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cmcrockford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very, very good with some quibbles: (1) Saunders is doing some really neat sci-fi except literary critics wouldn't quite be plotzing themselves over his work if they, oh, picked up some PKD or LeGuin or any other genre writer they deign too low for them, and (2) some of the stories pull a singular trick with "person in dystopia has eyes opened" and you can only do that so many times before it's just a trick and not a real emotional process.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
scmiller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
rorikae's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'Liberation Day' by George Saunders is a thought-provoking short story collection that delves into topics such as how we participate in systems, political propaganda, how we view others, and more. The collection spans from longer pieces to shorter pieces that intersperse the longer ones. I personally found that the longer pieces were my favorites because Saunders was allowed the time to more fully explore worlds and in the process convey more commentary. My two personal favorite stories in the collection are the titular Liberation Day, which comments on participation in systems, classism, and personal autonomy. My other favorite is Elliott Spencer, which discusses political propaganda, bodily autonomy, and the lengths people will go to to make a point. I found the shorter stories less affecting, especially those that were more realistic. Where Saunders blends speculative elements with commentary are where I feel that his writing shines. If you have been a fan of Saunders work in the past, I definitely recommend this collection. It has a lot of meaty ideas to chew on and I'll be thinking about them for quite some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
deedireads's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Liberation Day is just plain short story writing at its best. George has given us a deeply human collection of unforgettable characters and plenty to think about.
For you if: You like slightly weird short stories.
FULL REVIEW:
TY, Random House, for the gifted copy of this book! George Saunders is undoubtedly one of the best short story writers of our day, and so when I saw that he had a new collection coming out, I couldn’t let it pass me by. Thank goodness I didn’t! It’s just as good as we expected it to be (and maybe more).
All nine stories here are deeply human and fun to read, even when the topics are heavy. They’re also imaginative, sometimes dipping a pinky toe into sci-fi in the best way (the title story is about a man, pinned up on a wall and fed lines as entertainment for guests, who falls in love with his “owner’s” wife). They ask us: what is our reality? What is our responsibility inside that reality? What is the true self? Is control over others ever ethical? What does it mean to have hope in defiance of the world around us?
One other thing I loved was that a few of these stories played with multiple narrators, which you so rarely see in short fiction. But George and his incredible character and voice work pulls it off and then some, spinning us to greater depth and unfolding the plot like a puzzle.
Finally, let me implore you to please listen to the audiobook WHILE you read along with the print copy! Like with Lincoln in the Bardo, the cast of narrators is too good to miss (I especially loved Tina Fey’s performance of the second story), but there are some (especially the first and eighth stories) that will be hard to follow on audio alone. BOTH is the way to go, just trust me!
TL;DR REVIEW:
Liberation Day is just plain short story writing at its best. George has given us a deeply human collection of unforgettable characters and plenty to think about.
For you if: You like slightly weird short stories.
FULL REVIEW:
TY, Random House, for the gifted copy of this book! George Saunders is undoubtedly one of the best short story writers of our day, and so when I saw that he had a new collection coming out, I couldn’t let it pass me by. Thank goodness I didn’t! It’s just as good as we expected it to be (and maybe more).
All nine stories here are deeply human and fun to read, even when the topics are heavy. They’re also imaginative, sometimes dipping a pinky toe into sci-fi in the best way (the title story is about a man, pinned up on a wall and fed lines as entertainment for guests, who falls in love with his “owner’s” wife). They ask us: what is our reality? What is our responsibility inside that reality? What is the true self? Is control over others ever ethical? What does it mean to have hope in defiance of the world around us?
One other thing I loved was that a few of these stories played with multiple narrators, which you so rarely see in short fiction. But George and his incredible character and voice work pulls it off and then some, spinning us to greater depth and unfolding the plot like a puzzle.
Finally, let me implore you to please listen to the audiobook WHILE you read along with the print copy! Like with Lincoln in the Bardo, the cast of narrators is too good to miss (I especially loved Tina Fey’s performance of the second story), but there are some (especially the first and eighth stories) that will be hard to follow on audio alone. BOTH is the way to go, just trust me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, and Police brutality