A review by jackroche
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 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.