"No pretty little thoughts, no fake faith-restoratives -- just hard solid craftsmanship and style." -- The New York Times (An Outstanding Book of the Year). The High Sierras, the Oregon back country, Hollywood, and San Francisco provide the backdrops for these two novellas and eight shorter pieces by the acclaimed author of Hard Rain Falling. The stories display an impressive range and variety, from the stark shocks of "Limbo" to a compassionate study of loneliness, "One of Those Big-City Girls."