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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Best collection of short stories since Hemingway. O'Connor is now a bit faded out of sight but in the 1950s and 1960s she had a strong reputation. She lived a very intense but short life (because of illness) in the South of the United States. Her tone is markedly realistic-accurate, with sparse details (only those that are necessary) but with a far-reaching psychological depth. The stories almost always are about two people (male-female, son-mother, grandfather-grandchild, etc) with a close but markedly not satisfying relationship. The actual theme is usually social: : the relation between the races, the futility of good works, etc. In general a slow-buildup is followed by a sometimes very violent denouement, hence O'Connor's stories are qualified as grotesques. Her work has some kinship with Edgar Allen Poe, and obviously (through the southern setting) with Faulkner.
The most captivating stories are: the title story 'Everything that Rises', 'A View on the Woods', and 'The Lame shall enter First'. Handsomely written and rather upsetting, O'Connor makes it pretty obvious that the perspective from which you are viewing the world is absolutely hyper-individual and can never be measured by objective standards. For me this was a really nice discovery!
The most captivating stories are: the title story 'Everything that Rises', 'A View on the Woods', and 'The Lame shall enter First'. Handsomely written and rather upsetting, O'Connor makes it pretty obvious that the perspective from which you are viewing the world is absolutely hyper-individual and can never be measured by objective standards. For me this was a really nice discovery!
sure, you can dive into each of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories braced with the knowledge that things are not going to end well, but the why & how will always hit where it hurts nonetheless. She keeps no one safe from whatever gruesome fate awaits them in those final pages- from the self-righteous & prejudiced to the (seemingly) well-meaning & devout. I can’t get enough of it. God I love this woman.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has been on my bookshelf for nearly a decade… I knew there was a reason I wasn’t going to vibe with it. Yes, it’s very much “of its time”and I understand that some see O, Connor as writing legend but that was not enough for me to understand why people rave about it.
Genuinely some of the best short stories I have ever read. I rarely ever like everything an author has ever written, but O'Connor has proven herself time and time again to be the exception. There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said before about her wit, her sense of humor, and her unyielding Catholic faith - all three of which glow in every word of hers like electricity through a live wire.
IMO her stories are not misanthropic nor are they inherently pessimistic. Sometimes I see reviews elaborating on the 'ugliness' of her stories, and yeah, a lot of them have unpleasant characters who take reprehensible actions, but so many of her stories are also about grace and hope in the Christian sense. It would be a terrible misstep to write her off as someone who writes creepy and depressing vignettes of the American South, exclusively or otherwise.
IMO her stories are not misanthropic nor are they inherently pessimistic. Sometimes I see reviews elaborating on the 'ugliness' of her stories, and yeah, a lot of them have unpleasant characters who take reprehensible actions, but so many of her stories are also about grace and hope in the Christian sense. It would be a terrible misstep to write her off as someone who writes creepy and depressing vignettes of the American South, exclusively or otherwise.
I couldn't finish this book, mostly because it's just not my thing. The stories were full of angry people having conflict that didn't get resolved. The adult children mistreated their parents, too. Probably other people could get into this book, but I didn't like it at all.
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
FIRST LINE REVIEW: "Her doctor had told Julian's mother that she must lose twenty pounds on account of her blood pressure, so on Wednesday nights Julian had to take her downtown on the bus for a reducing class at the Y." My first encounter with O'Connor and I tell ya what...her short stories from the 1950s and 60s ring a very contemporary bell in 21st century America. Her depictions of racial and social tensions are not only artfully presented, but accompanied by the profound truth that we are all the same if we have the courage and honesty and LOVE to see that truth. Sadly, none of her characters see it (or only have enlightenment when it's too late to do anything about it). A sad, dark collection.
i haven't read this since high school in mr. stevenson's class (why do i still remember that?) and i loved it even more this time around, mostly, i think because of the biography i'm reading alongside this. so much of her early upbringing is portrayed through the young characters in her stories. i'll write up some kind of intelligent post about it when i've gathered my thoughts and finished the biography.