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aiyanamarie's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
yelsel13's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
nickynickynicky's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
truthmonkey's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Some good new author finds, a couple great stories.
davidabrams's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another solid entry into the annual series of the best short stories published by U.S. writers in the past year. Standouts in the 2023 collection include "His Finest Moment" by Tom Bissell, "Camp Emeline" by Taryn Bowe, "The Mine" by Nathan Harris, and "Grand Mal" by Joanna Pearson.
bentohbox's review against another edition
5.0
the way these tore me apart so beautifully.. no notes, no comments. it was an immaculate collection
karencarlson's review
5.0
I found this to be a very good year. Many of the stories had interesting approaches and techniques; sometimes they took a second read to appreciate them, but getting there was worth the effort.
One thing that struck me as I finished up this year was the stories seemed more grim, the realities within them more serious, the stakes much higher than in the past. While there were still several relationship stories (domestic realism), many stories dealt with loss and grief, personal and political violence, and the stress of immigration. I found these the most engrossing, and often written in the most interesting ways.
FMI see my blog posts for all stories at A Just Recompense.
One thing that struck me as I finished up this year was the stories seemed more grim, the realities within them more serious, the stakes much higher than in the past. While there were still several relationship stories (domestic realism), many stories dealt with loss and grief, personal and political violence, and the stress of immigration. I found these the most engrossing, and often written in the most interesting ways.
FMI see my blog posts for all stories at A Just Recompense.
cosmiccloudbird's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
mondovertigo's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual assault
lily_eames's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I liked several of these stories, but after Carmen Maria Machado’s they fell a little flat.