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toffishay's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This is an interesting anthology with groups of stories organized according to the point of view from which they are written. There are stories written in letter narration, memoir, single character perspective, and anonymous point of view, among others. The introduction to each section was really helpful in tying the stories together and helping you organize your thoughts as a reader. The downside is that since the stories aren't organized by content, you end up with some stories that just aren't going to be interesting to you. But if you know that going in, then you can focus on what the stories can teach you as a reader or potential writer. I found stories that I may not have read otherwise that I really enjoyed and even points of view that I might be most interested in reading more of going forward. Some of my favorite stories are "But the One on the Right" by Dorothy Parker, "Too Early Spring" by Stephen Vincent Benet, "My Sister's Marriage" by Cynthia Rich, "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Enemies" by Anton Chekov, "Act of Faith" by Irwin Shaw, and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Murder
nickelini's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
theresidentbookworm's review
3.0
This book was the bane of my freshman year of high school. I remember we had to purchase just for about four stories we probably could have found online (thank you, Mr. Morgan), and I'm not ashamed to say I ripped pages out of my copy to try and avoid a quiz. It didn't work, and I'm not proud of it. I've read short story collections since, but I don't think I'd ever try to read this all the way through. There are just too many familiar stories, and also I don't want to. I'll let you guess what my recommendation is.
12roxy's review
4.0
Excellent review of narrative styles in fiction with many thought-provoking, sometimes uncomfortably so, short stories. Very interesting afterword linking narrative styles with individual and historical development. A good review for me as a non-literary reader
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