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    The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer
    The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer
    The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer
    Ebook420 pages6 hours

    The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer

    By Gene Weingarten

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    GENE WEINGARTEN IS THE O. HENRY OF AMERICAN JOURNALISM

    Simply the best storyteller around, Weingarten describes the world as you think it is before revealing how it actually is—in narratives that are by turns hilarious, heartwarming, and provocative, but always memorable.

    Millions of people know the title piece about violinist Joshua Bell, which originally began as a stunt: What would happen if you put a world-class musician outside a Washington, D.C., subway station to play for spare change? Would anyone even notice? The answer was no. Weingarten’s story went viral, becoming a widely referenced lesson about life lived too quickly. Other classic stories—the one about “The Great Zucchini,” a wildly popular but personally flawed children’s entertainer; the search for the official “Armpit of America”; a profile of the typical American nonvoter—all of them reveal as much about their readers as they do their subjects.

    Editor's Note

    Life is short…

    A compelling portrait of our rushed, desensitized society, this Pulitzer Prize-winning work reaches far beyond its title story of the acclaimed concert violinist ignored in a subway station.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateJul 6, 2010
    ISBN9781439181607
    The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . And Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer
    Author

    Gene Weingarten

    Gene Weingarten is a nationally syndicated humor columnist and a Pulitzer Prize–winning staff writer for The Washington Post. He lives in Washington, DC.

    Read more from Gene Weingarten

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    Reviews for The Fiddler in the Subway

    4/5

    25 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Not my usual read, but I found the book compelling and as I am in hospital, I had the time to attempt to read it in one go. What a wonderful investment in my time. Apart from the few political stories, I was entranced by the sheer power of the writing. No wonder the man has won two Pulitzer Prizes. Bravo. This book will influence me to read more in this genre. Peter van Fleet
    • 4/5
      Full of hidden sarcastic humour and lots of never known stories behind the stories. I would love to have this author for fabulous dinner conversation. A good read!
    • 4/5
      Excellent read. Very entertaining and yet touching were many of the stories.
    • 3/5
      วารสารคุณภาพโรงพยาบาล
    • 5/5
      The way he saw is the most wondered way to express his thinking on paper you live what he saw
    • 5/5
      great
    • 5/5
      This book is an excellent collection of articles from The Washington Post by the feature writer Gene Weingarten. Weingarten’s human-interest articles are well written, entertaining, and thought provoking. He has the ability to make almost anything interesting. Some articles had me laughing aloud, others left me with tears streaming down my cheeks. I think there is something in the collection for everyone.
    • 5/5
      I loved every one of these stories enough that I will buy the book so I can savor them again.
    • 5/5
      I don't usually like collections, but these aren't normal short stories. These are feature stories from the Washington Post, by a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, that I would otherwise have never read. I am glad I got the opportunity to read these truly powerful stories.



      A quote I liked from the Doonesbury article: "It is a cliché, and it is also true, that humor springs from existential pain - from a need to blunt the awareness that life is essentially a fatal disease of unpredictable symptoms and unknown duration."
    • 5/5
      I found all of these pieces to be interesting, each with an unusual premise. The title piece won a Pulitzer, another piece wrenches the heart (car deaths of babies due to hyperthermia, still others take you to mundane places to meet memorable people facing life squarely.

    Book preview

    The Fiddler in the Subway - Gene Weingarten

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