The Home Front: Collected Stories by Margaret Craven

Fiction 

359 pages

5 Stars

One of my all-time favorite books is I Heard the Owl Call My Name. I have now read all four of her books, and they are all full of delight. 

These short stories start off in a small-town, on a single street, and are about the people who live on that street. They are in chronological order as they were written and published, giving us a unique insight into small town America starting in the 1940s. A special treat is the short story which was the impetus to I Heard the Owl Call My Name.

These are marvelous bedtime stories. No nightmares will ensue. Each story is its own, though many, especially in the beginning, are connected. Stories I will read again. 

I heartily recommend this book. For that matter, I heartily recommend her other three books. One of America's truly great writers right along with Willa Cather!

Again Calls the Owl --by Margaret Craven

Nonfiction / autobiographical

120 pages

5 Stars

I read I Heard the Owl Call My Name when it came out and loved it. I read it in one sitting. Then I read her second novel, Walk Gently This Good Earth. I loved them both, and have read them more than once. With great delight, I recently discovered Again Calls the Owl, and read it shortly after it arrived.

This is a collection of autobiographical vignettes about Ms. Craven's life, from childhood to student at Stanford to how she became a writer, and then the writer of I Heard the Owl Call My Name. I enjoy reading about the authors whose books I like, and there were many places in this book where I laughed out loud. And a couple where the tears fell.  

If you are looking for a sequel to I Heard the Owl Call My Name, do not get this book. If you are looking for some insight into the life of the author, you're in for a treat when you read this book.