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book_concierge's review
2.0
This collection of short stories explores relationships – man and wife, boy and girl, father and son, brothers or friends.
I really liked a couple of the stories. Opening Day looks at three generations of men in one family as they go duck hunting on opening day. Narrated by the man who is both son (to Pop) and father (to Sean), it shows how certain wisdom is passed along through shared experiences. The reader also watches the men come to the realization that Pop’s days of hunting are over, that his age and deteriorating health make it impossible to continue. Nothing is said about it, but Pop shows with quiet dignity that he has decided this tradition they’ve shared is in the past.
The last story in the collection is also very good. The Flower Garden shines a light on first love, through the lens of hindsight. There is tenderness and confusion, miscommunication and soul-baring, and, of course, regrets. And American Elm deals with the decisions one man makes on how to live his last days.
I was decidedly uncomfortable with a couple of the stories - Piranhas, in particular, was very disturbing, giving a glimpse of a possible sociopath-in-the-making.
The biggest complaint I had about the stories, however, was the feeling I had that they were not complete. They seemed more like random chapters lifted from a larger work and I felt I was missing something. I have always liked the short story form, so it’s not that these were not novels that bothered me, is was that they seemed unfinished. And that is the reason for my lower rating.
I really liked a couple of the stories. Opening Day looks at three generations of men in one family as they go duck hunting on opening day. Narrated by the man who is both son (to Pop) and father (to Sean), it shows how certain wisdom is passed along through shared experiences. The reader also watches the men come to the realization that Pop’s days of hunting are over, that his age and deteriorating health make it impossible to continue. Nothing is said about it, but Pop shows with quiet dignity that he has decided this tradition they’ve shared is in the past.
The last story in the collection is also very good. The Flower Garden shines a light on first love, through the lens of hindsight. There is tenderness and confusion, miscommunication and soul-baring, and, of course, regrets. And American Elm deals with the decisions one man makes on how to live his last days.
I was decidedly uncomfortable with a couple of the stories - Piranhas, in particular, was very disturbing, giving a glimpse of a possible sociopath-in-the-making.
The biggest complaint I had about the stories, however, was the feeling I had that they were not complete. They seemed more like random chapters lifted from a larger work and I felt I was missing something. I have always liked the short story form, so it’s not that these were not novels that bothered me, is was that they seemed unfinished. And that is the reason for my lower rating.
lergoo's review against another edition
2.0
This book was.... a book.
I don't really know what to say about it, it just didn't grip me I guess. This is a collection of short stories about boys and/or men that have things happen to them. From meeting hunters out in a forest to talking about hooking up during a Christmas get-together. To me, this book just felt mundane. The writing style in some of the stories didn't help either, it was way too description-heavy without anything actually being said. When I ended most of these stories I wondered what even the point was of including them, and that's not a good sign. Some stories were intriguing like 'Piranhas' and 'Arcturus' but all the rest was mediocre at best.
Long story short, I wouldn't bother. There are way, way better short stories out there.
I don't really know what to say about it, it just didn't grip me I guess. This is a collection of short stories about boys and/or men that have things happen to them. From meeting hunters out in a forest to talking about hooking up during a Christmas get-together. To me, this book just felt mundane. The writing style in some of the stories didn't help either, it was way too description-heavy without anything actually being said. When I ended most of these stories I wondered what even the point was of including them, and that's not a good sign. Some stories were intriguing like 'Piranhas' and 'Arcturus' but all the rest was mediocre at best.
Long story short, I wouldn't bother. There are way, way better short stories out there.
ceabooks's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I’ve enjoyed David Guterson’s novels but this collection of short stories felt hollow and immature. I really was hoping for more.
aileenginny's review
3.0
This book ended up on my list because of the antonyms in the title. It was decently interesting, but I found myself getting bored after a while. I still like short stories, but these were all written with the same voice, so I found it to be less interesting than the other book of short stories I read recently (White Rat).
juniperusxx's review
4.0
My edition seems to be only the five first stories of this collection:
Angels in the snow
Opening day
Day of the moonwalk
Aliens
Wood grouse on a high promontory overlooking Canada
This was the first book by Guterson for me. I liked the melancholic stories about boys and men, the descriptions of old and new generations were touching.
Angels in the snow
Opening day
Day of the moonwalk
Aliens
Wood grouse on a high promontory overlooking Canada
This was the first book by Guterson for me. I liked the melancholic stories about boys and men, the descriptions of old and new generations were touching.
joe_fru's review
3.0
A bit uneven (as short story collections can be) but good overall. Guterson’s prose is clear and accessible, and the stories are rich in emotion, memory, and a sense of place. A throughline in the collection is the passage of time: often older people looking back on their youth and young adulthood.
My quick ranking of the 10 stories:
Solid: “Three Hunters,” “Angels in the Snow,” “Aliens,” “The Flower Garden”
Ok: “Piranhas,” “Arcturus,” “Wood Grouse...”, “Day of the Moonwalk”
Meh: “American Elm,” “Opening Day”
My quick ranking of the 10 stories:
Solid: “Three Hunters,” “Angels in the Snow,” “Aliens,” “The Flower Garden”
Ok: “Piranhas,” “Arcturus,” “Wood Grouse...”, “Day of the Moonwalk”
Meh: “American Elm,” “Opening Day”
han_cat's review
3.0
I have mixed opinions on this book. I really disliked the first two stories in this, they were extremely over descriptive. Fifteen words for every one actually needed! And this is exactly the reason I wouldn’t normally go near a short story collection. I persevered and I found it improved, however overall it has to be said it’s quite a ‘male’ book in that there’s a lot about fishing, shooting, basketball etc. I don’t like to be that stereotypical but I don’t think I’m the only person to have thought this.
Really it’s the very last story in this book that raised my opinion of the whole collection, I absolutely loved it. It was a perfect description of growing up and falling in love for the first time. In fact I’m quite tempted to copy this one before I send it on to continue its bookcrossing journey.
Really it’s the very last story in this book that raised my opinion of the whole collection, I absolutely loved it. It was a perfect description of growing up and falling in love for the first time. In fact I’m quite tempted to copy this one before I send it on to continue its bookcrossing journey.
theinkdarksea's review
2.0
As is often the case with short fiction, the pieces were either hugely resonant with me or uninspiring, with nothing in the collection falling in between. The final three stories: "American Elm", "Arcturus", and "The Flower Garden" felt the most complete to me, as if Guterson had found the marrow of his theme just in time for the finalé. Granted, they also relied most heavily on imagery of the ten, which is undoubtedly the author's greatest strength, along with his deft creation of place.