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paroof's review against another edition
5.0
Vignettes of the townspeople of fictional Winesburg, Ohio, tied together around George Willard. The stories are mostly character sketches, but they're strange and poignant. The writing is straight forward and plain which seems fitting. I'm glad I picked this book up.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
surrattb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
onuryeats's review against another edition
5.0
You guys probably don’t know that I’m a SHORT STORY WHORE. First of all, the reason why I wanted to read this book is that the author heavily impressed such authors as Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Saroyan, Henry Miller etc. Personally speaking, I was so overwhelmed by the book’s magnificence. There is nothing bad to say about this book. The structure of the book is quite intriguing. It frames the stories of melancholic “weirdos” belonged to the same fictional town, Winesburg. The first part of the book, The Book of the Grotesque, was the greatest. “Grotesque” could have never been explained better than that. (The grotesque described in the book also reminded me of McCullers’s essence of grotesque.) Hands is the one that I liked the most. Besides, the link between the stories the Strength of God and the Teacher is praiseworthy. Overall, the book itself has an unique story structure that you cannot find in any book.
mindthebook's review against another edition
4.0
På sommaren är det inte ovanligt att amerikanska klassiker figurerar i min läshög. Författaren sägs ha varit en självlärd föregångare till den kommande generationens författare som Steinbeck, Faulkner, Miller och Hemingway. Själv beundrade han Walt Whitman och Gertrude Stein.
Anderson var ad man och copywriter, men också framgångsrik färgfabrikant, eller vad det heter. När han fick nog av den småborgerliga livsstilen "flydde" han till Chicago. Faktiskt i ett fugue-liknande tillstånd, för den psykiatriskt intresserade, efter "an accumulation of marital, artistic and business worries" och började med skönlitteratur på allvar efter 40.
Novellen Hands hade jag kommit i kontakt med förut, via Fenton Johnsons bok om skönhet, kreativitet och solitude. Slås snabbt av psykologisk skicklighet och intensitet av den sort jag uppskattar så och endast funnit hos en handfull andra litterära själsfränder; portugisiske Pessoa, holländska Nescio och brittiska John Cowper Powys är några. Andra läsare kanske uppfattar sådana här formuleringar som självgoda och pompösa: "[...] Alice, betrayed by her desire to have something beautiful come into her rather narrow life". Hur som helst är det en röst från ett annat sekel av en människa som försöker förstå människor. Såg att Stewart O'Nan givit den här fem stjärnor, det säger mycket.
Anderson var ad man och copywriter, men också framgångsrik färgfabrikant, eller vad det heter. När han fick nog av den småborgerliga livsstilen "flydde" han till Chicago. Faktiskt i ett fugue-liknande tillstånd, för den psykiatriskt intresserade, efter "an accumulation of marital, artistic and business worries" och började med skönlitteratur på allvar efter 40.
Novellen Hands hade jag kommit i kontakt med förut, via Fenton Johnsons bok om skönhet, kreativitet och solitude. Slås snabbt av psykologisk skicklighet och intensitet av den sort jag uppskattar så och endast funnit hos en handfull andra litterära själsfränder; portugisiske Pessoa, holländska Nescio och brittiska John Cowper Powys är några. Andra läsare kanske uppfattar sådana här formuleringar som självgoda och pompösa: "[...] Alice, betrayed by her desire to have something beautiful come into her rather narrow life". Hur som helst är det en röst från ett annat sekel av en människa som försöker förstå människor. Såg att Stewart O'Nan givit den här fem stjärnor, det säger mycket.
emleemay's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
I apologise for my lack of originality, but I need to steal karen's perfect summarisation of this book: "this book is life - it is tender and gentle and melancholy and real. not everything works out according to plan here, but what ever does?"
There is no better way to put it than that. [b:Winesburg, Ohio|80176|Winesburg, Ohio|Sherwood Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170979482s/80176.jpg|191520] is a collection of short stories about the inhabitants of the small town of Winesburg, it is a very real story about the lives of "normal" people. Those people who work hard every day of their lives and never get rewarded for their dedication. Those who pray each day for the one thing they've always wanted... only to remain disappointed. Those who are sad and broken from having never been loved as a child, those who were never good enough for the people in their lives. This little book captures so many emotions in just over 250 pages: pain, happiness, fear, want, greed, sadness, frustration...
This book is filled with beautiful, quotable writing and the last line is one of the best finishing lines I've ever read. It just adds that cherry on top of this sundae and left me feeling a whirlwind of emotions. As does the whole book. Sherwood uses the short story method to explore different styles of story-telling when dealing with different characters in this small town. For example, the second story in the book is called Hands and tells the tale of Wing Biddlebaum through his hands that have inspired emotions from wonder to hatred in the hearts of the people he has known in his life. "The story of Wing Biddlebaum is a story of hands. Their restless activity, like unto the beating of the wings of an imprisoned bird, had given him his name."
Another example of Sherwood's experimentation with styles that I really liked was in Godliness: A Tale in Four Parts. In this, the author tells the story of a family from the point of view of different family members and your opinion of the characters change with each one you read. At first, Louise is a selfish and argumentative woman who neglects her son and is prone to fits of anger or alternatively periods of withdrawal and silence. But then Sherwood switches perspective to allow for understanding: "Before such women as Louise can be understood and their lives made livable, much will have to be done. Thoughtful books will have to be written and thoughtful lives lived by people about them." Because Louise was not born with rage and frustration inside her, it was put there by life and others who failed her. Sherwood's portrait of a woman at this time and the limits put upon her because she is a woman and not a man is sad and somewhat ahead of its time.
I really wanted to give this five stars and I almost did, but I held back from doing so when I paused to look back over the book and realised the quality of some stories is far greater than others and it was the stronger stories that were tempting me to rate higher. But readers of short story collections often acknowledge that this is frequently the case and I don't want to put you off reading this. It's hard not to be touched by the realities these people faced and I think this would be the perfect opportunity to compare with [b:The Casual Vacancy|13497818|The Casual Vacancy|J.K. Rowling|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1341322570s/13497818.jpg|19926990] - another book about the lives of people in a small, quiet town and how they are not as calm and gentle as one may be tempted to believe.
I want to make this comparison because I tried to read Rowling's adult novel and found myself too bored to continue. So I inevitably started to believe that this was down to the subject matter and the subtle tone of the book and perhaps my not-so-secret super love of wizards and magic. I personally think [b:Winesburg, Ohio|80176|Winesburg, Ohio|Sherwood Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170979482s/80176.jpg|191520] is proof that it wasn't my lack of ability to appreciate a certain type of story and that it really was just pretty boring (sorry fans!). Because this is about small town relations too, it is about people who aren't celebrities or supernatural creatures or dating supernatural creatures... and it hooked me from start to finish.
I apologise for my lack of originality, but I need to steal karen's perfect summarisation of this book: "this book is life - it is tender and gentle and melancholy and real. not everything works out according to plan here, but what ever does?"
There is no better way to put it than that. [b:Winesburg, Ohio|80176|Winesburg, Ohio|Sherwood Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170979482s/80176.jpg|191520] is a collection of short stories about the inhabitants of the small town of Winesburg, it is a very real story about the lives of "normal" people. Those people who work hard every day of their lives and never get rewarded for their dedication. Those who pray each day for the one thing they've always wanted... only to remain disappointed. Those who are sad and broken from having never been loved as a child, those who were never good enough for the people in their lives. This little book captures so many emotions in just over 250 pages: pain, happiness, fear, want, greed, sadness, frustration...
This book is filled with beautiful, quotable writing and the last line is one of the best finishing lines I've ever read. It just adds that cherry on top of this sundae and left me feeling a whirlwind of emotions. As does the whole book. Sherwood uses the short story method to explore different styles of story-telling when dealing with different characters in this small town. For example, the second story in the book is called Hands and tells the tale of Wing Biddlebaum through his hands that have inspired emotions from wonder to hatred in the hearts of the people he has known in his life. "The story of Wing Biddlebaum is a story of hands. Their restless activity, like unto the beating of the wings of an imprisoned bird, had given him his name."
Another example of Sherwood's experimentation with styles that I really liked was in Godliness: A Tale in Four Parts. In this, the author tells the story of a family from the point of view of different family members and your opinion of the characters change with each one you read. At first, Louise is a selfish and argumentative woman who neglects her son and is prone to fits of anger or alternatively periods of withdrawal and silence. But then Sherwood switches perspective to allow for understanding: "Before such women as Louise can be understood and their lives made livable, much will have to be done. Thoughtful books will have to be written and thoughtful lives lived by people about them." Because Louise was not born with rage and frustration inside her, it was put there by life and others who failed her. Sherwood's portrait of a woman at this time and the limits put upon her because she is a woman and not a man is sad and somewhat ahead of its time.
I really wanted to give this five stars and I almost did, but I held back from doing so when I paused to look back over the book and realised the quality of some stories is far greater than others and it was the stronger stories that were tempting me to rate higher. But readers of short story collections often acknowledge that this is frequently the case and I don't want to put you off reading this. It's hard not to be touched by the realities these people faced and I think this would be the perfect opportunity to compare with [b:The Casual Vacancy|13497818|The Casual Vacancy|J.K. Rowling|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1341322570s/13497818.jpg|19926990] - another book about the lives of people in a small, quiet town and how they are not as calm and gentle as one may be tempted to believe.
I want to make this comparison because I tried to read Rowling's adult novel and found myself too bored to continue. So I inevitably started to believe that this was down to the subject matter and the subtle tone of the book and perhaps my not-so-secret super love of wizards and magic. I personally think [b:Winesburg, Ohio|80176|Winesburg, Ohio|Sherwood Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170979482s/80176.jpg|191520] is proof that it wasn't my lack of ability to appreciate a certain type of story and that it really was just pretty boring (sorry fans!). Because this is about small town relations too, it is about people who aren't celebrities or supernatural creatures or dating supernatural creatures... and it hooked me from start to finish.
lizzyjane's review against another edition
1.0
I only read it to impress a horrid ex boyfriend.
It was terrible.
It was terrible.
alienclans's review against another edition
5.0
"I hate books and I hate anyone who likes books."
Same.
This book is a pretty and well worded version of life.
Same.
This book is a pretty and well worded version of life.
louiza_read2live's review against another edition
2.0
This book went down for me from 4 stars to 2.5-3 stars, but this one is from the books that I leave open the option of a later reread with fresh eyes. I like that it is thought provoking and realistically portraying the lives of people who are desperately and hopelessly lonely, unloved, and entrapped in their own minds and traumas more than in the geographical location of where they live. However, once I hit half way through, the monotone writing, the consistently awful, antipathetic characters without a hint of hope tired me out to the point that I dragged through the rest. Also, the story of the pedophiliac teacher was a point for me where it started going down fast and I couldn't stomach it anymore. I think the writing style was more what it eventually ruined it for me. Too monotone and eventually I felt I was always expecting something more and I was always at the same place... At some point, I started feeling as if I, the reader, and the awful characters, we were all part of a twilight zone episode: Realistically written stories, but none of the characters alive enough. I got too tired of the sameness, and I feel that was the point of the author after all; therefore, maybe another day, on a second reading, I'll feel differently and it'll get back its initial four stars. For now, I move on from Winesburg, so I can feel I can breath again.
aspengulley's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
konsgard's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0