endings just felt...rushed, I guess is the best word. Like most reviewers, I liked some more than others, but they were all readable. I still like Doctorow and will continue seeking his books out. Maybe just not anymore short stories.
June 27, 2017
I am to easy on rating but really enjoyed this. Something different for me. Some of the stories really loved reading
June 28, 2017
Twelve short stories of which I found six particularly engaging, interesting reads. Doctorow fans will generally not be disappointed with this short story collection.
October 31, 2017
Quirky
December 27, 2019
Very randomly pulled this from used bookstore shelf. Interesting short stories, like his style, going to get me some more Doctorow.
March 29, 2020
I really enjoyed some of the stories but was unable to finish others.
May 1, 2020
Great short stories. I intend to read his other novels.
August 31, 2020
It was a solid fine.
October 12, 2020
I only enjoyed about two of these stories. Doctorow's novels are much better.
August 9, 2021
Short stories by a master
February 26, 2022
خود داستان حالاحالاها وقت هست رو از همه شون بیشتر دوست داشتم
February 16, 2023
A slew of brilliant stories interspersed with some dull filler. Still one of my favorite writers.
November 8, 2023
EL Doctorow was a genius. A beautiful collection of short stories filled with intrigue and heart.
December 30, 2023
read most of the stories
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews