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

After a random internet encounter with Gene Weingarten's essay "The Great Zucchini" (which may be the greatest piece of short non-fiction narrative I have ever read), I was hungry for more. This collection of essays does not disappoint. Mr. Weingarten writes from the heart as he reveals the intimate lives of the people he chronicles with understanding, respect, and kindly humor. His skill is particularly evident in his Pulitzer-prize winning essay about parents whose children died after being inadvertently left in a locked car: somehow, he leaves one with more faith in the human condition, rather than despair. This is a book that will make you smile and will leave you the happier.

What happens when you pick up the last book you will ever read? When the writing is so good that it will ruin everything else for you? Gene Weingarten’s writing did that for me. This book iis a collection of feature writing he has done at The Washington Post. Two of the pieces won Pulitzer Prizes.Only three stories in — The Great Zucchini, The First Father and The Ghost of the Hardy Boys — and I thought, “If you want to write, read this book. If you want to teach others to write, use this book. When I write, I want to write like this.” It is beautiful, masterful stuff.Reading further, I thought, “I can’t recommend this book. I just can’t. It will ruin every other writer for you until the end of time. I don’t know if I can read anything else after this book.”Then I mustered my best Jimmy Dugan voice and yelled, “There’s no crying in journalism! Why is he making me cry?”I read “Pardon My French” on the 72nd anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. It’s the one that made me laugh out loud. Then giggle at how delicious it was that he found just the right way to get the most honest responses from French folks. He calls it the Machine. I call it hilarious.Every paragraph in “Fatal Distraction” is a punch to the gut. I almost couldn’t bear to read it. But I let Weingarten take me by the hand and gently lead me through the horrific experiences of the people in this piece.Weingarten quotes Franz Kafka: “The meaning of life is that it ends.” This is the heart of everything he writes. This is what breathes life into every word.Is this the last book I’ll ever read? Well, no. I could no more stop reading than I could stop breathing. I will, however, measure everything else I read against Weingarten’s writing.

I heard Gene Weingarten on XM Insight being interviewed by Bob Edwards on the way to work and knew I had to get this book. It is absolutely the work of a true master of journalism and a wonderful wordsmith. There are short stories to delight and make you think and the one on children who have died when left in cars (for which he won a Pulitzer Prize) will break your heart. I've been a writer for 35 years and when I read something like this I am stunned by the craftsmanship of a true artist. Don't forget to read the prologue/introduction.

i'm not big on collections of short writings, but Weingarten is a superb writer. i read it sequentially from beginning to end. i enjoyed many of the stories and admired his writing. hadn't read any of them before. would recommend to anyone who wants to check out a model writer.

This is a fabulous collection of essays. I first learned of Mr. Weingarten when a friend sent me his essay on Joshua Bell's stint as a busker in the Washington Metro. The question was "Would people on their way to work in the morning stop to hear the playing of music by an exceptional musician?" The short answer: No. But Mr. Weingarten's account of the 45 minutes that Mr. Bell played and most people failed to listen is fascinating. He won a Pulitzer Prize for this story in 2008. In 2010, he won the Pulitzer a second time for "Fatal Distraction" an essay in which he takes a look at a diverse group of people who have one thing in common--they forgot that they had left their infants in closed cars and the infants died. Mr. Weingarten is known for his wonderful humorous essays and there's a nice selection here: an account of the life of "The Great Zucchini," a man who entertains at children's parties, a rueful look back at The Hardy Boys, a series of books the author loved as a child, and one man's attempt to find out what the French really think about Americans. Highly recommended.

I have read it 3 times. I am still amazed at his variety of subject matters and his ability to fit the writing to the subject the essay is on. Some of the stories are light hearted, some are sad, some are inbetween. One is gut-wrenching, which I think took a lot of courage to research. For this article and the title article, he won 2 Pulitzer Prizes. His writing is clear and concise. I don't recommend you read his earlier books though.

I’ve always known Weingarten is smart and funny, but these stories show a skilled writer and journalist. Start it for the Joshua Bell story but don’t skip a chapter. Great intros that touch on how stories come to be, I’ll buy it for an aspiring journalist student.

I do not know how this author was categorized as comedy, however, he is a Great writer! While there are several well placed punch lines, this is not a book to be read for an afternoon of laughs.I am pleased that l happened upon this collection of essays and plan to read more of Mr. Weinbergen's work.Each essay stands on it's own although some are designed to be complementary. They are carefully arranged to have a logical progression.Every essay makes the reader think. This author does not lecture, he presents ideas and requires his readers to add their own thoughts and opinions.It would be hard to imagine a reader who is disappointed with this choice.

Excellent writer. Luvved how author-GW uses order, pace and wit to make his point. Great stories. Great story-telling. (P.S. Bill Clinton has a brother?

This was an incredible book which if you begin once, you can't put down. Each story was riveting and while sticking to the true journalistic spirit of not trying to judge or show bias, shows facets of human character and society at large. The breadth and depth of human behavior and emotion displayed in the stories have a true visceral impact and cause you to ponder and reflect.

I'm originally from Washington, DC. The author of the book wrote most, if not all, of these short stories/ articles for the Washington Post. I've always been a fan of his work, and when I saw I finally had the opportunity to purchase the book on Amazon UK I immediately picked up a copy.Fiddler in the Subway is the story which might be the most well-known overseas. The author invited world-class violinist Joshua Bell to perform in a busy Metro station in Washington at rush hour, and the resulting reactions from passengers were the basis for his story.His ability to observe and comment without harsh judgement make his stories very readable. I think where Weingarten shines is taking a seemingly mundane subject and making it appealing. This applies to, I believe, the majority of the tales in this book. I want to list all of my favourites here but honestly, doing a summary of his works doesn't really do the subject justice. If I say my favourite is the story behind one of the most popular children's party entertainers in the Washington area, I doubt that will make you want to read this book. All I can tell you is, if you appreciate a good storyteller, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Between the beautiful writing and the interesting topics, each story was as enjoyable as the last. I would definitely recommend this book. In fact, I did, to my book club and my friends.

This was a fascinating read. Some sensitive subjects are not easy to read because of the content, but the quality of writing meant that every article made me think and kept me reading. Gene Weingarten shows how influential a clever journalist can be with the power of the written word.