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joyce_porter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Mental illness, Trafficking, Torture, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Bullying, Violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
eve_gorman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
i love a good cold-hearted critique of capitalism, however i do not love boring stories with boring writing so i unfortunately did not like a good chunk of this book.
i know many people really like george saunders’ writing, but it just did not mesh with me, and the humor fell flat. his writing and storytelling grew on me throughout the short stories, but that progress was mostly ruined by how much i disliked bounty (the novella at the end of the book). overall, there is definitely a lot of merit to these stories, but i have more bad to say than good. mostly about bounty. fuck that story.
finally, i just want to say this. i have no problem with a white man letting his cynical and dark what-if thoughts run wild, until it comes to the horrors faced by historically oppressed groups. then, he better tread lightly and have a damn good point to make. i found most of the racism, misogyny, and sexual violence against women largely pointless, and therefore off-putting and difficult to read. there are exceptions, but not many.
i know many people really like george saunders’ writing, but it just did not mesh with me, and the humor fell flat. his writing and storytelling grew on me throughout the short stories, but that progress was mostly ruined by how much i disliked bounty (the novella at the end of the book). overall, there is definitely a lot of merit to these stories, but i have more bad to say than good. mostly about bounty. fuck that story.
finally, i just want to say this. i have no problem with a white man letting his cynical and dark what-if thoughts run wild, until it comes to the horrors faced by historically oppressed groups. then, he better tread lightly and have a damn good point to make. i found most of the racism, misogyny, and sexual violence against women largely pointless, and therefore off-putting and difficult to read. there are exceptions, but not many.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
elly29's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow. These short stories and novella are so dark and gritty, and they are sketched-out like Franz Kline paintings. To put it mildly, Saunders' writing is economical, and he shows you the darkness that accompanies the human experience and within the human heart; all of his stories, though, are crowned with a brief glimpse through that darkness to the other half of human experience, which is love. Those grains of kindness are redemptive. At times the writing made me ill -- there's abuse, and cruelty, and slavery, and death -- and then other times I was ugly-crying at the smallest kindnesses and the beauty therein.
Though it was initially published in 1996, I think a lot of the themes are relevant to today: prejudice, racial profiling, ableism, poverty, distraught economical systems, and environmental havoc, to name a fewz
"CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" and "Isabella" were my favorites. "Bounty," the novella, was perhaps a little longer than necessary but still had that satisfying (albeit one-lined) redemption.
Even the author's note at the end was worthwhile; obvs written by a white man in privilege, living the standard dream of having a family while having his soul sucked away at work. (I can respect him for stealing away time and resources to write this book.)
I don't recommend this if reading difficult books could trigger a depressive episode, or if the state of the news makes you excessively sad.
Though it was initially published in 1996, I think a lot of the themes are relevant to today: prejudice, racial profiling, ableism, poverty, distraught economical systems, and environmental havoc, to name a fewz
"CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" and "Isabella" were my favorites. "Bounty," the novella, was perhaps a little longer than necessary but still had that satisfying (albeit one-lined) redemption.
Even the author's note at the end was worthwhile; obvs written by a white man in privilege, living the standard dream of having a family while having his soul sucked away at work. (I can respect him for stealing away time and resources to write this book.)
I don't recommend this if reading difficult books could trigger a depressive episode, or if the state of the news makes you excessively sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Racism, Murder, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Ableism
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