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chamberk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
rachelhelps's review against another edition
3.0
The stories are arranged in the order O'Connor wrote them, so they start out with some pacing problems but the quality evens out toward the end. At first I didn't think I'd be interested in southern gothic short stories, but they were more complex and caused more personal introspection than I thought they would. My favorite stories were "Everything That Rises Must Converge," "The Enduring Chill," and "The Lame Shall Enter First."
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
4.0
"She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick."
Oh, Flannery! Your brilliant, eccentric mind throws itself forth in your short stories, and I loved every minute of it. I picked this up at Flannery's childhood home in Savannah, and it turned out to be the Southern gothic gore I've been missing my whole life. The uncomfortable genius and sheer disquietude of these stories was certainly unique in my reading life thus far, and it was made all the more vivid by the image of Flannery O'Connor, good Southern Catholic girl, tucked away at her typewriter, as the brilliant mind behind them.
My only complaint was I found a lot of the content quite repetitive - childish mothers and rebellious sons, aging old men and their seemingly dutiful daughters, farm life threatened by outsiders, and so on. Thankfully, Flannery was always there with an unexpected, unsettling ending for every story; though I always knew there would be some kind of twist, I was not once able to predict what it could be.
I have so much respect for Flannery as a woman and writer; what she did was totally unprecedented, not only for literature in general, but especially in the context of her position in society. Now that I've tackled the short stories, I can't wait to move on to some of her longer fiction.
Since this is a compilation of stories, this is a collective review. Each story is individually rated. Overall rating is based on the average of the individual ratings.
The Geranium—★★★★
The Barber—★★★
Wildcat—★★★
The Crop—★★★★★
The Turkey—★★★
The Train—★★★
The Peeler—★★★
The Heart of the Park—★★
A Stroke of Good Fortune—★★★★
Enoch and the Gorilla—★★
A Good Man is Hard to Find—★★★★
A Late Encounter with the Enemy—★★★★
The Life You Save May Be Your Own—★★★
The River—★★★★★
A Circle in the Fire—★★★★
The Displaced Person—★★★★★
A Temple of the Holy Ghost—★★★★
The Artificial Nigger—★★★★
Good Country People—★★★
You Can't Be Any Poorer Than Dead—★★★
Greenleaf—★★★★
A View of the Woods—★★★★
The Enduring Chill—★★★★
The Comforts of Home—★★★
Everything That Rises Must Converge—★★★
The Partridge Festival—★★★★★
The Lame Shall Enter First—★★★★
Why Do the Heathen Rage?—★★★
Revelation—★★★★
Parker's Back—★★★★
Judgement Day—★★★
Average rating comes out at 3.6, which rounds up to four stars.
shelley_c's review against another edition
4.0
Powerful and personally challenging stories. Definitely helped to have someone to walk me through a handful of them to get a sense of how she writes.
amaliaiaia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
During COVID, I revisited some od books and this was one of them. A few stories such as "a good man is hard to find", or " a stroke of good fortune" live up to their status while others felt like a product of their time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Murder, Racial slurs, Ableism, Violence, and Sexual violence
hyperion2017's review against another edition
4.0
Favorites: The Turkey, The Enduring Chill, A Late Encounter With the Enemy, The Turkey, A View of the Woods, The Partridge Festival, Judgment Day, The Lame Shall Enter First, Why Do the Heathen Rage?, A Good Man is Hard to Find, The Comforts of Home.
Least Favorite: The Crop
The best collection of short stories.
Least Favorite: The Crop
The best collection of short stories.
dycook's review against another edition
5.0
Only took two years to finish! I can generally stomach a great deal of violence and gothicism, but I must say that some of these stories really got under my skin, making me put down this down for months and months on end. Still, there's immensely satisfying about reading O'Connor's disgusting, vile characters and watching them be torn to shreds by her pen.
moseslh's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the stories but it was a little hard to get through so many of them. O'Connor seems to have a very cynical view of life, and this is reflected in every one of the stories in this book. There are certain motifs that crop up in many of her stories: the kind but old-fashioned mother with an ungrateful but more tolerant/intellectual son, the well-intentioned man who thinks very highly of himself until doing something cowardly or unkind.
I would recommend reading these, but probably just one at a time; reading all of them consecutively is just too much.
I would recommend reading these, but probably just one at a time; reading all of them consecutively is just too much.
mundinova's review against another edition
4.0
A blow to the soul. You'll question so much after reading O'Connor's short stories
Whether they're short or long, all the stories are good. Nothing feels like it was written as filler or as an experiment that didn't quite work. O'Connor has an immense talent for making the mundane extraordinary.
The most impactful story was "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I knew this was O'Connor's most famous story, but I didn't know why. Now I know why. Holy moly. What a gut punch to the soul! A comparison of moral codes where southern gentry loses to conviction of "no pleasure but meanness."
Highly recommend this book! I think the best approach is to read stories here and there, not all in one sitting. Read it over a year or two. Maybe on the toilet?
Stories: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/the-complete-stories-by-flannery-oconnor-4-stars/
Whether they're short or long, all the stories are good. Nothing feels like it was written as filler or as an experiment that didn't quite work. O'Connor has an immense talent for making the mundane extraordinary.
The most impactful story was "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I knew this was O'Connor's most famous story, but I didn't know why. Now I know why. Holy moly. What a gut punch to the soul! A comparison of moral codes where southern gentry loses to conviction of "no pleasure but meanness."
Highly recommend this book! I think the best approach is to read stories here and there, not all in one sitting. Read it over a year or two. Maybe on the toilet?
Stories: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/the-complete-stories-by-flannery-oconnor-4-stars/