A threnody is a beautiful song filled with nostalgia, slightly sad, regretful perhaps, here the song of a life lived and reflected upon. A fisherman filets illegal fish, a boy meows upon seeing a naked woman, a young man rebels against convention and meets The Queen of the Nile, a fisherman confronts a whale, some Indians attack a saloon, a happy, carefree fellow gets brushed off by a lovely, ethereal, eccentric girl. A Greek gardener worries about lions. Violins from an orphanage fuse with the sounds of a big city and make immortal and imperishable music. A teacher has a conversation with a baby. A woman becomes boxing champion of the world. Someone may or may not drown. There is a bay, an ocean, a jungle, a familiar landscape in Northern California, some fish, some artichokes. A delicate repast for a hungry soul. Jim LeCuyer's stories are often wildly imaginative and funny, as in "Brief, Perilous Journey Through Berkeley," an absurdist tale that captures the spirit of Berkeley in the 1960s. But LeCuyer has a wide range, with pieces in this collection, such as "Just Another Drowning" that deeply touch the heart. He was a professional fisherman for many years, and his knack for vivid description makes his fishing stories come alive. This is a rich, delightful collection crafted by a consummate storyteller. -Ralph Dranow, author of The Woman who Knocked Out Sugar Ray, Sunday Ritual, Voyeur of the Heart, Green Leaves for Hair, and co-author of Nude Furniture (with Karla Kandinsky) and Been In Berkeley Too Long (with Judy Wells, Carla Kandinsky, Donna Duguay).