cover image Some Soul to Keep

Some Soul to Keep

J. California Cooper. St. Martin's Press, $10.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-312-02285-3

Writing of these five long tales, PW praised the author's ``sprightly vernacular prose'' and ``sharp eye for detail,'' but noted that ``no matter how admirable and lively these stories are individually, the sameness of their tone and structure . . . defuses the impact of the volume as a whole.'' (October)