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1.51k reviews for:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
4.52 AVERAGE
1.51k reviews for:
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
George Saunders
4.52 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I “enjoyed” this book in the beginning (as much as one can enjoy a book that they can only bring themselves to read 135 pages of over the course of 9 days), but the longer I read, the more I rejected Saunders’ ideas. I think what I was liking (not you, Leo) were the Russian short stories. While Saunders’ advice is repetitive and relatively useless, he also treats the reader like they are in first grade. Why are you spending 20 pages breaking down the most simple concepts of the story?? If you needed George Saunders to spend 30 pages or the length of one graduate class explaining “Gooseberries,” maybe reconsider your career path and/or book picks. As someone who is very close-minded and actively chooses to like authors that I like and hate the books of authors I have made up my mind to dislike, I swear I gsve George a fair chance. I found him witty and fun at the beginning. But I came to learn that George and I are very different readers. I found myself widely differing from his assessments and interpretations of multiple stories. Our takes on themes and characters did not align. And so, I take that as an explanation as to why I find Saunders’ own stories to be so insufferable. 2.5 stars overall ☺️ also, I skipped the last 10 pages; sue me.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It is a privilege to glimpse Saunders’s curriculum on Russian literature and creative writing. His deep explications of these four short stories read as smoothly as his compelling fiction. He performs an anthropological surgery, a simulation/demonstration for students in the field, dissecting the anatomy of the character’s psyche and their creators; We’re able to better understand the author—character dynamic, ourselves, Saunders, what it means to be human.
He also reveals how these works have influenced his own—particularly Tenth of December, a book I frequently revisit whenever I fall into a reading lull, as its brilliance never fails to reignite my passion for both reading and writing. Saunders is a master architect of fiction—everything he says is objective when it comes to the craft. If he told me to jump off a bridge, I just might!
He also reveals how these works have influenced his own—particularly Tenth of December, a book I frequently revisit whenever I fall into a reading lull, as its brilliance never fails to reignite my passion for both reading and writing. Saunders is a master architect of fiction—everything he says is objective when it comes to the craft. If he told me to jump off a bridge, I just might!
challenging
hopeful
informative
This book was a great introduction to short stories by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gogol, and Turgenev. It was basically Saunders’ literature class distilled into a book and gave me more tools to appreciate and think about fiction.
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Most of the stories featured in this book I would not have read on my own. To be honest I didn't really enjoy all of them, but I found George's explorations of them quite enlightening about how authors either intentionally or unintentionally make choices about what they include. It helped me practice taking a step back and thinking about why certain details are included or omitted. Overall, I walk away from this book feeling better equipped to appreciate choices being made by authors and get more out of my fiction.