Reviews

Reviewed by Abby Margulies for PopMatters.com

In the sweltering heat of America's South, Philip Shirley conjures up a surprisingly insightful group of characters that are at once disturbed, complex, and woefully hopeful. Set against the landscape of the rural and urban South, Oh 'Don't You Cry For Me, a collection of nine short stories that average less than 20 pages apiece, delves into the lives of a handful of American Southerners with stories that are alternately tragic, shocking, and undeniably charming ....Shirley has the uncanny ability to create powerful characters that are complicated enough to be interesting, yet simple enough to be believable."

To read the entire review in PopMatters.com, click here.

Reviewed by Kirk Curnutt for First Draft Online

"Alabama-born Philip Shirley is unique: No mere copywriter or account manager, he is the CEO of the Mississippi-based GodwinGroup, the South’s oldest ad agency. Oh Don’t You Cry for Me is his first book of fiction, and some readers will inevitably look for hints of his prestigious career in this nine-story collection. Those hints won’t be found in the content, which tends toward the dark, sad, and twisted. Rather, the influence is in the craft. These are precise, sharply structured tales with plenty of what admen say it takes to break through the clutter and arrest a reader’s attention. Put simply, Mr. Shirley’s got hook."

To read the entire review in First Draft, click here.

Reviewed in Portico Jackson

"In this clever and often humorous collection of short stories, Philip Shirley, CEO of the Godwin Group, aptly entertains the reader as he moves from one tale to another. A master storyteller, the author has also published earlier works of fiction and poetry."

To read the entire review in Portico, click here.

Reviewed by Don Noble for Alabma Public Radio

"They have some pace and action, and many readers will find these short stories accessible, understandable, and satisfying."

To read or listen to the entire review, click here.

Reviewed by Melissa Lee-Houghton for The Short Review

"Shirley is craftsman, a perfectionist, whose stories are shaped and tended with as much precision as a glassblower."

To read or listen to the entire review, click here.