Reviews

The Englishman by Douglas Stuart

boose's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

panos's review against another edition

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4.0

a perfect example of what good description can do to elevate a short story. This piece has a sensory feel to it. While not every detail is understandable to me or even particularly groundbreaking there are so many images that cling to my mind. In addition, the plot is very addictive? It was a mystery? I am not really sure but the piece moved in a very natural way and the events that happen are truly intriguing. Maybe not the most groundbreaking short story but definitely one that I would like to revisit and maybe analyze.

alexandrawithanx's review against another edition

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5.0

Listened to the audio version on New Yorker, highly recommend listening during lunchbreak in the park.

suzanne07090's review

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

3.5

iguana_mama's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

direwolfsummer's review

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slow-paced

3.0

Halfway through the album I could tell that William had a type. He liked them Northern, scrawny almost; all parsimonious hips and jutting clavicles. He liked them scowling – a little hungry-looking. He liked them Scottish.

He had me at the "parsimonious hips".

pancho's review

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

3.75

mwana's review

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4.0

Accessible. Surprisingly funny. I look forward to reading [b:Shuggie Bain|52741293|Shuggie Bain|Douglas Stuart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602094778l/52741293._SY75_.jpg|72463055]

dschonah's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

johhnnyinla's review

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4.0

"The Englishman" by Douglas Stuart, 2020

Coming off just reading Shuggie Bain, I found myself wanting more. Young Mongo is still off on the horizon at the time of writing this review, but luckily I found "The Englishman," a short story published in the New Yorker.

There were enough similar elements from "Shuggie Bain" that it was easy enough to imagine "The Englishman" is a story about Shuggie in his collegiate years. In the story, William the Englishman and "Casper" (the pet name for William's object of desire) went to the theater to watch a play about two inner-city boys finding their first love. Could that play be called "Young Mongo?". Yeah, that might be a leap or a little meta, but hey, don't knock me for imagining.

I liked the story just like I like my lemons, acidy sour, yet somehow sweet.

I rate it a 4 out of 5.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/14/the-englishman