SOURCE: Review of Jack of Diamonds and Other Stories, by Elizabeth Spencer. Kliatt 24, no. 1 (January 1990): 24.

In the following review, the critic regards Jack of Diamonds as exemplary short fiction.

In these five outstanding stories [in Jack of Diamonds and Other Stories], Spencer displays her talent for creating entire worlds within a few pages. Although known as a Southern writer, she evokes Italy, Montreal, and New York with flawless ease. Her focus, however, is on the critical moments that help define human relationships. In the title story, for example, a 17-year-old girl discovers that her parents' marriage was not all it seemed to be. “The Business Venture” tells of the effect that a dry-cleaning partnership between a black man and a white woman has on the woman's group of young white Southern friends. In “Jean-Pierre,” a young English-speaking girl marries a French-Canadian man who abruptly disappears. Spencer creates memorable...