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filosophie's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
there were only two stories i really liked which were by Anna Reeser and Kevin Wilson. I also liked the last story by Tiphanie Yanique. Other than that none of them really held my attention
mckenzieminter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
literateworld's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
an_enthusiastic_reader's review against another edition
4.0
This was a mixed bag of stories in terms of my reading taste, and there were some clear standouts in the collection. My favorites ended up being:
Michael Byers: Sibling Rivalry
Carolyn Ferrell: Something Street
Mary Gaitskill: This is Pleasure
Elizabeth McCracken: It's Not You
Leigh Newman: Howl Palace
Several of the other stories were good but I will not remember them.
Michael Byers: Sibling Rivalry
Carolyn Ferrell: Something Street
Mary Gaitskill: This is Pleasure
Elizabeth McCracken: It's Not You
Leigh Newman: Howl Palace
Several of the other stories were good but I will not remember them.
cmvcaulfield's review against another edition
5.0
The holiday season is coming up and with all those shipping delays, I highly recommend you hop to it and buy "The Best American Short Stories, 2020" for all the book lovers in your life. You might be thinking, “Claire, why wouldn’t I buy my loved one The Best American Short Stories 2021 ?” To which I’d point out that it’s been a rough year for local bookstores and they might have a few extra copies of this anthology hanging around (maybe even on sale!) also I haven’t read "The Best American Short Stories 2021" and it might suck! Who knows! And this one definitely doesn’t suck. The stories range from heart-breaking and haunting to hilarious and witty. Most are cerebral (this is literary fiction after all) but the standouts convey a strong point-of-view that challenged my beliefs and transported me into the head of complex characters. 10/10
I don’t have the time to write a full review for every story (even though this is something I’d like to do in the future because I really do love short stories), so here’s a quick and dirty rating breakdown:
“Godmother Tea” by Selena Anderson 5/10
“The Apartment” by T. C. Boyle 2/10
“A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed” by Jason Brown 2/10
“Sibling Rivalry” by Michael Byers 10/10
“The Nanny” by Emma Cline 5/10
“Halloween” by Marian Crotty 8/10
“Something Street” by Carolyn Ferrell 10/10
“This is Pleasure” by Mary Gaitskill 9/10
“In the Event” by Meng Jin 9/10
“The Children” by Andrea Lee 9/10
“Rubberdust” by Sarah Thankam Mathews 9/10
“It’s Not You” by Elizabeth McCracken 6/10
“Liberté” by Scott Nadelson 9/10
“Howl Palace” by Leigh Newman 9/10
“The Nine-Tailed Fox Explains” by Jane Pek 10/10
“The Hands of Dirty Children” by Alejandro Puyana 10/10
“Octopus VII” by Anna Reeser 7/10
“Enlightenment” by William Pei Shih 9/10
“Kennedy” by Kevin Wilson 9/10
“The Special World” by Tiphanie Yanique 9/10
(Yes, I did the math and technically I should have only given this collection an 8/10 but I do believe in the old adage, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and the introduction from editors Heidi Pitlor and Curtis Sittenfeld is also a fascinating read.)
I don’t have the time to write a full review for every story (even though this is something I’d like to do in the future because I really do love short stories), so here’s a quick and dirty rating breakdown:
“Godmother Tea” by Selena Anderson 5/10
“The Apartment” by T. C. Boyle 2/10
“A Faithful but Melancholy Account of Several Barbarities Lately Committed” by Jason Brown 2/10
“Sibling Rivalry” by Michael Byers 10/10
“The Nanny” by Emma Cline 5/10
“Halloween” by Marian Crotty 8/10
“Something Street” by Carolyn Ferrell 10/10
“This is Pleasure” by Mary Gaitskill 9/10
“In the Event” by Meng Jin 9/10
“The Children” by Andrea Lee 9/10
“Rubberdust” by Sarah Thankam Mathews 9/10
“It’s Not You” by Elizabeth McCracken 6/10
“Liberté” by Scott Nadelson 9/10
“Howl Palace” by Leigh Newman 9/10
“The Nine-Tailed Fox Explains” by Jane Pek 10/10
“The Hands of Dirty Children” by Alejandro Puyana 10/10
“Octopus VII” by Anna Reeser 7/10
“Enlightenment” by William Pei Shih 9/10
“Kennedy” by Kevin Wilson 9/10
“The Special World” by Tiphanie Yanique 9/10
(Yes, I did the math and technically I should have only given this collection an 8/10 but I do believe in the old adage, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and the introduction from editors Heidi Pitlor and Curtis Sittenfeld is also a fascinating read.)
mjeitler's review against another edition
5.0
yay! such a fun fun read! So much variety and I really clicked with Curtis Sittenfeld’s selections.
Favorites: “Sibling Rivalry,” “Halloween,” “Something Street,” “This Is Pleasure,” “Liberté,” and “Kennedy”
Favorites: “Sibling Rivalry,” “Halloween,” “Something Street,” “This Is Pleasure,” “Liberté,” and “Kennedy”
jung's review against another edition
3.0
Honesty an uninspiring collection of stories. At this point I've probably read hundreds of short stories in the past year, and these, while all good, were a little bit bland. I suppose that's what you get when you want to market to someone buying "The Best American Short Stories of 2020," but there's just so much talent out in the field that I'm a bit irked that Sittenfeld picked these out of the bunch.
Not to say that there aren't good though. Just a fairly uniform set for a format that is probably the most experimental and diverse.
Rubberdust stands out to me as the best.
Not to say that there aren't good though. Just a fairly uniform set for a format that is probably the most experimental and diverse.
Rubberdust stands out to me as the best.
marbelousreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.75
Some of these stories blew me away and some were just okay. Either way I’m glad I finally finished this collection.
ellenrhudy's review against another edition
3.0
These are always kind of mixed for me. I especially liked the stories by Michael Byers, Marian Crotty, Carolyn Ferrell, Jane Pek, Alejandro Puyana, Kevin Wilson, and Tiphanie Yanique.