Reviews

Civil War Land in Bad Decline by George Saunders

klsbenzel's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny lighthearted 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

4.5

rogerjpatterson's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced

3.75

rtfansler's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional

3.75

ajchurch's review against another edition

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3.0

Shout out to my random English class being solely about this man! He's stuff has bite and I appreciate that in a short story. I preferred the short stories to the novella in the collection but something about collectively reading with other people and having deep conversations about this writing within an academic setting has made it a better experience which I don't always have with books for class.

lukegillespie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

leftybill's review against another edition

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funny

4.0

lauralhart's review against another edition

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4.0

“Why is the world so harsh to those who are losing?”

Finally got around to reading the first collection from one of my favorite contemporary authors. Saunders’s wit and edge are on full display in this collection, and I enjoyed it immensely, although I felt that “Bounty” dragged a bit.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book. But do yourself another favor and skip the introduction.

geoffdgeorge's review against another edition

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Of particular worth is the story "The 400-pound CEO."

tintinintibet's review against another edition

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2.0

Moments of 3- or 4- stars, including the authors note at the end, but otherwise more “inscrutable ugly collage” than “goofy satiric dystopia”

abbeyhar103's review against another edition

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4.0

Liked this quite a bit, but liked "the 21st of december a bit more" because I felt the short stories were a bit more varied in theme/style. I wonder if I would have felt the opposite had I read this first. WE'LL NEVER KNOW.