the first two stories in this collection are perfect, to my mind. they are both revenge stories, where the revenge is played out in very original ways, which i do not wish to spoil here. 
 after that, the collection veers from its highs to its lows. many of these stories end right when they are starting to get interesting to me. this is what used to make me so frustrated with short stories as a form: i just want more. for example: florianne is about three pages long. and it is a fine short story, but i like woodrell's voice and the voices of his characters too much to be satisfied with such an abrupt leavetaking.it seems cruel to immerse me into something wonderful, and then remove me and thrust me into something else wonderful when i am still thinking about the first thing. 
 i am having difficulty expressing myself today. 
 woodrell is such a great writer, even when he is disappointing me, that i longed to give this four stars, but in the spectrum of books i have read from him, this one is my least favorite. this is his only collection of short stories, and it is probably a failing in me that i didn't love these as much as i have loved his full-length works, but there it is. 
 love dream spot, love returning the river, but too many just got blurred together in the middle. i heart wood(rell), i just want some more sustained wood(rell).