Scan barcode
ryanklindsay's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Absolutely engrossing and brilliant.
joepal's review
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Because GS is one of my favorites I decided to give this one a shot and I'm so glad I did. It gave me a digestible intro to some Russian stories and authors that might have been difficult to grapple with otherwise. The mood isn't overly academic but things are definitely tailored toward aspiring writers, and this can sometimes be dry (I almost lost steam at the very beginning during the page-at-a-time technical reading). But mostly I was lost in his enthusiasm for the stories and it didn't feel like English class but just a friendly and funny discussion that was equally sympathetic to reader and writer. I also did learn a lot! -- about what makes us respond to a story, specific notes on form that would have gone over my head, and lots of fun context on Russian culture and translation. This book is less about critique and more about unpretentious celebration of these stories in all their ambiguity, and it reminded me why reading fiction is important and also that Chekhov is goated.
josenoir's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
eleanorrosecugal's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
jackroche's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
My main takeaway is probably an overpowering affection for George Saunders. Regardless of the stories themselves, his sections were always breezy and entertaining. I found many of his lessons to be endearingly similar to how I think about storytelling, not just the lessons themselves - as he points out, most writers give you the same set of principles just phrased differently - but also the way he presents and deconstructs them. It makes sense - we’re both STEM bros. The downside is that not much of his analysis felt new to me, but it was still refreshing - and every once in a while, especially after the Turgenev story, he hit on something really special.
As far as the stories themselves go… fine. All clearly excellent, none really up my alley save the last. I’ll probably check out some more Chekhov and Tolstoy, but I came away much more excited to read more Saunders.
As far as the stories themselves go… fine. All clearly excellent, none really up my alley save the last. I’ll probably check out some more Chekhov and Tolstoy, but I came away much more excited to read more Saunders.
rekams's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
The stories included in this volume were all great but they’re excluded from this rating given the context. The commentary on the other hand was dense, repetitive and self indulgent, and was much more of a close reading and commentary of the stories than the insight for writers that the blurb promised. Can’t really recommend the book at all, if you’re interested in the stories themselves that are included, then read them on their own, and if you’re interested in the insight for aspiring writers, I can summarize the 300 pages of waffle as “to write great short stories, read short stories you really like and figure out why they’re great”.
zlaza's review
4.0
4.5
'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain', written by George Saunders, contains seven short stories written by Russian authors Tolstoy, Chekhov, Turgenev and Gogol.
After each short story, Saunders offers his own breakdown and analysis using his own experience as a well-known author and professor.
He addresses the biggest lessons he took away from each short story, and discusses the craft of writing a short story.
It's a book about the art of storytelling:
How do you keep readers engaged in a story?
What about the story appeals to them? What makes the reading experience so satisfying?
I thoroughly enjoyed 'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain' and I'd recommended to all the readers and writers out there.
I also think it would be perfect for people who want to get into Russian literature but don't know where to begin.
'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain', written by George Saunders, contains seven short stories written by Russian authors Tolstoy, Chekhov, Turgenev and Gogol.
After each short story, Saunders offers his own breakdown and analysis using his own experience as a well-known author and professor.
He addresses the biggest lessons he took away from each short story, and discusses the craft of writing a short story.
It's a book about the art of storytelling:
How do you keep readers engaged in a story?
What about the story appeals to them? What makes the reading experience so satisfying?
I thoroughly enjoyed 'A Swim in a Pond in the Rain' and I'd recommended to all the readers and writers out there.
I also think it would be perfect for people who want to get into Russian literature but don't know where to begin.
skypirateb's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0