Manhattan Madonna And Other Stories (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781502378590)

Written over the course of many years, these stories vary widely in subject matter, time period, and style of narration, with settings that range from contemporary New York to nineteenth-century France. With introspective themes of love, loss, truth, and redemption, this thought provoking collection is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the particular art of the short story.

Manhattan Madonna And Other Stories balances people, place, and plot with memorable characters and surprising twists. A man who doesn't believe in ghosts has a revealing spectral encounter in his local cemetery. An elderly artist obsesses over a portrait of his young wife, painted years ago before their lives fell apart. A widow finds love again in a poignant December-to-December romance. A detective attempts to glean information about a mysterious illicit drug from a suspect before time runs out. An artistic genius, old and near death, realizes the piece he thought of as his legacy has fallen into neglect.

In the spirit of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales and Ernest Hemingway's In Our Time, this elegantly written collection by Philip A. O'Connell Jr. is a provocative addition to the canon of American short literary fiction.