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limdz's review against another edition
3.0
As usual a solid collection, with a few really awesome standouts: Protection, A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness, and Too Good to Be True. However, I felt there were a few “duds” in this batch of O Henry winners (if stories that achieve this level of acclaim could ever be called “duds,” I know.) But In what i often feel is a near-perfect collection, this year’s featured a handful of stories that felt a little gimmicky or inauthentic. It was too easy to see through the scenery to the back stage in a lot of these. Anyway...this is still a great collection to reas especially for writers.
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
As with most of these annual anthologies, I liked some stories more than others. My absolute favorite was the first story in the collection, “Too Good to Be True.” I also enjoyed “The Trusted Traveler” and the last story, “Buttony.”
lizshine74's review
4.0
I picked up this book because I am spending my summer working on a collection of short stories. I read somewhere that a good way to start targeting markets for short stories is to pick up this anthology and the Pushcart anthology and copy all the publications in the contributor list.
I did that, but I also wanted to read all the stories here and in the Pushcart book to see what seems to be admired in short fiction now, to enjoy some short reads, and to just see what kind of range I might find.
For sure some stories I liked best, but there wasn't a single story that I didn't appreciate. Some stories were really well written stories but left me with a sense that they were really well written stories. When reading them I never lost sense of the writer's hand at work trying to make meaning. I enjoyed most the stories, the moments within stories, where I lost track of the writer all together and just felt something for the characters and their situations. I do love clever stories, but to really get me a story has to be more than clever. This is a terrifying discovery for me at the moment because it is shining some light on some of my own weak points.
Top three stories IMO: To Good To Be True, Blue Dot, Paddle to Canada.
I enjoyed reading the section at the back from the both the readers who picked their favorites form the collection and the writers commenting on their work.
I did that, but I also wanted to read all the stories here and in the Pushcart book to see what seems to be admired in short fiction now, to enjoy some short reads, and to just see what kind of range I might find.
For sure some stories I liked best, but there wasn't a single story that I didn't appreciate. Some stories were really well written stories but left me with a sense that they were really well written stories. When reading them I never lost sense of the writer's hand at work trying to make meaning. I enjoyed most the stories, the moments within stories, where I lost track of the writer all together and just felt something for the characters and their situations. I do love clever stories, but to really get me a story has to be more than clever. This is a terrifying discovery for me at the moment because it is shining some light on some of my own weak points.
Top three stories IMO: To Good To Be True, Blue Dot, Paddle to Canada.
I enjoyed reading the section at the back from the both the readers who picked their favorites form the collection and the writers commenting on their work.
enantiodromia's review against another edition
2.0
This collection was a good lesson, in that, should I ever try to publish, not to take rejections personally because not all editors/agents have good taste in writing.
Additionally, the Publisher's Note speaks to the surprise endings in O. Henry's writings. Not a single story in this collection did this any justice.
Additionally, the Publisher's Note speaks to the surprise endings in O. Henry's writings. Not a single story in this collection did this any justice.
sharonbakar's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 rounded up.
Very much enjoyed this collection of stories. The format is similar to The Best American Short Stories series - 20 stories gleaned from literary publications in 2017, and fascinating notes at the back about this the stories were written.
Particular favourites: Kevin Barry's A Cruelty (an autistic boy has his routine of taking a train journey to a neighbouring town broken by a bully); Tahmima Anam's story Garments, about women factory workers attempting to take control of their lives; The Buddhist by Alan Rossi which highlights the impossibility of moving beyond attachment and the need for connection; and my very favourite Blue Dots by Keith Kisner with drugged-up housemates discussing visions with a Pentecostal preacher who knocks on the door - the story culminates in such a gorgeous transcendental image.
Very much enjoyed this collection of stories. The format is similar to The Best American Short Stories series - 20 stories gleaned from literary publications in 2017, and fascinating notes at the back about this the stories were written.
Particular favourites: Kevin Barry's A Cruelty (an autistic boy has his routine of taking a train journey to a neighbouring town broken by a bully); Tahmima Anam's story Garments, about women factory workers attempting to take control of their lives; The Buddhist by Alan Rossi which highlights the impossibility of moving beyond attachment and the need for connection; and my very favourite Blue Dots by Keith Kisner with drugged-up housemates discussing visions with a Pentecostal preacher who knocks on the door - the story culminates in such a gorgeous transcendental image.
tonstantweader's review
5.0
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 is a stunning collection of twenty short stories published in the past year in literary magazines in the U.S. and Canada. I noticed that Elizabeth McCracken, one of my favorite writers, was among the jurists, along with David Bradley, and Brad Watson, so I had high hopes and they were met. O. Henry is perhaps the most well-known short story writer of the United States. His The Gift of the Magi has defined the generosity of love for generations. The O. Henry Prize has fostered short stories ever since.
This year’s twenty stories take place all over the world. Some stories are quite long and others are short, though anything but sweet. Buttony is a very short story and seems sweet at the beginning, but only if you’re not paying attention. Nonetheless, the abrupt shift toward the end recalls the O. Henry tradition of a twist. I loved Floating Garden, particularly how the author carefully never named the country, giving the story a universality. Paddle to Canada is gloriously human, how stories have this subtext that changes as circumstances change. The Family Whistle broke my heart and I regretted that she did the right thing. I could go on, so many of these stories were just so wonderful
I enjoyed this collection of short stories in The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017. I think the diversity of voices and experiences is unmatched. There are stories of old age and youth, of wealth and poverty, of the now and the long ago, of privilege and the downside of power, from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America. The stories are alive with possibility and passion. The O. Henry Prize is all about promoting the art of the short story and these are short stories from the best of the best.
“Too Good To Be True,” Michelle Huneven
“Something for a Young Woman,” Genevieve Plunkett
“The Buddhist,” Alan Rossi
“Garments,” Tahmima Anam
“Protection,” Paola Peroni
“Night Garden,” Shruti Swamy
“A Cruelty,” Kevin Barry
“Floating Garden,” Mary La Chapelle
“The Trusted Traveler,” Joseph O’Neill
“Blue Dot,” Keith Eisner
“Lion,” Wil Weitzel
“Paddle to Canada,” Heather Monley
“A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness,” Jai Chakrabarti
“The Bride and the Street Party,” Kate Cayley
“Secret Lives of the Detainees,” Amit Majmudar
“Glory,” Lesley Nneka Arimah
“Mercedes Benz,” Martha Cooley
“The Reason Is Because,” Manuel Muñoz
“The Family Whistle,” Gerard Woodward
“Buttony,” Fiona McFarlane
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 will be released September 5th. I received an e-galley for review from the publisher via Edelweiss
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 at Knopf Doubleday, via Penguin Random House
Laura Furman author site
The official site of The O. Henry Prize Stories
O. Henry at American Literature
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/9780525432500/
This year’s twenty stories take place all over the world. Some stories are quite long and others are short, though anything but sweet. Buttony is a very short story and seems sweet at the beginning, but only if you’re not paying attention. Nonetheless, the abrupt shift toward the end recalls the O. Henry tradition of a twist. I loved Floating Garden, particularly how the author carefully never named the country, giving the story a universality. Paddle to Canada is gloriously human, how stories have this subtext that changes as circumstances change. The Family Whistle broke my heart and I regretted that she did the right thing. I could go on, so many of these stories were just so wonderful
I enjoyed this collection of short stories in The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017. I think the diversity of voices and experiences is unmatched. There are stories of old age and youth, of wealth and poverty, of the now and the long ago, of privilege and the downside of power, from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America. The stories are alive with possibility and passion. The O. Henry Prize is all about promoting the art of the short story and these are short stories from the best of the best.
“Too Good To Be True,” Michelle Huneven
“Something for a Young Woman,” Genevieve Plunkett
“The Buddhist,” Alan Rossi
“Garments,” Tahmima Anam
“Protection,” Paola Peroni
“Night Garden,” Shruti Swamy
“A Cruelty,” Kevin Barry
“Floating Garden,” Mary La Chapelle
“The Trusted Traveler,” Joseph O’Neill
“Blue Dot,” Keith Eisner
“Lion,” Wil Weitzel
“Paddle to Canada,” Heather Monley
“A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness,” Jai Chakrabarti
“The Bride and the Street Party,” Kate Cayley
“Secret Lives of the Detainees,” Amit Majmudar
“Glory,” Lesley Nneka Arimah
“Mercedes Benz,” Martha Cooley
“The Reason Is Because,” Manuel Muñoz
“The Family Whistle,” Gerard Woodward
“Buttony,” Fiona McFarlane
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 will be released September 5th. I received an e-galley for review from the publisher via Edelweiss
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 at Knopf Doubleday, via Penguin Random House
Laura Furman author site
The official site of The O. Henry Prize Stories
O. Henry at American Literature
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/9780525432500/
kawai's review
2.0
Abandoned this one after I read several stories that fit squarely within Marlon Jame's critique of the modern publishing scene: sad white people pondering their sadness.
The stories honored here were certainly well-written--it's not a critique of the included writers' skill or craftsmanship--but rather a matter of personal taste. It's also worth mentioning I didn't read every story in the anthology, so certainly there are stories in the latter half that could have completely refuted my review.
The stories honored here were certainly well-written--it's not a critique of the included writers' skill or craftsmanship--but rather a matter of personal taste. It's also worth mentioning I didn't read every story in the anthology, so certainly there are stories in the latter half that could have completely refuted my review.
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