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

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.