The Lifeguard Stories [Paperback]

The Lifeguardcombines Mary Morris's consummate craft as a storyteller with her gift for dramatic travel writing. In the title story, a teenage lifeguard sees his mystique among the girls on the beach dissolve in a panicked moment when he cannot save a child. In The Glass-Bottom Boat, a mother on her first trip abroad learns about trust from a solicitous stranger.

The Lifeguardis a powerful collection of ten short stories that shows Morris's great sensitivity to men and women at moments of turbulence, uncertainty, and crisis.

Mary Morris seems to have a microscope trained on the souls and hearts of mankind . . . A superb collection . . . A magnificent writer. The Washington Post Book World

Dizzy with self-realization, Morris's characters venture out beyond the beach resorts to more compelling but often perilous territories. The Chicago Tribune

These knowing, sometimes dark tales are about people struggling to connect with each other in spite of their own ambivalence. Glamour

Mary Morris's compassion is on par with her sense of humor, a rare combination. Betsy Willeford, The Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey)

The stories are quite disarmingly complex, while keeping up a surface appearance of clarity and straightforwardness . . . It's a fine book. Charles Baxter

Ten subtle, impressionistic stories that linger and expand in the memory. Mademoiselle

As a storyteller, Morris shines. Reading her best stories is like sinking into a good photograph. She packs them with tiny details, but never allows the particulars to interfere with the vision and balance of the whole. Julia Corbin, St. Petersburg Times

A poised and articulate collection. Publishers Weekly

Exquisitely revealing moments...clearly Morris hasn't lost her touch as a story writer. Kirkus Reviews

Morris's ability to reincarnate her travel storlS"