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rocketiza's review against another edition
5.0
This is far and away my favorite George Saunders collection. His themes are closer the surface in these stories than in his other work, speaking to love, individuality and our consumer culture in a thoughtful way that stays with you long after reading.
davygibbs's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the funniest book I read in 2006. Saunders hasn't lost his magical touch, and in fact, his touch seems more magical than ever. Themes of a dehumanized pre- or post-apocalyptic future continue to dominate, but are perhaps more directly addressed this time around. "Jon" immediately became one of my all-time favorite short stories.
blankpagealex's review against another edition
4.0
Only with Saunders do I find myself immediately restarting a story upon conclusion to relive the absurdity and poignancy. This collection features some of his funniest and most original writings. Particular favorites of mine were “The Red Bow,” “93990,” and the titular piece “In Persuasion Nation.”
All of his pieces in this collection remain pretty abstract and he doesn’t get intimate with any of his characters like he does in my favorites of his, but it’s a worthy collection nonetheless.
All of his pieces in this collection remain pretty abstract and he doesn’t get intimate with any of his characters like he does in my favorites of his, but it’s a worthy collection nonetheless.
jeffgrann's review against another edition
5.0
Loved many of these stories. The I CAN SPEAK story is hilarious and insightful, captures the craziness of parenthood and their markets. Not far from the Mozart baby tapes. The Red Ribbon one was also fantastic in capturing the brother-in-laws empowerment and identity formation as a protector based on others' loss. Some lasting concepts here that reflect powerful psychological reactions that can lead to harmful results. See Iraq war.
Feeling a little meta writing such an endorsing review of a book that lampoons our commercial ills so well.
Feeling a little meta writing such an endorsing review of a book that lampoons our commercial ills so well.
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
This gets four stars though it wasn't as good as "Pastoralia." Still it was well pitched and extremely funny. Saunders' dialogue is perfect. My favorite stories were "Bohemians," "Brad Carrigan," "CommComm," and "My Flamboyant Grandson." Ok, "The Red Bow" and "My Amendment" were also very entertaining. I think he would have done well to throw "93990" on the scrap heap - it was heavy handed and out of place. But other than that, if not touching and/or hilarious, I found all the stories worthwhile.
erinturkeylane's review against another edition
4.0
Really really good. Probably not my favorite collection of short stories by George Saunders but contains some stories that are all-time favorites (“jon” and “bohemians”)
ejc112's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Saunders kicks ass yet again!
iantaylor's review against another edition
4.0
Razor sharp, satirical, baffling and bizarre (as always)… all of which is executed perfectly.
kumipaul's review against another edition
2.0
I usually like Saunders satire and humor and off-beat characters. This time, I enjoyed maybe half of it, at most. Got some good laughs at the parts I did enjoy though.