dark_sun_12 's review for:

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders

5.0

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I hated reading growing up as a kid. Bad experiences, bored, and wasted time reading words proves useless. Now I read a book on how to read and other things. I found Saunders book to be for the every person and uses old style Russian writer as a medium on different thinking and different telling. Each of the short story were a delight (I’m bias towards Russian writers) and the explanation reveals how one can go deeper in the analysis of what an author is attempting to do. This might spoil the fun but I disagree. Stories are encoded and if one rereads then questions and speculation will arise as to why write a story rather than write a philosophy or self help book at least in this era. Stories came first, why, I don’t know. It works and people don’t question what works until they have to. But this book was not cynicism but compassion, tenderness, joy of the reading of sentences, pages, and events to hopefully “alter” one’s outlook on life. Only briefly.