Oh my goodness this book had me tear up several times. What heartfelt stories in this book. My favorite is.”Your money or your life” it’s the one that had me tearing up. Such a wonderful story of a boy and his dad relationship that ending got me. Not giving anything away well worth the time to.. if you like stories that to me will touch your heart check this book out.

This anthology of short stories is so well done. I don't usually love short stories because they rarely contain enough character depth for me to feel invested, but the stories in here are all exceptions. Coming from someone who has battled mental illness most of my life, The Gypsy is heartbreakingly haunting.

These 3 stories of depth and triumph are well worth the read! I was in awe of the human bonding through the trials.

This book is a great read: In an era of frenetic prose, Gene Alman’s “Road Home and Other Stories” arrives as a profound testament to the enduring power of the short story. Altman is not merely a writer; he is an exceptionally gifted storyteller. What struck me immediately was the deft and effortless entry into his fictional worlds. There is no jarring artifice here; rather, he invites us across the threshold with a grace that feels almost conversational, yet remains intellectually rigorous. Once inside, one is treated to a display of descriptive prowess that is nothing short of luminous. His imagery is never decorative for its own sake; it is atmospheric and essential, grounding the reader in a vivid, tactile reality. Beyond the impressive aesthetics of his prose lies a formidable psychological acuity. Altman possesses an uncanny understanding of human nature—the quiet desperations, the fleeting triumphs, and the intricate webs of memory that define us. He navigates the interiority of his characters with a surgeon’s precision and a poet’s empathy, rendering their journeys both deeply personal and hauntingly universal. For those who appreciate literature that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally resonant, this collection is essential. Altman has crafted a work of erudite elegance that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. A truly magnificent achievement. I found myself going back to the beginning of these stories to see how he pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. My hats off to Gene Altman.

This is a neat book. It's a collection of character-driven short stories with a deep human touch. They're beautifully written and also heartfelt. Definitely worth a read!

I picked this up expecting a pleasant read and found myself completely absorbed. What Altman does so well is build characters who feel real in a way that sneaks up on you — you're a few pages in and suddenly you care deeply about what happens to them. "A Friendship" is a standout — a story about secrets and loyalty between old friends that unfolds with the precision of a good mystery, except what's being uncovered is emotional rather than criminal. "Gravity" is another favorite: a young professional's unlikely connection with a homeless man in Cambridge that could easily have been sentimental but instead feels honest and earned, right down to its final scene on the riverbank at sunrise. I was also struck by "Arabella Starr," which takes you inside the head of a teenage actress navigating real danger at home while rehearsing Chekhov — the way her theatrical imagination bleeds into her survival instincts is something I won't forget. And "The Scream" builds a kind of slow-burning corporate dread that reminded me of early Richard Yates. The collection covers a lot of ground — there are stories set everywhere from rural Louisiana to Morocco — but what ties them together is Altman's attention to the moments when ordinary people decide who they really are. Some of these endings genuinely surprised me. A few made me cry.

What stands out about this collection is how fully Altman inhabits his characters — not just their circumstances, but the way they think and feel under pressure. The fourteen-year-old boy in "Your Money or Your Life" who spends his entire summer's earnings on a headstone for a mother he never knew, giving up the guitar he desperately wanted — that story wrecked me. It earns its emotion without a single manipulative beat. The range here is impressive. "The Gypsy" pulls off something I've rarely seen done well: a protagonist whose mental illness shapes the narrative without becoming a gimmick. Vincent's tug-of-war with the voice in his head is harrowing, and the resolution is both surprising and deeply satisfying. Then you turn the page to "The Wishstar," and you're in completely different territory — an elderly widower's grief rendered with such tenderness and specificity that it feels less like fiction and more like eavesdropping on someone's memory. The settings feel genuinely lived-in — Arizona desert highways, New York walkups, a Florida beach that turns sinister, a guru's ashram — and each one functions as more than backdrop. Altman writes with a psychiatrist's ear for how people actually talk when they're scared or cornered or trying not to say what they mean. There's dry humor throughout, even in the darker stories, which keeps the collection from ever feeling heavy.

Intense and beautifully written stories about the human condition. Altman will take you on a journey through foreign lands and places close to home, but more importantly the reader will better understand the humanity in us all.

This collection of short stories does an amazing job of exploring very different lives and the deep emotions that connect us all. I loved reading about everything from a young mother suddenly becoming a famous model to a grandfather finding hope again through his little grandson. The writing feels incredibly realistic because it handles tough topics, like mental illness and complicated family relationships, with a lot of understanding and care. It is a quick but powerful read that stays on your mind long after you finish the last page.