bribreads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kayode's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
entwederoda's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zahramclin's review
2.0
most of these stories ruined my day. so much antisemitic and pedophilic content. even harvey weinstein fanfiction!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Cancer, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Antisemitism, Ableism, Terminal illness, and Drug use
reading_rainbow_with_chris's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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? N/A
3.5
“The Best Short Stories 2021: The O. Henry Prize Winners” edited by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The O. Henry Prize short story anthologies are one of my two reliable annual collections that I go to for some amazing short stories. That is why this particular collection was slightly disappointing. To be clear, there are some excellent works in here and I think Adiche did a remarkable job of capturing a range of diverse voices. But something about the stories collected here didn’t entice me. I was missing the kind of verve in them that motivates me to keep reading. Although I could objectively point out each story being good, I had trouble keeping interest, hence the very long journey to completion. I think ultimately this is not a reflection on the quality of the collection and more a statement that this particular collection didn’t speak to me as much. Standout stories for me included “Endangered Species: Case #74701,” “Becoming the Baby Girl,” “Freedom from Want,” “Fisherman’s Stew,” and “Delandria.”
The O. Henry Prize short story anthologies are one of my two reliable annual collections that I go to for some amazing short stories. That is why this particular collection was slightly disappointing. To be clear, there are some excellent works in here and I think Adiche did a remarkable job of capturing a range of diverse voices. But something about the stories collected here didn’t entice me. I was missing the kind of verve in them that motivates me to keep reading. Although I could objectively point out each story being good, I had trouble keeping interest, hence the very long journey to completion. I think ultimately this is not a reflection on the quality of the collection and more a statement that this particular collection didn’t speak to me as much. Standout stories for me included “Endangered Species: Case #74701,” “Becoming the Baby Girl,” “Freedom from Want,” “Fisherman’s Stew,” and “Delandria.”
briqhtkit's review
4.0
some of them were Not my cup of tea but the vast majority definitely were. my favorites were ”from all around they saw us burn” and “color and light” and “brown girls”
sabinaleybold's review
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? It's complicated
4.0