shanviolinlove's review against another edition
5.0
Master storyteller, shrewd critic, Flannery O'Connor delivers flawless story after story in this collection. Surveying the southern families, their intricacies and character flaws, the racism that permeates their communities and the inherent longing to return to a nonexistent Old South, they each struggle with grace and violence and change. This work is one of, if not the greatest that I have ever encountered.
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
It took me forever, but I finished it! I wish I had studied Flannery in school because WOW she is a genius, and there's so much here.
rukky_reads's review against another edition
4.0
When I started this I found it weird with their consistent use of the n-word and just stories I felt did not have endings. I guess I’m just not used to short stories. For me it took up to the 9th story - A stroke of good fortune - for me to really start enjoying this. From then on it was mostly smooth sailing.
I liked that in a way the last short story was like a continuation of the first story giving it the ending I was looking for.
Favourite stories (can’t choose one):
A stroke of good fortune
A good man is hard to find
The River
A view of the woods
Least favourite:
Why do the heathen rage? I just don’t see the point of this story
I liked that in a way the last short story was like a continuation of the first story giving it the ending I was looking for.
Favourite stories (can’t choose one):
A stroke of good fortune
A good man is hard to find
The River
A view of the woods
Least favourite:
Why do the heathen rage? I just don’t see the point of this story
harpirl's review against another edition
2.0
This took some time to get through. All stories either involve death, anger, hatred, or deception, along with other such cheery subjects. Most of the stories are plain bizarre that just didn’t, and couldn’t strike my fancy.
ohsoquiet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Death
cryptoclastic's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
marplatense's review against another edition
5.0
1 año y un mes después de empezarlo (leí un cuento luego de cada novela que terminaba), puedo dar por concluída la increible tarea de conocer los cuentos completos de la señora O'Connor. Es un disfrute que recomiendo muchísimo, una aventura en sí amigarse con todos estos personajes trágicos, rídiculos, fallados, en busca de la salvación. Más adelante incorporaré las novelas seguro (aunque ambas dos están maduradas desde estos relatos): en especial [b:The Violent Bear It Away|48468|The Violent Bear It Away|Flannery O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388381676l/48468._SX50_.jpg|1510479], que está basado en el cuento [b:You Can't Be Any Poorer Than Dead|53157184|You Can't Be Any Poorer Than Dead|Flannery O'Connor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|73641928] que es una delicia de historia.
illymally's review
5.0
I had forgotten the delights of short stories: it had been a long time since I felt my time reading one was well spent. But I really look forward to picking up this book and opening a new, fragile little world. I love how her characters are both simple and mysterious. The stories feel very real.
aridjon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
O'Connor's writing is, for better and worse, for those with ears to hear and she obviously had no f---s to give as far as making it easily accessible. She exposes the shadowy xenophobic tendencies of nearly every protagonist she writes and reminds all of us not only not to be too comfortable on our high horse, but that certain existential terror awaits us once we get knocked off.
thebooksofwrath's review against another edition
5.0
What I love about Flannery O’Connor is this certain realistic and raw approach to storytelling she had which I find seldom elsewhere in literature. You don’t find this kind of liberality very often, where the author’s characters aren’t all angels (God forbid). O’Connor, though a Christian, wasn’t afraid to show things as they are and as she saw them, regardless of how “immoral” or “shocking” it might have been to her audience. Why should a writer mar her or his characters just to be decent and destroy the underlying message?