Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Liberation Day by George Saunders

4 reviews

cmcrockford's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Very, very good with some quibbles: (1) Saunders is doing some really neat sci-fi except literary critics wouldn't quite be plotzing themselves over his work if they, oh, picked up some PKD or LeGuin or any other genre writer they deign too low for them, and (2) some of the stories pull a singular trick with "person in dystopia has eyes opened" and you can only do that so many times before it's just a trick and not a real emotional process.
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scmiller's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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jakemitton's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

George Saunders may be one of the most talented writers I’ve ever read work by. His grip on the English language is so absolute and his prose is at once beautiful and engrossing. The stories in Liberation Day are varied in their subjects but share a similar feeling and themes throughout. The way that Sauders is able to draw you into the world of his stories within a page or two is masterful. 
These stories do not have happy or even always satisfying endings. This could be seen as weakening them but I think that the way they are writing the endings feel like the only possible way these tales could possible be left. None of these stories are finished, the part we get to experience has just come to an end.

If you are a fan of somewhat surreal writing and of short stories then I cannot recommend this enough. Similar feeling to some black mirror episodes. 
I cannot wait to read more by George Saunders. 
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rorikae's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'Liberation Day' by George Saunders is a thought-provoking short story collection that delves into topics such as how we participate in systems, political propaganda, how we view others, and more. The collection spans from longer pieces to shorter pieces that intersperse the longer ones. I personally found that the longer pieces were my favorites because Saunders was allowed the time to more fully explore worlds and in the process convey more commentary. My two personal favorite stories in the collection are the titular Liberation Day, which comments on participation in systems, classism, and personal autonomy. My other favorite is Elliott Spencer, which discusses political propaganda, bodily autonomy, and the lengths people will go to to make a point. I found the shorter stories less affecting, especially those that were more realistic. Where Saunders blends speculative elements with commentary are where I feel that his writing shines. If you have been a fan of Saunders work in the past, I definitely recommend this collection. It has a lot of meaty ideas to chew on and I'll be thinking about them for quite some time.
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