"Like Chekov, Bradley depends on atmosphere and character and tone, and the relationship among those, rather than plot, to accomplish her aims. This is a dangerous procedure in which Bradley succeeds brilliantly." --John Williams "The eleven stories in this debut collection explore the power lines in individual lives and in male-female relationships. The main characters struggle to cope with death, violence, absence; somehow they find ways to empower themselves, to find sliver of grace." -- Simone Poirier-Bures "The surface of the stories in Power Lines, Jane Bradley's first collection of stories, is calm. Her lyrical descriptions cast a cool, measured spell over the rural Southern landscapes through which her characters move. But, violence is everywhere in their lives – a boy slaps his sister, a cat kills her kittens, a man's fist crashes into a woman's face, a Vietnam veteran takes a room at the Holiday Inn and blows his brains out. --Mark Childress "Jane Bradley is an accomplished playwright, one who has won awards, had plays produced, and so it is no surprise that one of the strengths of these stories is their strong and immediate sense of drama, though the plots and action always involve ordinary lives and ordinary people. That makes Bradley an exceptional writer and the stories truly first rate." -- Christopher Buckley