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dreesreads's review
3.0
None of these were bad or uninteresting--but they were largely forgettable. Reading the author bios at the back of the book (why don't they put these at the end of the stories?!, I would much rather read about how the story came about when I can actually remember it), I could not remember most of the stories.
Standouts:
Roxana Gay "North Country"
Steven Millhouser "Miracle Polish"
George Saunders "Tenth of December"
Jess Walter "Anything Helps"
Standouts:
Roxana Gay "North Country"
Steven Millhouser "Miracle Polish"
George Saunders "Tenth of December"
Jess Walter "Anything Helps"
mdbow22's review against another edition
4.0
I like short stories a lot. This book had quite a few of good ones, and even though I only read 13 of the 20 it included, only 1 of them I didn't like.
vanillafire's review against another edition
5.0
Another great collection of stories. If you're someone that reads the spectrum and is constantly looking for new reading material you should definitely pick up a copy of Best American Short Stories (or any other in the Best American series) This year's was fantastic. As is every other year; they never disappoint.
jdgcreates's review against another edition
3.0
All of these stories engaged me enough to keep reading, but not always with a high margin of error. Most of the stories in here were good, and some were great: Nathan Englander's, Julie Otsuka's, Taiye Selasi's, and Jess Walter's were all stand-outs that made me feel something during the readings.
allisonreadsdc's review against another edition
"North Country," "The Last Speaker of the Language" and "Tenth of December" are must-reads.
I also enjoyed "Sex Lives of African Girls," "Navigators," "The Other Place" and "Anything Helps." Everything else was well-written but not as memorable.
I also enjoyed "Sex Lives of African Girls," "Navigators," "The Other Place" and "Anything Helps." Everything else was well-written but not as memorable.
sabinaleybold's review
4.0
Obviously, some stories are better than others. Overall a good collection though, I recommend it.
blkmymorris's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't read the George Saunders short story.
"The Last Speaker of the Language" by Carol Anshaw was beautiful. It was a little story about a single lesbian mom and her family life. The details about every life made the novel shine. It was a bittersweet story. Four stars and it reminded me to read her novel, Carry the One.
I started "Pilgrim Life" by Taylor Antrim, but I couldn't stand to read about self-involved, dot-com new money brats. One star.
"What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank" by Nathan Englander was warm and funy and contrasted American Jews with Orthodox Israeli Jews, but found some common ground. It made me want to read his short story collection of the same name. 4 stars
"The Other Place" by Mary Gaitskill was about a man who once tried to kill a woman and see those characteristics in his son. There's little plot, and the topic seemed to be handled in an overwrought manner. I didn't like it. 2 stars (crap story)
"North Country" by Roxane Gay. Oh. Mm. Gee. I loved this story. It's about a black woman who is a structural engineering professor who moves to a very white Northern Michigan University and starts a relationship. It's about emotional, cultural, and in a way physical isolation. It was a beautiful and delicate story. 5 stars (I now read The Rumpus and follow her tumblr)
"Paramour" by Jennifer Haigh. Umm, I forgot what this one was about. I googled it. A woman reflects on a former teacher. It's cliched and boring. 1 star (skipped swaths of that story, still got the gist, and still didn't care.)
"Navigators" by Mike Meginnis. A father and son play a video game that mirrors how their life is falling apart. I found the premise interesting but bluntly executed. Nothing shocking or any interesting insight. I was bored by the language of the story, too. 2 star (he tried)
"Miracle Polish" by Steven Millhauser. It takes a simple speculative fiction plot of a mirror polish that makes everything look better to the protagonist and he becomes obsessive about it to the detriment of his relationship. It an old tired plot and it brought nothing new. Sci-fi and fantasy authors have done it to better use. No profound insight or new plot twist to the story (okay the ending might be interesting if you've never read genre fiction), so I was bored. 2 or 3 stars (I don't care either way)
"Axis" by Alice Munro. She's a great short story writer and this is another gem. A story about to young women in the 1950s who are getting their Mrs degree, but the story isn't focued only on them. 4 stars. Just read it.
"Volcano" by Lawrence Osborne. Mid life crisis in Hawaii and a dreaming story. Well written. 3 stars.
"Diem Perdidi" by Julie Otsuka. Much like her book Buddha in the Attic, it uses second person singular to tell a story about a mother with dementia or Alzheimer and her daughter that stretches back and forth through time. Lovely to read and why I picked up this book. 5 stars.
"Honeydew" by Edith Pearlman. Private boarding school with an affair, drugs, and an anorexic girl. Nothing new here. 2.5 stars
"Occupational Hazard" by Angela Pneuman. A good story about how a co-workers death and his ex-wife's and daughter's return highlight some problem in one guy's marriage. I mangled the plot there, but it's a good story. Long but well paced. 4 stars
"Alive" by Sharon Solwitz. Mom and kid with cancer as viewed by the younger brother. Nothing interesting here. A cathartic story but I didn't care. 3 stars
"M&M World" by Kate Walbert. Mom loses daughter in store mentioned in title and it mirrors how the mother is lost and adrift. Cliched. Okay writing. 3 stars
"Beautiful Monsters" by Eric Puchner. Another great story with a sci-fi premise. Lab created children who will live forever come across a man in the wild. A real injured man. A beautiful and sad story. 5 stars (I want to read more by him.)
"The Sex Lives of African Girls" by Taiye Selasi. Another great story. It was a bit predictable, but the plot and language was beautiful. Great characters. I can't wait for her book Ghana Must Go. 5 stars (following her on twitter)
"Anything Helps" by Jess Walters. A beautiful and sad story about a homeless dad who wants to visit his son. It's so sad. So well written. Funny and dark. 5 stars. I need to read his books.
"What’s Important Is Feeling" by Adam Wilson. Hipster works on a film set in Texas. I've read non-ficiton accounts which tell the same story better. 3 stars because it's set in my state.
In retrospect, I love a story that isn't about upper middle class white people. I love stories about lower class people. It's more relatable when they worry about how to pay bills. Some time travel or being set in another time period is favorite setting. A speculative or genre fiction plot helps, too. Basically, I can understand why some people don't like the insular world of American literary fiction.
"The Last Speaker of the Language" by Carol Anshaw was beautiful. It was a little story about a single lesbian mom and her family life. The details about every life made the novel shine. It was a bittersweet story. Four stars and it reminded me to read her novel, Carry the One.
I started "Pilgrim Life" by Taylor Antrim, but I couldn't stand to read about self-involved, dot-com new money brats. One star.
"What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank" by Nathan Englander was warm and funy and contrasted American Jews with Orthodox Israeli Jews, but found some common ground. It made me want to read his short story collection of the same name. 4 stars
"The Other Place" by Mary Gaitskill was about a man who once tried to kill a woman and see those characteristics in his son. There's little plot, and the topic seemed to be handled in an overwrought manner. I didn't like it. 2 stars (crap story)
"North Country" by Roxane Gay. Oh. Mm. Gee. I loved this story. It's about a black woman who is a structural engineering professor who moves to a very white Northern Michigan University and starts a relationship. It's about emotional, cultural, and in a way physical isolation. It was a beautiful and delicate story. 5 stars (I now read The Rumpus and follow her tumblr)
"Paramour" by Jennifer Haigh. Umm, I forgot what this one was about. I googled it. A woman reflects on a former teacher. It's cliched and boring. 1 star (skipped swaths of that story, still got the gist, and still didn't care.)
"Navigators" by Mike Meginnis. A father and son play a video game that mirrors how their life is falling apart. I found the premise interesting but bluntly executed. Nothing shocking or any interesting insight. I was bored by the language of the story, too. 2 star (he tried)
"Miracle Polish" by Steven Millhauser. It takes a simple speculative fiction plot of a mirror polish that makes everything look better to the protagonist and he becomes obsessive about it to the detriment of his relationship. It an old tired plot and it brought nothing new. Sci-fi and fantasy authors have done it to better use. No profound insight or new plot twist to the story (okay the ending might be interesting if you've never read genre fiction), so I was bored. 2 or 3 stars (I don't care either way)
"Axis" by Alice Munro. She's a great short story writer and this is another gem. A story about to young women in the 1950s who are getting their Mrs degree, but the story isn't focued only on them. 4 stars. Just read it.
"Volcano" by Lawrence Osborne. Mid life crisis in Hawaii and a dreaming story. Well written. 3 stars.
"Diem Perdidi" by Julie Otsuka. Much like her book Buddha in the Attic, it uses second person singular to tell a story about a mother with dementia or Alzheimer and her daughter that stretches back and forth through time. Lovely to read and why I picked up this book. 5 stars.
"Honeydew" by Edith Pearlman. Private boarding school with an affair, drugs, and an anorexic girl. Nothing new here. 2.5 stars
"Occupational Hazard" by Angela Pneuman. A good story about how a co-workers death and his ex-wife's and daughter's return highlight some problem in one guy's marriage. I mangled the plot there, but it's a good story. Long but well paced. 4 stars
"Alive" by Sharon Solwitz. Mom and kid with cancer as viewed by the younger brother. Nothing interesting here. A cathartic story but I didn't care. 3 stars
"M&M World" by Kate Walbert. Mom loses daughter in store mentioned in title and it mirrors how the mother is lost and adrift. Cliched. Okay writing. 3 stars
"Beautiful Monsters" by Eric Puchner. Another great story with a sci-fi premise. Lab created children who will live forever come across a man in the wild. A real injured man. A beautiful and sad story. 5 stars (I want to read more by him.)
"The Sex Lives of African Girls" by Taiye Selasi. Another great story. It was a bit predictable, but the plot and language was beautiful. Great characters. I can't wait for her book Ghana Must Go. 5 stars (following her on twitter)
"Anything Helps" by Jess Walters. A beautiful and sad story about a homeless dad who wants to visit his son. It's so sad. So well written. Funny and dark. 5 stars. I need to read his books.
"What’s Important Is Feeling" by Adam Wilson. Hipster works on a film set in Texas. I've read non-ficiton accounts which tell the same story better. 3 stars because it's set in my state.
In retrospect, I love a story that isn't about upper middle class white people. I love stories about lower class people. It's more relatable when they worry about how to pay bills. Some time travel or being set in another time period is favorite setting. A speculative or genre fiction plot helps, too. Basically, I can understand why some people don't like the insular world of American literary fiction.
jennyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Some of these stories were amazing, others did not grab me, but on the whole this is a solid collection.
karencarlson's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite BASS in 4 years. Detailed comments on all stories (including possible spoilers) blogged at A Just Recompense.
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