wickedwitchofthewords's review against another edition
1.0
Did not like it even though I did not finish it
jmcphers's review against another edition
3.0
I can pinpoint with a high degree of accuracy the moment in time when I became interested in short fiction. I was in my early twenties and was driving from California to Washington State, and I was lost in Portland during rush hour, which is the worst time to be lost in Portland. Due to my poor navigational skill, I wound up driving in elliptical loops that kept dumping me into industrial-looking areas instead of on I-5 North, which is where I wanted to be. While driving in heavy traffic on these fruitless loops I habitually scanned the radio and wound up on a public radio station in which someone appeared to be telling a story.
It wasn't a particularly exciting story, but the details and characters were so well-painted that I was quickly sucked in. There was a party. The narrator was going there, and someone with whom she had been involved was going to be there, and it was a little bittersweet. That's all I remember. But man, it made me forget all about being lost in Portland. I've loved short stories ever since.
Anyhow, this is a collection of short stories, and most of them are good, and it's very easy to skip the ones that aren't and not feel like you're missing anything (this is one of the best things about collections of short fiction). My very favorite story in the book was the Semplica Girl Diaries, which can also be found online if you search for it.
It wasn't a particularly exciting story, but the details and characters were so well-painted that I was quickly sucked in. There was a party. The narrator was going there, and someone with whom she had been involved was going to be there, and it was a little bittersweet. That's all I remember. But man, it made me forget all about being lost in Portland. I've loved short stories ever since.
Anyhow, this is a collection of short stories, and most of them are good, and it's very easy to skip the ones that aren't and not feel like you're missing anything (this is one of the best things about collections of short fiction). My very favorite story in the book was the Semplica Girl Diaries, which can also be found online if you search for it.
tashaw's review against another edition
2.0
The best story is the Saunders, but it can also be found in his collection Tenth of December, so I recommend reading that, instead.
kweekwegg's review against another edition
4.0
It's pretty difficult to sum up my feelings towards such a collection of short stories. I loved all of them save 2 or 3 -- which is to say, I really loved reading the whole book. Notable stories that I would recommend include "The Horned Men," "The World to Come," "A Voice in the Night," "The Semplica Girl Diaries," "The Wilderness," among others.
ranireadsbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
This is my least favorite of the BASS collection that I’ve read so far. Some of the stories were gripping, but most were either so boring and self indulgent that I stopped reading halfway, or struggled through only to be rewarded with a feeling of deep dissatisfaction.
doodlertm's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this collection was bit of a hit or miss for me. Out of 20 stories I really felt affected by about half of them, and I skipped a couple too, so... I could tell that the selection really was based around the idea of voice, which I appreciated. Overall, these stories helped me kill some time and find a handful of new authors to read, which is always a good thing.
allsmile's review against another edition
4.0
Like any collection there were highs and lows, but I enjoyed most of the stories and liked getting to try so many authors. Some of my faves: "Miss Lora" "The Chair" "Train" "Philanthropy" "The Semplica-Girl Diaries" "The World to Come" "The Tunnel, or The News from Spain"
bufally47's review against another edition
2.0
Until about halfway though, I was having an abysmal time with this collection. Everything seemed to be about DIY home-construction projects, children, and God. It surprised me how different these collections can be from year to year. I still think about a few of the stories from the one edited by T.C. Boyle – the especially strange, otherworldly ones – but Elizabeth Strout’s selections were much more down to earth. Two or three of them (especially “The Tunnel, or The News from Spain”) did really grab me, but overall this was more of a dud than the 2015. Maybe it would’ve had more magic if I hadn’t previously read “The Semplica-Girl Diaries.”
erinwolf1997's review against another edition
3.0
I've read short stories much better than most of these, but some of these were worth it. Others were borderline disturbing or so bland I just tuned out as I was reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual content