hayrabe's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed her writing but wow these stories got a little redundant really quick
jodyjsperling's review against another edition
5.0
For such a massive volume, it is difficult to arrange my thoughts. Malamud achieved a feat I've never seen before: He failed to write a single uninteresting short story in his entire life. Some stood out, but none bored. Each of the Fidleman stories--save the last--is a masterpiece. "Still Life" may be the greatest short story I've ever read, certainly in the top three. "The First Seven Years", too, is extraordinary.
As one who had read several of Malamud's novels, and adored his long-form fiction, I wondered if he could possibly achieve such heights in short-form. The answer is yes, yes, yes. I can confidently say that if anyone does not see the brilliance of Malamud, s/he is not reading attentively enough.
As one who had read several of Malamud's novels, and adored his long-form fiction, I wondered if he could possibly achieve such heights in short-form. The answer is yes, yes, yes. I can confidently say that if anyone does not see the brilliance of Malamud, s/he is not reading attentively enough.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
voraciousrdr's review against another edition
5.0
just reread my high school senior paper on this collection & i analyzed o'connor through buddhism which was definitely a weird angle i don't know why i did that
lindseymarkel's review against another edition
5.0
I read this whole damn thing and enjoyed every page. THE MASTER, Y'ALL. After every story, I'd close the book and swoon and stare, stroke the cover and contemplate getting a peacock feather/eyeball tattoo. O Flannery! My Flannery!
alltheradreads's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Flannery. You are my soul sister, I'm sure of it. Your stories have the weirdest, twistiest characters, there's always some dark or broken or messy element, there's always amazing lines or quotes... you're a master of your craft and I'm sad your life ended so soon and we didn't get to see more of what you can do. This book took me a few months to get through, as I really wanted to take these stories in and not just rush through them all, and I'm glad I didn't. Girl has a way with words and such a great mind for fiction, and even though I'm not usually the biggest fan of short stories, I know I'll return to hers and dive back in to glean more from them as time goes on.
mklinkenborg's review against another edition
4.0
Some wonderful and intriguing short stories. Worth the read.
baibhavreadsagain's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this compendium. Filled with subtlety, smooth but properly unsettling (when its called for).
armiles713's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading through these stories. They were very dark, portraying the darkness of each of us within that we often try to bury and hide away. The stories were all deep and intruiging. Tragic that more couldn't be written.
kimtrucks's review against another edition
4.0
haunting, horrifying, "Christian realism". Greek in it's use of fatal flaws, steeped in pre civil rights act South, for better and for worse