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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s something so viscerally powerful about the stories of Flannery O’Connor. You feel them right to your bones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence
Flannery O’Connor’s stories always pack a punch. Everything That Rises Must Converge is a story of familial angst with a theme of “out with the old and in with the new”.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wasn't prepared for how dark and depressing these stories would be. Well written, but not an uplifting read by any means.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
My sister, as some of you may know (or may have figured out by now), is named after Flannery O'Connor. The name Flannery is more commonly used as a last name, and so the meanings that we've found are, well, interesting: a flat piece of metal or one with red eyebrows. But what's in a name? Neither my Flannery nor I had ever read anything by Flannery O'Connor before. Flannery, because she's worried that she won't like her namesake and me because I really haven't read a lot of classic literature at all. So, aside from one short story skimmed in undergrad this is my first O'Connor experience.
O'Connor's style is dark and gritty. It presents life, specifically Southern life, in stark, unflattering detail. It is post-Antebellum South and O'Connor details the struggle with changing ideologies and practices. It's funny, but not in a laugh-out-loud way. It's funny in the painful way where you recognize some of yourself in these massively flawed characters. It's an uncomfortable glimpse into your own thoughts, speaking from the perspective of a white person.
O'Connor excels at calling out all the little hypocrisies and petty insults that white people did (and do) almost off-handedly. She never calls it out for what it is, but presents it in a way that is difficult to ignore. The book is uncomfortable in that way - it will make you realize things that you may not want to realize.
O'Connor excels at creating characters. Each voice is distinct and memorable in its way. There are a few character types she deals with, though. In particular, the character of the spoiled, pseudo-sophisticated son who is ashamed of his "backwards" mother shows up in several stories. Even with this repetition, though, she inserts different plot arcs so that each pair is distinguishable. Everyone is a little bit crazy in their own way, and everyone is doomed.
This book is beautiful, but is also very tragic. Each story is about a doomed character, and although that doom varies in its manifestation it is still nine stories about gloom and death and comeuppances. It's about the weakness of the human mind and the inability to change. It's extremely dark, but extremely well-written (Although some stories drag. "The Lame Shall Enter First" was my least favorite story.) I would recommend it for those who are in a contemplative mood or who would like to find some truly amazing character construction.
O'Connor's style is dark and gritty. It presents life, specifically Southern life, in stark, unflattering detail. It is post-Antebellum South and O'Connor details the struggle with changing ideologies and practices. It's funny, but not in a laugh-out-loud way. It's funny in the painful way where you recognize some of yourself in these massively flawed characters. It's an uncomfortable glimpse into your own thoughts, speaking from the perspective of a white person.
O'Connor excels at calling out all the little hypocrisies and petty insults that white people did (and do) almost off-handedly. She never calls it out for what it is, but presents it in a way that is difficult to ignore. The book is uncomfortable in that way - it will make you realize things that you may not want to realize.
O'Connor excels at creating characters. Each voice is distinct and memorable in its way. There are a few character types she deals with, though. In particular, the character of the spoiled, pseudo-sophisticated son who is ashamed of his "backwards" mother shows up in several stories. Even with this repetition, though, she inserts different plot arcs so that each pair is distinguishable. Everyone is a little bit crazy in their own way, and everyone is doomed.
This book is beautiful, but is also very tragic. Each story is about a doomed character, and although that doom varies in its manifestation it is still nine stories about gloom and death and comeuppances. It's about the weakness of the human mind and the inability to change. It's extremely dark, but extremely well-written (Although some stories drag. "The Lame Shall Enter First" was my least favorite story.) I would recommend it for those who are in a contemplative mood or who would like to find some truly amazing character construction.
It took me a while to finish this because I kept reading other books in between. It's easy to do that with this book; pick it up, read a quick short story, and then put it back down for a time. I adore Flannery O'Connor. Her characters are realistic and believable and she manages to create an entire atmosphere just sentences into each story. As I was reading, I texted a friend who is also a fan of O'Connor, "if no one dies at the end, are you even reading Flannery O'Connor??" That is pretty much the essence of almost every story in this novel (although let's be honest, all those terrible people deserved their demise). O'Connor is a literary master and her works are always a treat. They'll stick with you for the rest of your days.