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bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
a great exploration of the writing and reading process. the selection of short stories were a joy to read and to analyze with the direction from the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Animal death
Minor: Alcohol and Body horror
atamano's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
rorikae's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
In 'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain' George Saunders explores the craft of writing through seven short stories by four famous Russian authors. Using each story, Saunders explores the craft of writing and different elements that make stories effective. The stories differ in subject matter and length, though all but one is realist fiction.
This book succeeds in Saunders' insightful exploration of each story. The stories themselves weren't quite to my taste (I vastly prefer speculative fiction to realism), but the ways in which Saunders explores the authors' intent and unpacks the techniques with which they accomplished their goals brought me newfound appreciation for the works. Saunders reflects on the aspects of fiction that help us to tell better stories, such as escalation and use of patterns. He doesn't create specific, steadfast rules but instead guides the reader toward an understanding of effective fiction that can benefit any genre or length. I think that is what makes this book so impressive. If you are someone who has an interest in writing or reading, I think there will be at least one new takeaway based on Saunders work. I found myself highlighting numerous parts and I'm excited to come back to them in the future. In this work, Saunders proves why he is so well known for short stories and how exploring those stories that move us can help us become better readers and writers.
This book succeeds in Saunders' insightful exploration of each story. The stories themselves weren't quite to my taste (I vastly prefer speculative fiction to realism), but the ways in which Saunders explores the authors' intent and unpacks the techniques with which they accomplished their goals brought me newfound appreciation for the works. Saunders reflects on the aspects of fiction that help us to tell better stories, such as escalation and use of patterns. He doesn't create specific, steadfast rules but instead guides the reader toward an understanding of effective fiction that can benefit any genre or length. I think that is what makes this book so impressive. If you are someone who has an interest in writing or reading, I think there will be at least one new takeaway based on Saunders work. I found myself highlighting numerous parts and I'm excited to come back to them in the future. In this work, Saunders proves why he is so well known for short stories and how exploring those stories that move us can help us become better readers and writers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
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