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jpf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Author’s note at the end hit me
samwreads's review against another edition
2.0
Two stars because "it was ok."
I picked up this collection after being introduced to Saunders by his "10th of December" collection, which I absolutely loved. I read that book a while ago, so take this with a grain of salt, but I felt that that particular collection significantly outclasses "Civilwarland...". This is reasonable seeing as there's a decade or two separating the writing of each book. It certainly seems to me like he matured a good deal as a writer and even more so in his care for his characters.
Here, Saunders is all acerbic scorn. What I loved in "10th of December" was the tenderness and heart shown the characters, and although there's some of that here, it takes a significant backseat to the parody and mockery that are directed at the Americans of a parallel-universe/near-future world. Saunders's imagination and wit are on full display, and the range of scenarios created is impressive. I will definitely read more by him in the future, but this particular collection is just comprised of too much unadorned anger for me to fully enjoy.
I picked up this collection after being introduced to Saunders by his "10th of December" collection, which I absolutely loved. I read that book a while ago, so take this with a grain of salt, but I felt that that particular collection significantly outclasses "Civilwarland...". This is reasonable seeing as there's a decade or two separating the writing of each book. It certainly seems to me like he matured a good deal as a writer and even more so in his care for his characters.
Here, Saunders is all acerbic scorn. What I loved in "10th of December" was the tenderness and heart shown the characters, and although there's some of that here, it takes a significant backseat to the parody and mockery that are directed at the Americans of a parallel-universe/near-future world. Saunders's imagination and wit are on full display, and the range of scenarios created is impressive. I will definitely read more by him in the future, but this particular collection is just comprised of too much unadorned anger for me to fully enjoy.
pages_n_puzzles's review against another edition
3.0
Great writing but just so disturbing that I couldn't love it
omkarkuber1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
williamson's review against another edition
4.0
Great dark satire on the mediocrity of middle management. Mostly funny but occasionally just sad.
th127's review against another edition
3.0
Hey Mr. Saunders, news flash: saying the n-word in the 21st century as a white man is not cool
ebussa47's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
These are fun. My favorite one was probably “Bounty,” the novella. My main critique is that these stories are all very good examples of one thing — underpaid corporate pundit gets screwed because he compromises his morals for greed. They’re all great to read, but I would have liked a bit more variety. I think Saunders tries to branch out a bit more in Pastoralia, however, which I didn’t feel like was as successful as this collection.
birdsnest's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Tenth of December is one of the best book of short stories I have read, so I was excited to go back and read George Saunders's first collection, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline. It isn't a strong or as varied as the later book, but it is interesting to see some of the themes repeat. He's got a wild imagination, which, in CivilWarLand centers much more on the theme park in a dystopian world idea. The title story is set in a historical park which has a full-time ornithologist to make sure the birds flying around are the same birds of two hundred years ago, but is so sloppy it has Chinese coolies building the Erie Canal. Then there is The Wavemaker Falters, a melancholic story involving accidental deaths, wayward nuns and several ghosts, including one who sometimes picks his nose. Bounty, the longest story in the book, and begins in a theme park set in a world which is divided between "normals" and "flaweds," who have no rights at all.
At the end of the book, Saunders explains his fascination with theme parks, telling us that when he put a theme park in a story, it removed the story into the realm of the comic, and ensured that his writing wouldn't sink under the weight of itself. I found Saunders' tale of how he became the writer he is one of the most powerful and interesting parts of this book.
A young girl gets extremely worked up on the honeymoon and the next thing she knows her new husband is scampering into the kitchen for a zucchini squash. Even through my crying he insisted, saying it would bring us closer together. Imagine the humiliation of being just eighteen and having to go to your family doctor with an infection difficult to explain. Finally he found it in a plant book.
But more than the theme parks, the common thread running through Saunders' stories here are the main characters. They're losers, both through their own misguided efforts and due to circumstances beyond their control. You can't help but feel for them, even as Saunders never allows the reader to forget their flaws. They are also men who love a woman, whether their sister, wife or repulsed co-worker, and much of each story revolves around those relationships; flawed, doomed or nonexistent though they may be.
If I could see her one last time I'd say: Thanks very much for dying at the worst possible moment and leaving me holding the bag of guilt. I'd say: If you had to die, couldn't you have done it when we were getting along?
While I would suggest that a reader who has never read anything by George Saunders begin with the superlative Tenth of December, if you are already familiar with his off-center view of the world, you will not want to miss reading his debut collection.
At the end of the book, Saunders explains his fascination with theme parks, telling us that when he put a theme park in a story, it removed the story into the realm of the comic, and ensured that his writing wouldn't sink under the weight of itself. I found Saunders' tale of how he became the writer he is one of the most powerful and interesting parts of this book.
A young girl gets extremely worked up on the honeymoon and the next thing she knows her new husband is scampering into the kitchen for a zucchini squash. Even through my crying he insisted, saying it would bring us closer together. Imagine the humiliation of being just eighteen and having to go to your family doctor with an infection difficult to explain. Finally he found it in a plant book.
But more than the theme parks, the common thread running through Saunders' stories here are the main characters. They're losers, both through their own misguided efforts and due to circumstances beyond their control. You can't help but feel for them, even as Saunders never allows the reader to forget their flaws. They are also men who love a woman, whether their sister, wife or repulsed co-worker, and much of each story revolves around those relationships; flawed, doomed or nonexistent though they may be.
If I could see her one last time I'd say: Thanks very much for dying at the worst possible moment and leaving me holding the bag of guilt. I'd say: If you had to die, couldn't you have done it when we were getting along?
While I would suggest that a reader who has never read anything by George Saunders begin with the superlative Tenth of December, if you are already familiar with his off-center view of the world, you will not want to miss reading his debut collection.
wdudley89's review against another edition
4.0
I knew that the title story in this collection is set in a twisted theme park but didn't realize that all of the stories have similar settings. Reading the stories in quick succession (because they are enjoyable to read and hard to put down despite their dark and often twisted subject matter -- reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor in that respect), I found myself wanting more variation (wondering what an author as talented as Saunders could do without the fantastically constructed environments in which these tales take place). The "author's note" (a delightful twenty page essay) at the end of the book helped me understand and appreciate the approach he took during the long period (7 years) when he wrote these 6 stories. I am left wanting to read more of Saunders' work.