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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had to read this slowly because each story was like a gut punch. But in a good way.
3 or 4 of these stories were really excellent. Generally the more odd and dystopian the more I liked it.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
“Mother’s Day” is the winner here, both from a storytelling standpoint and a narrator standpoint (Melora Hardin is excellent).
First off, my thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title. I have been a fan of Saunders since his very first book, so I was, of course, very excited to read this, his latest offering. I was not disappointed.
Current "King of the Short Story", this is Saunders' first story collection since "Tenth of December" (2013) or his last fiction since "Lincoln in the Bardo" (2017). It is also his first title since the in-depth study of classic Russian short stories, "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" (2021), and it is interesting to think back on some of his commentary there on the short story, and compare it to what he does here.
The biggest difference between the two is his 3 stories here where humans who have had rather iffy lives have now been reprogrammed and made use of in a variety of other ways. The title story incorporates this, and is the most successful of the 3 stories of this type - it takes up about a quarter of the @ 250 pp book. I could have done with one less - the story about the entertainers with no audience underground below Pueblo, CO. At times he seemed to be filling in background to the situation, rather than writing a story.
He is much more dystopian here than earlier, and much more political. There is no question which side he is on in our country's current political situation. Also, these stories border on SciFi or Fantasy, something that maybe should not surprise the reader, given some of his earlier stories.
But the other stories here once again are set around characters who are rather on the edge of society. People with dreams, but dreams which have never been realized. And, once again, their voice is so important in telling their story, or that of their "protagonist".
The only disppointment here is that after nearly 10 years we only have a couple handfuls of stories to read and enjoy - and 2 or 3 of them are so brief, just a few pages long each.
It is Saunders - read it!
Current "King of the Short Story", this is Saunders' first story collection since "Tenth of December" (2013) or his last fiction since "Lincoln in the Bardo" (2017). It is also his first title since the in-depth study of classic Russian short stories, "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" (2021), and it is interesting to think back on some of his commentary there on the short story, and compare it to what he does here.
The biggest difference between the two is his 3 stories here where humans who have had rather iffy lives have now been reprogrammed and made use of in a variety of other ways. The title story incorporates this, and is the most successful of the 3 stories of this type - it takes up about a quarter of the @ 250 pp book. I could have done with one less - the story about the entertainers with no audience underground below Pueblo, CO. At times he seemed to be filling in background to the situation, rather than writing a story.
He is much more dystopian here than earlier, and much more political. There is no question which side he is on in our country's current political situation. Also, these stories border on SciFi or Fantasy, something that maybe should not surprise the reader, given some of his earlier stories.
But the other stories here once again are set around characters who are rather on the edge of society. People with dreams, but dreams which have never been realized. And, once again, their voice is so important in telling their story, or that of their "protagonist".
The only disppointment here is that after nearly 10 years we only have a couple handfuls of stories to read and enjoy - and 2 or 3 of them are so brief, just a few pages long each.
It is Saunders - read it!
Prose like no other I can recall. A looser, more thought-like read. Imagination like no other I can recall. The major stories here describe new, twisted ways the privileged take advantage of lesser people. Love Letter and Mothers Day were standouts for me.
5 stars for Liberation Day, Ghoul, Elliot Spencer short stories. Probably my favorite given their sci-fi/fantasy twists. All of them were good though!
I just adore George Saunders. These stories did not disappoint.