All the Time in the World: New and Selected Stories    by E. L. Doctorow Order:  USA  Can Random House, 2011 (2011) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Tim Davis Discriminating readers have long known that E. L. Doctorow is a masterful craftsman of distinguished fiction. Now, with the arrival of Doctorow's highly recommended collection of a dozen new and selected short stories, readers can enjoy some of the best writing in contemporary American literature. While each story deserves comment and praise, time and space here permit focus on only three: readers will be fascinated by a husband and wife's encounter with a charismatic garage mechanic and religious leader whose devoted followers wholeheartedly surrender themselves and others in the name of faith and belief; readers also meet a philosophical poet who visits an unhappy family in their seemingly haunted house, all in the name of memories, death, and renewal; and readers share in the adventures of a lawyer who becomes homeless - for lack of a better word - within plain sight of his wife and daughters in upscale suburbia for more than a year. Finally, in summation, what unifies this assortment of twelve wonder-filled stories is Doctorow's sometimes savage and consistently ironic vision of humanity, isolation, and endurance. Every reader will find plenty to savor in this collection. Don't miss it! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews