Scan barcode
dannb's review
4.0
7 short stories...all far flung places... Both interesting and powerful and all beautifully written
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
5.0
Why does this only have 289 ratings?! Blasphemy!
Seriously, the stories in this collection have more soul and a more thought-out narrative arc than a good number of novels that I've read.
Seriously, the stories in this collection have more soul and a more thought-out narrative arc than a good number of novels that I've read.
adrose18's review against another edition
5.0
I'm generally not a short story kind of girl. But these were amazing. And the last one will take your breathe away.
Full disclaimer I didn't read all of The Unknown Soldier.
Full disclaimer I didn't read all of The Unknown Soldier.
nomadreader's review against another edition
4.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The backstory: The UnAmericans, Molly Antopol's debut short story collection, was named one of the National Book Award's 5 Under 35 last year.
The basics: This collection of stories addresses themes of home, immigration, and history.
My thoughts: Longtime readers of this blog know that short stories are not my favorite medium, but the reviews were so universally glowing for Molly Antopol that I've been anticipating this collection since I first heard about it. The collection's first story, "The Old World," is among its best. It absolutely blew me away, and perhaps it set my expectations for the rest of the collection too high.
As my reading continued, I found the collection to somewhat uneven, except the highs were exceptional stories and the lows were still good stories. There was one story that I found relatively ordinary, but as a collection, it's impressive. I often struggle with assessing story collections as a whole because the order matters so much more to me as a reader. With only eight stories, of mostly equal lengths, there aren't places to hide. When the three stories I loved ended, I was sad. When the four good stories ended, it seemed appropriate. When the one story I didn't particularly enjoy ended, I was relieved. It's difficult for me as a reader to think about this collection as a whole because one story or another is always more present in my mind. What I loved most about my favorite stories were the characters. Antopol masterfully developed characters and worlds in the lifespan of a short story, and it made me long to read the novel she's currently writing, The After Party.
Favorite passage: "But she had always presented herself to the world in too apologetic a manner for me to take her ambitions seriously--because it hadn't yet occurred to me that it was different to be an artist or writer or thinker here in America. That one didn't need to be a persuasive speaker or have a charismatic presence, as every one of my colleagues had back in Prague. Daniela simply needed to live as an observer, sitting discreetly in a corner, quietly cataloging the foibles of those around her."
The verdict: There are three superb stories in this collection, and it made me a fan of Molly Antopol, even though I didn't love each of the collection's eight stories. Unsurprisingly, I'm eagerly awaiting her first novel because it's a form I adore, and with her stories, she's already established herself as an author I adore.
The backstory: The UnAmericans, Molly Antopol's debut short story collection, was named one of the National Book Award's 5 Under 35 last year.
The basics: This collection of stories addresses themes of home, immigration, and history.
My thoughts: Longtime readers of this blog know that short stories are not my favorite medium, but the reviews were so universally glowing for Molly Antopol that I've been anticipating this collection since I first heard about it. The collection's first story, "The Old World," is among its best. It absolutely blew me away, and perhaps it set my expectations for the rest of the collection too high.
As my reading continued, I found the collection to somewhat uneven, except the highs were exceptional stories and the lows were still good stories. There was one story that I found relatively ordinary, but as a collection, it's impressive. I often struggle with assessing story collections as a whole because the order matters so much more to me as a reader. With only eight stories, of mostly equal lengths, there aren't places to hide. When the three stories I loved ended, I was sad. When the four good stories ended, it seemed appropriate. When the one story I didn't particularly enjoy ended, I was relieved. It's difficult for me as a reader to think about this collection as a whole because one story or another is always more present in my mind. What I loved most about my favorite stories were the characters. Antopol masterfully developed characters and worlds in the lifespan of a short story, and it made me long to read the novel she's currently writing, The After Party.
Favorite passage: "But she had always presented herself to the world in too apologetic a manner for me to take her ambitions seriously--because it hadn't yet occurred to me that it was different to be an artist or writer or thinker here in America. That one didn't need to be a persuasive speaker or have a charismatic presence, as every one of my colleagues had back in Prague. Daniela simply needed to live as an observer, sitting discreetly in a corner, quietly cataloging the foibles of those around her."
The verdict: There are three superb stories in this collection, and it made me a fan of Molly Antopol, even though I didn't love each of the collection's eight stories. Unsurprisingly, I'm eagerly awaiting her first novel because it's a form I adore, and with her stories, she's already established herself as an author I adore.
buras12's review
4.0
הסופרת יהודיה אמריקנית, אבל מתוכן הספר לגמרי ברור שבילתה חלק ניכר מחייה בישראל. רוב הסיפורים בקובץ עוסקים ביהודים - בארה"ב , בישראל, על התפר, מהגרים יהודים, קומוניסטים יהודים בארה"ב בשנות מקארתי. נדיר שאני נהנה כל כך מסיפורים קצרים, זאת לא סוגה אהובה עליי במיוחד, אבל חלק גדול מאלה בספר נגעו בי באופן אישי. חוצמזה, משעשע לקרוא כתיבה אינטימית על ישראל באנגלית.
hcothran's review
4.0
The stories are all remarkably well-written, and filled with the kind of insights into human nature that make me wish I was the kind of person who highlighted books and then went back to them, but I'm more of a one-and-done type reader. My only complaint is that I found some of the characters so compelling that I was a little saddened by the cliffhanger-type endings of some of the stories. I want to know what happened to them, damn it!