busco's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
amandatacklestbr's review
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elijahcuba's review
5.0
This book is a masterclass in writing. Legit, if you want to know how to write words, read Flannery O'Connor. New favorite author.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
5.0
It wasn't too many stories into this collection before I realized that plowing through, story after story was not a good idea. If I began one story as soon as I finished the last I would get several paragraphs in before I realized my head was still back in the previous story. I had to take a break between stories and let them marinate for a while. These stories were not pleasant, they were brutal, they tended to make one introspective, they were uncomfortable and they were affecting. There is no doubt that Flannery O'Connor was a very gifted writer and I'm grateful for her honest writing.
However, there are different kinds of honesty for different people. I think Ms. O'Connor was more interested in getting a point across than in showing us how life really is- unless it's just on the level of what goes on inside our heads. If I were going to write a short story in the style of Flannery O'Conner (and fail miserably, no doubt) the main character would be someone who is only intelligent enough to make some people think that she is smarter than she is and who would give a five star rating to a well-written, highly symbolic tome (such as this) just because presumably intellectual people have done so and she doesn't want them to realize that she didn't get it like they (obviously) did.
Don't think that I don't really believe that this deserves 5 stars (because I really don't DO that- honest as can be with my ratings, cross my heart and hope to die) and I think you can create a character out of pieces of yourself without it being your whole self. I KNOW that there were elements of these short stories that went completely over my head and I certainly didn't grasp all of the symbolism. But the things that I did get were stunning. And I have to say- I'm so very glad I don't live in Flannery O'Conner's world even though it was absolutely fascinating to inhabit it for little snippets of time. The more I read the more addicted I became. Highly recommended- not particularly to the faint of heart and not if you're the happy-ending loving sort.
However, there are different kinds of honesty for different people. I think Ms. O'Connor was more interested in getting a point across than in showing us how life really is- unless it's just on the level of what goes on inside our heads. If I were going to write a short story in the style of Flannery O'Conner (and fail miserably, no doubt) the main character would be someone who is only intelligent enough to make some people think that she is smarter than she is and who would give a five star rating to a well-written, highly symbolic tome (such as this) just because presumably intellectual people have done so and she doesn't want them to realize that she didn't get it like they (obviously) did.
Don't think that I don't really believe that this deserves 5 stars (because I really don't DO that- honest as can be with my ratings, cross my heart and hope to die) and I think you can create a character out of pieces of yourself without it being your whole self. I KNOW that there were elements of these short stories that went completely over my head and I certainly didn't grasp all of the symbolism. But the things that I did get were stunning. And I have to say- I'm so very glad I don't live in Flannery O'Conner's world even though it was absolutely fascinating to inhabit it for little snippets of time. The more I read the more addicted I became. Highly recommended- not particularly to the faint of heart and not if you're the happy-ending loving sort.
edboies's review against another edition
5.0
They had this in jail and I read a story in it and cried in my cell and later my friend came to bail me out.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
2.0
There's a lot of O'Connor's writing that skirts the line between depiction (A Good Man Is Hard To Find) and endorsement (The Artificial Nigger).
amandapayne's review against another edition
5.0
2nd reading of selected stories. I had to let much of it wash over me the first time thru but on this 2nd reading, wow! What I understood the first time was definitely upgraded and I am in love with her work. I look forward to a third reading and first or second reading of other stories in this collection! What she can paint with a short story is amazing.