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ashdawn's review
Overall, it seems to be a collection of very sad slice of life stories. There were a few, like The Sleep, that I enjoyed. But for the most part, I would finish the story and kinda wish I had been reading something else
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
readsewknit's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy short stories. I was reflecting on this, trying to pinpoint a time when my interest in them began. We certainly read them in school growing up, and there were some great ones we read as examples in my fiction writing class. But my love of them grew even more after I started having children. My reading habits changed, as my opportunities to read decreased. There was an uptick in my YA lit and short story consumption, as those genres could be completed in shorter amounts of time.
This collection had some intriguing selections. I think there was only one or two that I had absolutely no interest in and it was a trial to complete, although there were others that were interesting to read but ended up falling flat.
This collection had some intriguing selections. I think there was only one or two that I had absolutely no interest in and it was a trial to complete, although there were others that were interesting to read but ended up falling flat.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
3.0
Like any short story collection, there were some really great stories, a few duds, and many just middle of the road “so-so” stories. Many of the mediocre stories felt very samey to me; Brooks mentions in her intro that she tried to select non-domestic, non-middle class stories, but that it was difficult because there were so many. Even with her trying to find some different types of stories, many do fit this pattern. My favorites were ones that bordered on speculative fiction with all the questions they often pose (The Sleep by Caitlin Horrocks and Escape from Spiderhead by George Saunders) or had very distinct voices (Out of Body by Jennifer Egan and To the Measures Fall by Richard Powers). Disappointingly, a few well known authors like Joyce Carol Oates (ID) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Ceiling) definitely fell in the mediocre category.
steller0707's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoy reading these collections because they introduce me to new authors. Geraldine Brooks has picked some wonderful stories from new-to-me authors, but also from some of my favorites. In general, I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection but these the best
Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie - Ceiling
Nathan Englander - Free fruit for young widows
Rebecca McCracken - Property
Joyce Carol Oates - ID
George Saunders - Escape from Spiderhead
Mark Slouka - the Hare's Mask
Looking forward to hearing Chimamanda speak in person later this week!
Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie - Ceiling
Nathan Englander - Free fruit for young widows
Rebecca McCracken - Property
Joyce Carol Oates - ID
George Saunders - Escape from Spiderhead
Mark Slouka - the Hare's Mask
Looking forward to hearing Chimamanda speak in person later this week!
moogen's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't had a great deal of exposure to literary short stories and I found this volume both fascinating and challenging. I didn't hate any of the selected stories. But I didn't LOVE any either. Despite Geraldine Brooks' assurances in the foreward, style did often overwhelm narrative. But I was impressed with the scope of her choices.
My favourites... Ceiling, Escape from Spiderhead, Property & Hare's Mask.
theverbalthing's review against another edition
4.0
We read selections from this book for my advanced fiction workshop. I was deeply impressed with a number of the stories we looked at, though I was also less than intrigued by some of the others. For a collection which purports to contain the Best American Short Stories of 2011, I thought many of them were lacking crucial elements of a good short story, let alone a best one. I think the editors made some interesting choices and could have probably produced a shorter anthology which only featured the more hard-hitting pieces...
But I'm still giving this book a high rating because of the power contained in the pieces that I did read, reread, and adore. It's been an interesting exercise reading these published pieces while struggling to produce work of my own that lives up to the expectations I give myself and my classmates give me.
But I'm still giving this book a high rating because of the power contained in the pieces that I did read, reread, and adore. It's been an interesting exercise reading these published pieces while struggling to produce work of my own that lives up to the expectations I give myself and my classmates give me.
ije's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
4.0
Consistently good stories. While different stories, the voice of the stories feels threaded through to hold it all together. Really enjoyed!
crfsanders's review against another edition
Good so far, but I've actually read or heard several of the stories in this year's collection elsewhere.