cheryloboyd '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
Russia is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” according to Winston Churchill. It makes sense that it’s literature is also beautifully complex and often intimidating. George Saunders gives us a master course on understand great Russian short stories from the perspective of an American writer and academic. I appreciate the rigor he uses in comparing various translations of the work to get to the author’s meaning. He goes an extra step to engage Russian insiders to share their perspectives and interpretations. Still, it is an American interpretation of complex Russian art.

Having lived in Russia for my 30s, I don’t have better insights to guide readers. I can feel when Saunders misses a deeper meaning or emotion in his analysis and I am confident I would enjoy discussing it more with him and a few others around a table with some tea and sprat sandwiches.

Thanks to my friend, Matt, for recommending such a great book. It is one I will continue to share with others.